Coach Macintyre Case Study
Colorado Buffaloes
Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12) South (2014 record: 2-10)
Head Coach: Mike MacIntyre
Offense:
There is no way to sugar coat just how bad the Buffaloes were last season. At 2-10, they were easily the worse team in the Pac 12. With that said, there is room for a little optimism because of an offensive unit that was able to score 28.5 PPG and compile almost 440 YPG in offense.
Coach MacIntyre should be set in the passing game with the return of both his starting QB and leading receiver. Since the passing attack was able to hold its own most of the season, it bodes well for a this year's team that can ill-afford issues on the offensive side of the ball. JR QB Sefo Liufau did a decent job leading the team by throwing for 3,200 yards and 28 TDs. After also throwing 15 interceptions, he should …show more content…
benefit by another year of experience and the return of his number one target Nelson Spruce who grabbed 106 passes for 1,198 yards and 12 TDS.
In the backfield, Coach MacIntyre is going to have to make some important decisions. Last year, he was resolved to handling the running responsibilities by committee. At issue was the fact he used four different running backs with none of them able to break through with any meaningful contribution. He would be better served to find one or two guys he can rely on and live or die with that decision because platooning that many players seldom benefits anyone.
It is conceivable this offensive squad could show marked improvement. Liufau has certainly shown he fits in a conference where talented quarterbacks are the rule not the exception. The future success of this unit seems to boil down to whether or not the Buffaloes can find a consistent running game to keep the pressure off the passing game.
Defense:
In 2014, Colorado's defense did very little to advance the team's cause. They struggled to stop both the running game (202 YPG allowed) and the passing game (256 YPG allowed) while allowing 39 PPG. In a major college division, that is not the way you win football games.
Gone from lat year's squad is leading tackler Kenneth Olugbo who had a total of 83 tackles.
Fortunately, the cupboard in not bare as Coach MacIntyre sees the return of two reliable players that can be used to build the rest of the defense around. JR LB Addison Gillam returns after finishing second on team in both tackles (79) and sacks (3.5). He will be joined by fellow junior DB Chidobe Awuzie who accounted for 64 tackles. It's not difficult to find guys to make tackles. What the Buffaloes really struggled with last year was putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. With only 22 sacks as a defensive unit, the team's defensive backs were always vulnerable to quarterbacks who had plenty of time to locate open receivers and deliver the ball at will. Coach MacIntyre needs to find someone who can disrupt the other team's passing game if he wants to see this squad rebound from a difficult season.
Colorado fans will most likely enter he season with low expectations, which should give this defense less pressure to deal with as they try to find themselves. As long as the defense shows improvement, there is hope the Buffaloes can avoid a disaster similar to last
year.
Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12) South (2014 record: 2-10)
Head Coach: Mike MacIntyre
Offense:
There is no way to sugar coat just how bad the Buffaloes were last season. At 2-10, they were easily the worse team in the Pac 12. With that said, there is room for a little optimism because of an offensive unit that was able to score 28.5 PPG and compile almost 440 YPG in offense.
Coach MacIntyre should be set in the passing game with the return of both his starting QB and leading receiver. Since the passing attack was able to hold its own most of the season, it bodes well for a this year's team that can ill-afford issues on the offensive side of the ball. JR QB Sefo Liufau did a decent job leading the team by throwing for 3,200 yards and 28 TDs. After also throwing 15 interceptions, he should …show more content…
benefit by another year of experience and the return of his number one target Nelson Spruce who grabbed 106 passes for 1,198 yards and 12 TDS.
In the backfield, Coach MacIntyre is going to have to make some important decisions. Last year, he was resolved to handling the running responsibilities by committee. At issue was the fact he used four different running backs with none of them able to break through with any meaningful contribution. He would be better served to find one or two guys he can rely on and live or die with that decision because platooning that many players seldom benefits anyone.
It is conceivable this offensive squad could show marked improvement. Liufau has certainly shown he fits in a conference where talented quarterbacks are the rule not the exception. The future success of this unit seems to boil down to whether or not the Buffaloes can find a consistent running game to keep the pressure off the passing game.
Defense:
In 2014, Colorado's defense did very little to advance the team's cause. They struggled to stop both the running game (202 YPG allowed) and the passing game (256 YPG allowed) while allowing 39 PPG. In a major college division, that is not the way you win football games.
Gone from lat year's squad is leading tackler Kenneth Olugbo who had a total of 83 tackles.
Fortunately, the cupboard in not bare as Coach MacIntyre sees the return of two reliable players that can be used to build the rest of the defense around. JR LB Addison Gillam returns after finishing second on team in both tackles (79) and sacks (3.5). He will be joined by fellow junior DB Chidobe Awuzie who accounted for 64 tackles. It's not difficult to find guys to make tackles. What the Buffaloes really struggled with last year was putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. With only 22 sacks as a defensive unit, the team's defensive backs were always vulnerable to quarterbacks who had plenty of time to locate open receivers and deliver the ball at will. Coach MacIntyre needs to find someone who can disrupt the other team's passing game if he wants to see this squad rebound from a difficult season.
Colorado fans will most likely enter he season with low expectations, which should give this defense less pressure to deal with as they try to find themselves. As long as the defense shows improvement, there is hope the Buffaloes can avoid a disaster similar to last
year.