Colorado is a 35-point favorite over Texas State for Saturday’s noon MT home opener at Folsom Field.
Knowing that, Mike MacIntyre and a couple of Buffs players insist they have no intention of becoming another UNLV or Baylor.
Last weekend, those two teams lost to heavy dogs at home. UNLV was a 45-point favorite over FCS foe Howard, making the Rebels’ stunning 43-40 loss the biggest upset in college football history going by the point spread.
Halfway across the country, Baylor, already dealing with the ramifications of a troubled recent past, fell to Liberty, 48-45, at Waco, Tex. in Matt Rhule’s stormy debut as the Bears’ head coach.
The Buffs have taken notice, vowing not to make the critical - and potentially fatal - mistake of taking Texas State lightly.
“We’re just going to play ball and not worry about who we're playing,” Phillip Lindsay said. “We learned that a lot time ago. You don't look at the decal on the helmet and say, ‘Look who we’re playing,’ because everyone is capable of making plays. They (Texas State) have some talented players on their team and they have a talented quarterback.
"We just have to play football and we have to do what we do best. Coach Mac has prepared us all fall camp for this year and we have a goal. Our goal is to get back to a Pac-12 Championship and win it. We just have to continue to tune up."
Most likely, UNLV and Baylor got caught looking ahead to another opponent down the road instead of focusing on the opponent in front of them.
“We just have to take it one day at a time and not overlook anyone,” Buffs defensive lineman Leo Jackson said. “That's the biggest thing that allows teams to get beaten by teams not as good as they are and they get surprised. The biggest thing is not worry about anything else and just go into each week with the same goal - get better that week and worry about your own team and not the other team. It comes back to the senior class not allowing the young guys to get big heads and overlook teams because young guys tend to not pay attention to what's at hand. They tend to look forward.”
Colorado was undefeated at home in 2016, and Lindsay doesn’t want any return to the nightmarish days when the Buffs lost to non-power 5 Conference schools at home.
“I've been here for almost five years and I've seen it all,” Lindsay said. “Once you start winning, you don't want to start losing again. We have a great fan base that's going to be there and we have to show out in front of them. You don't want to lose in Folsom. Last year, that was our thing. We just weren't going to lose, period. This year we have the same mindset. We don't want to lose any games. When you start to win, that feeling is a great feeling and you don't want to lose that feeling.”
Mike MacIntyre says the Buffs coaches intend to stay on the players throughout the week and keep a sharp eye out for overconfidence or the reckless belief Colorado just has to toss their helmets onto the field to win the game.
Monday’s practice was a good start to the week, he said, with no outward signs of carelessness or cockiness.
“I thought the practice today was excellent,” MacIntyre said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “I didn't have to get on anybody or get them going. They were ready to roll. That's always a tell tale sign to me. They know you only get so many times to play. That's what I always preach, you're blessed to have the opportunity to play and you never know when your last play is going to be.”
As one of the captains and a team leader, Lindsay has been watchful of any danger signs. Monday and Tuesday, he saw none.
“It started on Monday and it started today,” Lindsay said. “You don't win the game on Saturday. You win it right now. You win it on how you practice. Today was a hard day. We were in full pads, but it’s about getting after it and getting on your teammates when they're slacking and telling them 'good job' when they're up. At the end of the day, it's a team thing and we all need each other to win these games."
MacIntyre, always a coach, views Texas State as a dangerous opponent, especially defensively. Inside linebackers Bryan London II (141 tackles as redshirt freshman in 2016, 3rd most nationally) and Gabe Loyd (102 tackles) are two of the top returning players at their position in the Sun Belt Conference. Both players are big, fast and strong.
Frankie Griffin returns at linebacker as well.
“They’re physical and they fly around,” Lindsay said. “Anytime you’re dealing with a team that has athletes, you never know because athletes make big plays. We have to stay disciplined. We have to have the mindset that we want to be Pac-12 champs. So, you have to go in there and handle business no matter who you play."
Texas State opened the season last weekend with a 20-11 victory over FCS school Houston Baptist, and not surprisingly the Bobcats defense led the way. They held Houston Baptist to 59 yards rushing on 40 carries, a paltry average of 1.48 yards per carry. Overall, HB was held to 259 total yards.
“Bryan London is a big athletic linebacker for them,” Macintyre said. “Frankie Griffin is another one, and Gabe Loyd. They're all close to 230 (pounds). They're big and athletic and make a lot of plays for their defense. Last year, they made plays and this first game they made a lot of plays. They held Houston Baptist to 59 yards rushing. We can't be held to 59 yards rushing and expect to win the game. They're very stout in the linebacking area.”
Find ways of getting running backs Phillip Lindsay and Michael Adkins past the line of scrimmage into the second level and beyond of the Texas State defense is a key to the game, MacIntyre said.
The onus is on the Colorado offensive line to keep Texas State’s talented linebackers from making too many plays.
“We're going to have to get to the second level,” MacIntyre said. “Our offensive line has done a good job at getting to the second level. If they can get to the second level and at least get a piece of the guy, then he'll be off balance and Phillip and Michael and those guys will make them miss when that happens or run through an arm tackle. That's what we'll have to be able to do."
Texas State’s offense is led by option quarterback Bailey Zappe, who completed 21-of-34 passes for 199 yards in last weekend’s win over Houston Baptist. However, he was also sacked five times.
“We have to be very disciplined because they play option football and they have a mobile quarterback,” Jackson said. “When you're working with athletes, anything can happen because they can make things happen out of nothing. That's what it comes down, fundamentals and discipline."
