Colorado has faced its fair share of adversity already in 2019. The Buffs have gone to overtime twice, emerging victorious once against Nebraska while failing to get the W in a comeback against Air Force.
There have been close games, hard fought victories and tough losses.
But nothing CU had faced thus far in 2019 was quite like the drumming the Buffs got at the hands of Oregon, now ranked No. 12 in the country, in the form of a 45-3 loss this past Friday in Eugene — a loss that seemed reminiscent of years past, when the Buffs struggled to remove the stigma of Pac-12 newbie and whipping boy.
Penalties were constant, debilitating and no doubt frustrating. Colorado's offense, expected to put up a fight against the Ducks, was flat and failed to find the end zone once. In the meantime, CU's defense, although holding firm enough in the first half and starting five true freshmen, eventually crumbled under the weight of Oregon's offensive attack.
All in all, Colorado suffered a resounding defeat.
But in the aftermath of such a lopsided loss, the character and constitution of the man in charge, Mel Tucker, shined in perhaps the most impressive form to date since he took the helm of CU's football program last December.
In the immediate aftermath of Colorado's most deflating loss of the season to date, Tucker showed composure, a cognizance of the wrongs that need to be righted, and a blunt and truthful explanation of how CU can do that.
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Tucker spoke to the media Monday after the Buffs' usual morning practice. Every week, he'll address the media on Monday and then deliver a full, more formal press conference on Tuesday.
Today, Tucker spoke longer than he had following any previous Monday address. There was no shying away from the many questions regarding ongoing issues that have plagued the Buffs — which seemed to culminate vs. Oregon.
Letting up points against a ranked team on the road might be fair to have expected from Colorado, especially given the banged up state of the defense. But 14 penalties for 114 yards (eight of which were false starts), were not. As was Colorado's lackluster play on offense that led to multiple trips within Oregon's 25-yard line that ended up yielding zero points.
"When you play against a really good team, you can get exposed in areas," Tucker said. "We've had penalty issues before, we've had some redzone issues, maybe some undisciplined penalties, and so, we're going through it. It's very uncomfortable for everyone involved but in order to get better, you've got to address it and call it out."
"Being truthful and real about everything — that's the fastest way to get better. If you're in denial or delusional about a situation or any aspect of the program, then that just delays progress. We want rapid progress. We're hitting this head on."
On paper, following two straight losses and with the next game affair away from home in Pullman against Washington State and its potent pass coverage, the Buffaloes appear to be on the verge of entering a slump. But Tucker is determined to avoid that happening.
For Tucker, a big part of preventing that from happening is to keep a pulse on his team, something that is done through understanding the psyche of individual players.
"I met with at least 10 players individually yesterday," he said. "Personal and authentic relationships, trust and communication goes both ways. Really honing in and digging down deep on what we need to do to fix some things — putting things into place to fix those things — not just stating it but (asking) 'how do we fix it?'"
Getting back to eight uncharacteristic false start penalties seems like a good example of a problem that exists and that's been acknowledged, with Tucker holding back nothing when it comes to fixing it.
"If one guy is not focused or is not able to have the discipline to do his job then it blows up the play," he said. "We have to apply more pressure to those guys, to repeat offenders. You can either fix it with a change of personnel or do some type of drill work. Also, meet with communication and dialogue. Sometimes you have to listen. Say, 'hey man, what's going on. What happened? Why do you think that happened? How can I help you?'"
That line there in regards to the o-line shows Tucker's iron fist concealed in a velvet glove. The way Tucker emphasizes communication and working to eliminate issues while declaring that a personnel change is always an option is appropriate and fair.
Tucker didn't utter some magical spell that'll wash away all of Colorado problems, nor is he ultimately capable of doing so.
The Buffs have their deficiencies, as do all teams, but in closing, Tucker's remarks after practice Monday showcased his attention to detail and commitment to solving as many of CU's problems as possible, as quickly as possible and in a manner conducive to building team chemistry and strengthening his bond with the players.
