With a season-ending loss at Utah giving CU a 4-8 (3-6 Pac-12) finish to the 2021 campaign, the Buffs' worst since 2015, few, if any, fans are likely feeling optimistic about the program's trajectory or immediate future prospects.
At the end of the day, it's one thing to lose games.
It's another entirely to lose games in the manner that Colorado has often this season — with a rarely-seen offensive ineptitude that made three-point deficits feel like 30.
The 2021 Buffs offense ranked in or near the cellar among FBS programs in many key statistical categories, most notably (and alarmingly) yards per game and passing yards per game.
In the end, Colorado just couldn't put it together on a week-by-week basis.
After a solid 34-0 win over Arizona earlier this year, the Buffaloes were thoroughly dominated the following week by Cal, 26-3.
A dramatic, double-overtime home win over Oregon State on Nov. 6 was followed up by a bizarre, 44-20 loss at UCLA, a game in which the Buffs led, 20-10, at halftime, only to allow 37 unanswered points.
If there were times this season where CU's offense looked like it was turning a corner, the next week's performance would firmly pause that assertion from being made.
Despite a losing record, despite many offensively inept performances over the course of the season, including Friday at Utah, in which zero touchdowns were scored by the offense, which managed just 148 yards in total, Karl Dorrell believes CU's program is on the right track.
"Everybody feels that we have that foundation to build from moving forward," Dorrell said. "It’s unfortunate — I would love to have started the offseason with a win, winning this game and using that as juice to get some things going for us in a positive way into the offseason, but there’s enough of a good feel on this team. We feel like we’re close."
Fans would almost certainly disagree, as evidenced by the repeated calls for both Dorrell's termination as head coach at CU and that of offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini.
Defensive coordinator Chris Wilson has also recently been the target of frustrated Buffs faithful.
For Dorrell, he'll point to CU's win over Washington last weekend, a game the Buffs found a way to come out on top in despite a poor offensive showing.
Even Friday at No. 16 Utah saw some signs of life in an otherwise bleak game.CU's defense, although allowing the Utes to gain 6.5 yards per play on average, recorded an interception and had two fourth down stops that kept the game manageable.
Freshman cornerback Nikko Reed had an 100-yard kickoff return touchdown on the first play of the second half.
While the wins and losses for Colorado this year don't reflect it, Dorrell himself has seen his team showcase a desire to fight, even when down.
"I know that foundation in a program about finishing games and playing hard and playing for each other — that’s definitely in place in this program right now," Dorrell said. "We need to play smarter and we need to play with better execution for it to result in wins."
"There’s things we need to work on as a coaching staff and as players but in terms of fight, I didn’t doubt it one bit this year. These guys fought every game.”
For players and coaches alike, as Dorrell alluded to, much work remains to be done this offseason and leading into this upcoming spring.But while the sting of a 4-8 season is still fresh on the minds of players, coaches and fans alike, the Buffaloes plan to make good on the fact that through it all, they did not quit.
“This is the closest team I’ve been on since I’ve been here in terms of camaraderie and how much we trust each other and believe in each other," junior tight end Brady Russell said. "I think our offseason and the things we did leading up to it helped with that a lot. Loving each other and being so close made us want to fight for each other. You want to win for the guy next to you.”
