It's on in the Big XII

The Buffs kick off their conference schedule this week at Mizzou. What better time for us to change our losing ways than now? The defense has been great all year and the offense is improving at a hyperbolic rate - though admittedly from a pretty grim starting point.

Don't be surprised if the Buffs come out and beat a very good Tiger team on Saturday. Though I'm sure that Vegas will be picking MU to win big. That's why everyone hates Vegas. That and the heat. And the moral decay. And those goddamned blinking lights...

Buffs are better

Hey, our team is 0-4. They lost to a Divsion 1-AA team, they lost to CSU, they lost to ASU and now to Georgia. It's safe to say, we are not good. However, in a rebuilding year with a new coach, what you want to see is improvement week to week. And my, oh my, are we seeing improvement.

The Buffs went into Athens Georgia today and very, very nearly stole one from #9 UGA. The defense has been solid all year and gives us a chance to win each week. The offense is noticeably improving each week. And what's really noteworthy is that that offense is improving versus increasingly good competion. Georgia is believed to have one of the finest Ds in college football yet the Buffs had their best game against them. On the road.

Some say there are no such things as moral victories. But in a season like this, that's just not true. The Buffs had one today. Don't be surprised if this ends up being the turning point for our Buffs. And it's happening just as the Big XII schedule is about to commence.

Stay tuned, friends of the Buffaloes. It's going to continue to be interesting.

Devils in the Details

Friends of the Buffaloes,

So sure, the Buffs performance on the field has been less than inspiring so far this season. Sure, we lost to Montana stat (Div. 1-AA) who went on to lose to Chadron State (Div 2). Sure, we lost to CSU, a middle-of-the-pack team from a mid-major conference. Fine. It sucks but it's part of the rebuilding prerequisite. We're at the bottom of the hill and have a long way to climb. It may be a tough season or two before the Buffs rise.

The ASU Sun Devils come to town Saturday with a #22 rating and a high octane offense. They won't be expecting much of a fight from downtrodden CU, will they? No, just another non-conference cream-puff before the real season starts.

Not so fast my friends! The Buffs aren't dead yet. They've got plenty of fight in them. And we're running the option now, baby, just like the glory days. Anything can happen. We've got nothing to lose now so expect to see Hawk and the boys take plenty of chances. It'll be interesting, it'll be exciting. Don't jump off of the bandwagon folks. We are Buffs and we will "never give in"!

And because I feel that I have not been doing my part thus far, I will be flying up from Argentina to attend Saturday's game. The tailgater will commence around 2 PM in the B-School lot. Bring some food to share, and plenty of beverages.

CU Saturday,
Buffalover

Buffs vs. Rams review

Well, indeed we are in for a long season. A few thoughts...

What I liked:

Rushing defense is fantastic. Neither of our first two opponents has been able to run at all.

Pass rush was great. 6 sacks is an accomplishment.

Creativity on offense. Hey, it didn't pan out but I like the coaches pulling out all the stops. I can't tell you how excited I was to see the option. It sputtered by the second quarter but, still, it was worth a shot.

Punting was mostly improved. The 75 yarder by DiLallo was impressive.

The SlingBox hooked to my Tivo back in Boulder worked like a charm allowing me to watch the game here in Argentina (even pause and rewind).

What I didn't like:

Defensive secondary made Caleb Hanie look like whoever the most accurate passer of all times is. Actually, Hanie was really threading the needle - even when we had great coverage (which we frequently didn't) he was still hitting the receiver. Also, our lack of height at CB was evident. The TD pass to Sperry was clearly blown coverage.

Bad clock management. We blew a chance for Mason to kick a chip shot at the end of the half. Would have changed the momentum.

No receivers. Sure, Patrick Williams had his best game yet, but that was 4 catches. We can't get anyone open downfield and when we do, we can't get the ball to them. Which means that the opposing defense just put 8 in the box and shut down the run.

In general no fire on offense. When crunch time approached, there was just nothing there. Seems like they packed it in.

Trev Alberts. When I heard he would be announcing the game, I nearly vomited. That Fusker hates the Buffs. But actually during the game he was way less of an ass-wipe than he could have been so I salute that red bastard for his restraint.

So now what?

Well, to turn this thing around, there's only one more thing that I can do. Come to Boulder and bring my South American juju to the Buffs. Did you know that Argentina has been the reigning world polo champs uninterrupted since 1949?! Some of that magic probably has rubbed off on me by now so I'll bottle it up and bring it to Folsom next Saturday. CU all there!

Rally against the Rams

Friends of the Buffaloes,

Well, the Hawkins honeymoon came to a rather abrupt ending last Saturday as we endured the most embarrassing loss in our fine history. We all knew that we were in for a difficult transition but nobody expected the Montana State game to factor into that difficulty. I could go on (and have on the Buffalover blog). But really, what point is there in looking back when looking forward is so terrifying, err, fun?

And this week we look forward to our annual contest against our adorable little cousins from Northern Colorado Vocational College, I mean, CSU. The game returns to the grand venue of Invesco Field in Denver. The Rams are no doubt bursting with confidence after seeing us fall to a I-AA team. What a great opportunity to throw fuel on top of their fire of envy for CU than by beating them this year? I think nothing would be so painful for the Rams as losing to CU even when we're at the bottom of our hill. That will be sweet. And that will begin to dim the memory of last week's fiasco.

So saddle up, Buffalo family. Turn that frown upside down. And come out for a happy tailgate at Mile High on Saturday beginning at noon. The plan is to gather in lot "M" (remember, M for Murder the Mullets from Moo U). Look for Hamid's 40 foot Buff flag flying proudly.

We Argentine Buffs will be with you in spirit.

Go Buffs!
Buffalover

Family

Well 24 hours after the worst Buff loss in history and here's all of the perspective that I can muster.

Your college football team is like your family. You are inextricably linked to them for life and that's just the way it is. Sure you might be able to excommunicate the weird uncle or second cousin, but your college is closer than that. More like a spouse, sibling, parent or child. You can't disconnect from them. For better or for worse they are yours. They may screw up, they may be ugly, they may be dim or they may embarrass you in public. But they are yours, my friend.

That's how I feel about my Buffs. I'm embarrassed for them and a little angry. But I love them. They are my college football family and the only one I'm ever going to have. They've brought me much joy and happiness over the years and they will again one day, Jah willing.

They may have dropped a turd on the Folsom turf yesterday, but they are my boys. Every one of those players and coaches CHOSE TO BE A BUFF and for that I love them. Twenty years ago, I chose to be a Buff too. And that's who I am.

Buffs and Bobcats Recap

Well, I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news I was able to watch the game. The game was broadcast for the first time ever on cubuffs.com. The Big XII's TV contract, however, did not allow for it to be viewable outside of the state of Colorado. Not to worry, my friends, I was able to go through a certain server in Denver and receive the game here in Buenos Aires.

The bad news, of course, is that I was able to watch the game...

Holy crap.

The CU Buffs, the team famous for scheduling the most challenging non-conference schedules in college football, finally scheduled a cream-puff. For the first time in history, the Buffs played a Division I-AA team.

And lost!

What happened? This was supposed to be a tune-up one the way to the real season. It was supposed to be a welcome to Boulder party for Dan Hawkins. It was supposed to be a gauranteed win.

What it was was an embarrassment.

Where are the bright points? Ummm... Well... Nobody in my office is going raz me about this on Monday morning, I guess. Mainly because they have no idea what football is. And also because the USA beat Argentina today to take 3rd place in the World Basketball Championship thingamagig. So I'll make a lot of hay out of that, yeah buddy!

Well, there will be plenty of time to search for perspective next week. Tonight I'm going to cry myself to sleep.

You can just smell the pigskin in the air - even from South America

Buffalo faithful,

As Spring approaches in the southern hemisphere, my thoughts drift northerly to a place nestled near the mountains. A place of bright sunshine and crisp air. A place where friends gather in celebration and brotherhood. A place where throngs cheer and children sing. A place where Thaddaeus Washington knocks some punk into next week. A place called Folsom.

Sadly, I will not be present as the Buffs take the field for their first contest of the season and the inauguration of the Hawkins era. Though my body may not be present, know that my spirit is with you.

The new chapter begins with something very new indeed - a game against a Division 1-AA opponent. While the likes of Nebraska schedule such no-names on a regular basis, this is a first for CU. The Montana State Bobcats come to town to tee it up. So take the kids out to dear old Folsom, congratulate the Bobcats on their gumption and observe as Hawk begins to work out the bugs in his new machine.

I'm told that our beloved B-School lot is currently under construction. So the southern beach front is no longer available. Hamid has vowed to arrive early on Saturday and stake out a grassy spot for the posse to reunite. He and Donny will provide further menu and logistical information.

Roll up that mighty score, friends. Roll it up.
Buffalover

The case for hating the Huskers

Might as well get this topic started already.

With a late season surge last year that included a painful beating of the Buffs, signs are that NU's comeback is underway. I dreamed that the recent downfall of the Fuskers would be permanent but evidence suggests that it might not be so. That sucks. That is annoying.

The reasons to dislike NU are numerous and well documented. But putting nearly all of those things aside, and forgetting for the moment that they are the Buffs big rival, here is the reason why I hate them... Because there is no logical reason that they should be good!

Consider other traditional college football powerhouses. USC, Miami, Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, Texas. Their success is well understood. They all possess one or more of the following attributes: lovely or temperate locale that attracts top talent, excellent academic reputation, wealthy alumni and supporters who donate liberally to the athletic department, large local talent rich population from which to recruit. No real surprises there.

Nebraska has not one of those attributes. Their location is certainly not a draw - it's a flat and aesthetically unremarkable locale with pretty crappy weather. As an academic institution it's a joke - basically a community college with dorms and a football stadium. The hayseeds who are the alumni are hardly top salary earners - though it is commendable that they all seem to donate a full 85% of their $25K annual salaries to their beloved alma mater. And they are not exactly sitting on top of a mountain of football talent - the state is sparsely populated by folks of, shall we say, questionable pedigree.

So why have they been able to build a sustainably successful program? Well, they do get a lot of support. The state's population comes to all of the games and does willingly give generously of their meager wealth. While you might be tempted to declare, "Why, those are commendable qualities. Good for you, plucky country folk!", I suggest that you look a bit deeper first.

Why exactly do Nebraskans turn out in such high numbers and give more generously than their counterparts in other states and other universities? Simple. What else are they going to do? Seriously. There is not a single other D1 university in the state, there is not a single pro sports franchise, not a beach/mountain/ocean/forest/city/museum within 2 days drive. Simply put, nothing ever happens there. The state's very pathetic-ness is the engine that makes NU football a success. It's why Gomer sits around for 8 months out of the year just pining away to see the Bugeaters tear Weber State a new one.

God, that's lame! And that's why you should despise that institution as I do. Sure, they may continue to be successful but I hope that you now understand that that is no reason to respect them. Instead it is the very reason that all thinking people should vote this Fall to permanently revoke Nebraska's statehood. Give Iowa and South Dakota some breathing room, for christ sakes.

The Hawkins era begins

It's true that Hawk has won exactly zero games as of now. However, he seems to be a hit already. He has an excellent track record. He's charismatic, a straight shooter and little goofy. He's not slick but he's somehow suave with the press and fans. More importantly, the players seem to be buying in to his plan.

Still, questions abound. Boulder ain't Boise and the Big XII is not the WAC. Can he get it done here in prime time? Does his creative offense work against defenses as big and fast as he'll now face? Can he recruit the right talent? Can he build cohesion amongst a somewhat fragile team and fan base? Only time will tell. And in reality, the time required to transition is 2 or 3 years.

So what to expect this year? I have no Earthly clue except that our place-kicking should be the finest in the land. I suspect that the defense should be pretty good considering the experience and depth there. The offense is the biggest wild card. With a new, yet to be named QB and a brand new offensive scheme one can't expect too much. It should be exciting though.

In conclusion, welcome Dan Hawkins. We're glad you're here, we support you and we're excited to see what sort of program you'll build. We'll give you time to get your new machine built and tuned... as long as you don't lose to CSU!

Barnett era review

This one will be short and sweet.

Gary is a Buff. He spent much of his career living and coaching in our great state. He grew up as a coach under the tutilage of McCartney.

He left to be head coach of Northwestern where he performed some genuine miracles. As a result he became the hottest coaching prospect in the country. But he shunned interest from the likes of Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas. He asked to have an escape clause written into his contract that would allow him to leave without penalty to coach at Colorado, should the opportunity arrise. When it did he bolted to his dream job. I love him for this.

Gary had some success at CU. He was a good guy, who loved the school and his team. The so called CU scandal cast a shadow over him though I truly believe that he tried everything in his power to run a clean and disciplined program. The biggest mistake he made was making stupid (yet accurate) comments about Katie Hnida in front of a news camera. The media blitz lasted longer than it should have and he survived it and his Hnida comment suspension stoically. Many called for his head but none of them could enunciate with credibility what he had done wrong.

I said many times during the "scandal" that those who want to talk about firing the coach should base that discussion on on-the-field performance. They were falling all over themselves looking for some other smoking gun that didn't exist. In the end, in a weird way I was pleased that he was dismissed for failure to produce the type of on-field performance that the Univerity expects.

I'm also glad that he got a fair settlement. I wish Gary well. He is a good man who lost his dream job. But that's the way the business works. I hope that he regains his reputation.