Photo Courtesy: John Martinez Pavliga
Colorado unleashed everything on UMass. The Buffs celebrated their first win of the season in a big way. The Buffalo faithful came out in full force. Tailgaters from far a near came to cheer on the team that suffered a crazy loss to Hawaii a week ago. Don’t get me wrong, the Buffaloes showed major improvements on both sides of the ball.
Offense
The Buffaloes established their will on the ground with 390 yards and five touchdowns. It was Micheal Adkins that set the tone on the ground carrying the rock 19 times for 119 yards respectively. “The O-Line did their job and blocked for all of the backs today”, Micheal Adkins said. QB Sefo Liufau played a good game not turning the ball over and keeping his team in positive positions throughout the game.
Ignoring any negativity, the Buffs put together their best all-around performance in about two seasons.
“Ever since last year, we’ve had a chip on our shoulder and I think today we finally came out and played how we were supposed to play,” Liufau said.
Defense
Turning point: After giving up a score early in the second quarter to fall into a 14-14 tie, the Buffs went on six-play, 75-yard drive to regain the lead, 21-14. They forced a punt on the next UMass series and then added a field goal. The Buffs never looked back from there. It changed the dynamics of the game. Defensive Line Coach Jim Jeffcoat remained silent and his blank stare changed the will of the D-Line. “We know we’re in trouble when Coach Jeffcoat is silent!” We knew we had to turn it up a notch! And that’s just what the players did to get the win.
What Went Wrong
Penalties became a problem for the Buffs. Mental and head scratching mistakes kept UMass in the game early on. On two separate occasions UMass scored keeping the game close. Now, if and when the D-Line plays consistently with stopping the run it should carry the team even if the offense struggles.
What Went Right
EVERYTHING ELSE! This win negates a lot of things that went wrong in Hawaii and it gives the Buffs confidence on both sides of the ball and special teams.
