BOULDER?? On rare days CU eats the bear; most days the bear eats CU. On this late September Saturday afternoon, the Bruins consumed the Buffaloes, who customarily are the banquet meat.
Colorado was munched again, 42-14.
UCLA wasn't some common, furry brown bear that wandered into the CU student housing area and climbed up a tree, was tranquilized and hauled away.
The Bruins have turned back into a quality Pac-12 team under coach Jim Mora this season.
The Buffs are in the same conference with the Bruins, but not in the same league, or class.
"At times, we are overmatched," CU coach Jon Embree said. Practically all the time.
Check back, though, in 2014, when the bears pause in Boulder again.
The Buffaloes will be all grown up by then.
How's that for a positive Colorado spin?
For their 2012 Pac-12 home opener, the Buffs offered 10 starters who are sophomores and freshmen (true or redshirt), 24 players on their two-deep chart who are in their first two seasons and at least 48 players who could be with CU when UCLA returns in two seasons.
And, perhaps, the Folsom playing Field will be level at that time. If not, Colorado will have to reconsider ? once more.
The Buffs still stumble rather carelessly (two terrible turnovers) ? as we have seen this season against three schools from cities in California (Los Angeles, Sacramento and Fresno). Somehow, and don't ask anyone how, the Buffs did win in Washington state.
This is going to be a two- or three-victory season, best-case scenario, for CU, so get used to it in 2012 and, in all likelihood, 2013. Don't make postseason party reservations.
But 2014 will, and properly should, determine where the Buffs, Embree and his coaching staff stand or sit ? as bear kibbles or big-game hunters.
In two years, UCLA will revisit, along with Arizona State, Oregon State, Utah and Washington. The Buffs will travel to Arizona, Cal and a couple of big dogs that eat ? Oregon and USC. The 2014 nonconference schedule consists of CSU, Massachusetts and Hawaii. You'd think the Buffs could win eight games and be in a bowl not sponsored by auto parts or a lizard.
Lay off Embree until then. Lay off athletic director Mike Bohn until then. It's not happening until then. I'm more impatient than most, but Embree inherited scorched turf from coach What's-his-name & Son, and deserves to have four full years to prove himself.
The current six-season-plus stretch with 26-54 record is the worst since the Buffs were 20-56-1 from 1978-84 under Bill Mallory, Chuck Fairbanks and Bill McCartney. (Mallory and McCartney were at the team reunion over the weekend.)
As McCartney, who was given enough seasons to prove himself, and did, told me recently, the key to success at CU is recruiting, and the key to recruiting is hiring assistant coaches who can recruit. Embree surrounded himself with recruiters. He could use a couple of more assistants who can coach. I think Embree is missing an associate head coach who has been around the Pac-10 (12) for a while.
Somebody like Rick Neuheisel.
Not Rick, of course, but somebody with a similar r?sum? and a better grasp of matters. I suggested to CU athletic officials in the offseason that Fisher DeBerry, the former Air Force coach, be brought up to Boulder as an adviser. As usual, my recommendation was rejected. How about Paul Wulff, who was at Eastern Washington and Washington State for years before being fired. He's a quasi-offensive assistant with the 49ers. The Buffs could use a veteran's touch.
They also still need more speed at the skill positions, and they've got to find wide receivers and, certainly, a high-class quarterback who can compete in the Pac-12.
They Buffs are just too inexperience and way too ... too average.
It was evident in the first half when UCLA raced, literally, to a 21-7 lead. The CU students must not have gotten the memo that there was a football game starting at 4 p.m. Saturday. Several thousand didn't arrive until well after the game kicked off; several thousand didn't bother to arrive at all, although it was the kind of immaculate afternoon that has lured the world to live and study in this state.
Actually, the Buffs were somewhat competitive for a half against the superior Bruins, despite only 18 net yards rushing in the first half and 2-of-15 third-down conversions overall.
Afterward, Embree's news conference was televised on the mammoth scoreboard screens. His words echoed in a totally empty stadium.
On this day, like other days in the Pac-12, and the Big 12 before, the bear ate the Buffaloes.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dp-sports/~3/udfJ4yp7mLY/woody-paige-lay-off-cu-buffs-coach-jon
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