CU Buffs not looking past Idaho State
Cliff Grassmick / Staff Photographer
Colorado cornerback Chidobe Awuzie feels the Buffs are 'hungry and humble' going into the game against Idaho State. Go to BuffZone,com for video from Tuesday's luncheon
By Brian Howell | howellb@dailycamera.com | Boulder Daily Camera
If the Colorado football team is getting high and mighty after a blowout victory in the opener and ahead of a game that should be another easy win, the Buffaloes aren't showing it.
On Friday, the Buffs routed rival Colorado State, 44-7. On Saturday, they will welcome Idaho State, from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), to Boulder.
As far the Buffs are concerned, however, it's business as usual.
"I think after being in the program for three years, where you're in a lot of close games or you're not winning games, you get in this mindset of not wanting to give any up," quarterback Sefo Liufau said. "That's definitely the mindset of this team going into this week. We don't want to give any games away. We don't want to have any close games if possible.
"We treat Idaho State with the highest respect. They're a great team and anything can happen in a given week in college football. We want to come out strong and put our best foot forward."
Last week, Idaho State (1-0) rolled past Division II Simon Fraser University, 47-3. The Bengals went 2-9 a year ago, however, and it would be easy for the Buffs to look past them, especially with a date at No. 5 Michigan on the horizon.
CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said it's not hard to keep his players focused this week, however.
In recent years, FCS teams have been known to knock off teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). CU, of course, knows this well, having lost to Montana State (in 2006) and Sacramento State (in 2012) in the not too distant past.
Idaho State's head coach, Mike Kramer, was the head coach of the Montana State team that won in Boulder, 19-10, on Sept. 2, 2006.
"We've already shown (the players) highlights of that game, to make sure they understand," MacIntyre said. "(Kramer) is a heck of a coach and he's won everywhere he's been. He's not afraid of coming in here, I know that."
Senior cornerback Chidobe Awuzie said it's not the FCS trap that has CU focused this week, however.
"The mindset is still the same," Awuzie said. "We still only have one goal and that's to be Pac-12 champions. We definitely needed to get a victory at Colorado State and that was a great team, but now we have to be on to the next one, and we trying to go 1-0 this week.
"Colorado State was just kind of a speed bump to that goal (of winning the conference). It's just the same mindset. We're really even keel. Everybody on this team is pretty humble. Coach Mac stressed that to us yesterday, talking about being humble and hungry.
"We're still hungry and we're still humble and we know we have a lot of work to do to turn this program around."
CU is a heavy favorite against Idaho State, and if the game plays out as expected, the Buffs should have an opportunity to get several backups into the game.
All that's on the minds of the Buffs, however, is to play well, Liufau said.
"I think the goal ultimately is to execute, and then if we execute and build upon what we did last week, I think that will take care of itself and other guys will come in and play," he said. "Instead of kicking a couple of field goals and having a couple turnovers, we'll put up maybe three or four more touchdowns and then it makes everything a lot smoother and we feel a lot better about ourselves."
Brian Howell: howellb@dailycamera.com, on Twitter: @BrianHowell33.
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Brian Howell
Brian Howell has worked for Prairie Mountain Publishing since 2004 and has covered the Colorado Buffaloes since 2010.
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