Colorado football: Buffs taking positive approach to fresh start

Just about everything on paper points to Colorado losing another football game on Saturday.

Visiting California (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) is favored by 15 points, as it should be over the winless Buffaloes (0-5, 0-2).

So far, CU has had one of the worst offenses and one of the worst defenses in the country.

The Buffs’ closest game was a 23-point loss to Arizona on Oct. 2 – a defeat that prompted administrators to fire head coach Karl Dorrell and defensive coordinator Chris Wilson. Cal, by the way, defeated that same Arizona team by 18 points the week before.

Going into Saturday’s game, however, the Buffs are banking on renewed energy and the element of surprise to put a stop to the negative momentum.

After a bye and nearly two full weeks of practice under the direction of interim head coach Mike Sanford, CU is eager to hit the reset button. Sanford is one of five interim coaches around the country and the others are 6-3, including 4-0 last week.

“There’s an evolution, there’s a process that you need to put in place as an interim head coach,” Sanford said. “Whether it be a new voice; whether it be changes that were made; whether, as an interim head coach, you put play callers in their correct seats and make the changes. I think all of it can lead to positive growth. But the thing that we can’t ever forget is there is an emotional toll on student-athletes with regards to change and that’s never gonna change.”

There was an emotional toll on the Buffs through the 0-5 start, as well. While many players have expressed that they like Dorrell, there has been, without question, a different mindset in the locker room the past two weeks.

“Everybody’s seen a different energy,” tight end Erik Olsen said. “I think the most important part about that energy is I think people are enjoying practice a whole hell of a lot more than they used to be. And if you’re having fun at practice and you want to come to practice, you’re gonna practice better and that’s gonna translate to game day.

“I think that energy is not necessarily just all within the juice, but it’s also within the individual wanting to be there now versus just a mundane practice that was too long for what it needed to be and not a lot of energy was there. (Before the change) everybody sort of was there just to be there, not trying to get better.”

Sanford and his staff, including newly promoted coordinators Gerald Chatman (defense) and Clay Patterson (offense), recognized the lack of fun within the team. Restoring the fun and confidence has been a main point of emphasis.

“Having the bye week allowed us to get some of our practices and our process in place,” Sanford said. “I really do believe these players have bought into that process.”

In addition to rebuilding the mindset of the players, the Buffs have been busy with tweaks within the playbook and lineup.

Sanford said the Buffs are making some changes defensively. There doesn’t appear to be as many changes to the offensive scheme, but it’s sure to be called differently with Patterson. And, Sanford has said they have moved some players to different spots.

Whatever changes have been made have been kept under wraps and certainly haven’t been seen on the film being studied by Cal.

“I know they’ll have wrinkles and they’ll play with some renewed energy,” Bears head coach Justin Wilcox said. “That’s traditionally what happens in these scenarios, so we’ll expect their best game.”

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Sanford and the players have done all they can to make sure this is their best game of the season, and they’re going in with confidence — despite the odds against them. They’ll also have a spirited crowd for Family Weekend. As of Friday afternoon, CU had sold 48,775 tickets, which is only about 1,400 away from a sellout.

“We’re not going to really talk about … this is an interim head coach advantage game, because this thing is about the players,” Sanford said. “It’s not about me and it’s not about our staff. It’s about our players and restoring their confidence, their belief, and their trust in one another and their trust in us.

“I see a team that’s playing confidently, practicing confidently and I believe that they trust the process. That’s what we’ve got to continue to do, not just this week, but going forward.”

Game at a Glance

• Matchup: California Golden Bears (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) at Colorado Buffaloes (0-5, 0-2 Pac-12)

• Kickoff: 12:01 p.m. MT

• Where: Folsom Field in Boulder

• Capacity: 50,183. Playing surface: Grass

• TV: Pac-12 Network

• Radio: KOA (850 or 630 AM & 94.1 FM)

• Odds: Cal by 15

• Series: Cal leads 7-4

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