BOULDER — For all the records he has set as the starting quarterback at Colorado, it’s perhaps fitting that the absence of a number tells the biggest story about Sefo Liufau’s best season yet.
Zero, as in interceptions thrown this season, fits Liufau better than any of the big numbers he has had in breaking nearly every significant school passing record. And a ball fired out of the right hand of the senior has rarely come close to landing in an opponent’s hands.
It’s one of the biggest reasons the No. 21 Buffaloes (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12), who host UCLA (3-5, 1-4) on Thursday night, are one of the best stories in college football, closing in on a division title that was considered unthinkable to those outside the program before the season.
“Reps, reps reps. Experience, experience, experience,” CU coach Mike MacIntyre said in explaining Liufau’s preservation of the football this season. “He can see it. If he does make a mistake – he’ll make one eventually – he’ll be over it the next snap and ready to go again. He won’t shy away a bit. It’s just his experience and his competitiveness. He’s seen so many things and studies film so well. He’s just grown into it.”
The Bruins present an opportunity to vanquish even more demons for Liufau when it comes to turnovers, which cost CU dearly in heartbreaking losses to UCLA in each of the past two seasons. Liufau threw two interceptions as a sophomore during CU’s 40-37 triple overtime loss in 2014. He threw two more in a 35-31 loss last season, one that was returned for a 96-yard touchdown in the first half and another that halted a would-be game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.
They weren’t just interceptions. They were killers.
“I remember those games vividly,” Liufau said. “I think that ultimately, I had two picks in each game, it’s about taking care of the ball. Last year when we put so many yards up against them and moved the ball up and down, basically controlling the Rose Bowl but not being able to put points up, that really hurt.”
Those games provided ammunition for naysayers who painted Liufau as a quarterback who was good enough to give CU a chance to win games, only to erase it with crippling mistakes. He threw a combined 29 interceptions during his first three seasons.
It’s been a far different story during his senior season. Outside of a fumble he lost late in the season opener against Colorado State, Liufau hasn’t turned the ball over. He credits an offensive line that has given him time to work through his progressions. He’s also working through those reads more quickly, processing information at a quicker rate and then reacting.
“It’s been his decision-making,” CU junior wide receiver Shay Fields said. “He watches a lot of film. He’s one of those guys who watches film and sees where he can throw the ball and when, see the tendencies of the defense so that he doesn’t turn the ball over.”
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MacIntyre pledged before the start of the season that the coaching staff would do its part of limiting Liufau’s opportunities for mistakes, creating quicker and more effective outlets when facing pressure. The staff has met that challenge, and CU’s increased tempo has also had the effect of putting defenses on their heels and less able to attack routes.
“The tempo kills the defense to where we can get into our routes faster,” Fields said. “They don’t get off and can’t get pressure most of the time. It’s three-step drop and then getting the ball into our hands and letting us make plays.”
Of course, it all comes down to Liufau not throwing the ball to the wrong team. He’s acutely aware of how much his team’s championship quest hinges on his continuing to take care of the football. Asked his personal goals for CU’s stretch run, Liufau kept it simple.
“Keep winning and take care of the football,” he said.
Liufau has proven this season that one leads to the other.
