SENIOR CELEBRATION
Season finale vs. Utah a chance to recognize longtime Buffs contributors
Through all the coaching changes, losses and trials that he’s endured during his college career, tight end Brady Russell will always have a special place in his heart for the University of Colorado.
“Shoot, that’s kind of a deep question,” Russell, a graduate of Fossil Ridge High School, said this week when asked what CU means to him. “It’s kind of just been a place that shaped me a lot, for better and for worse. I’ve gone through things I’ve loved going through and had moments that I haven’t necessarily loved going through, but they’ve shaped me.
“This season, obviously, for example, adversity I didn’t want to go through.
It’s not what I thought I was coming back to do, but I think God put me here to influence and be the leader that I’m being right now. So basically, I think it just prepared me for life really well at this point.”
On Saturday, Russell and several other Buffs will play their final game in a CU uniform during the season finale against No. 14 Utah at Folsom Field.
This has been a disastrous season for the Buffs, who are riding a five-game losing streak and are trying to avoid the second 1-11 season in program history.
Off the field, CU is still going through a coaching search, looking to replace Karl Dorrell, who was fired on Oct. 2. Interim coach Mike Sanford and his assistants aren’t sure of their future.
For a few hours on Saturday, however, CU will push most of that aside and focus on their seniors. In all, 20 players are slated to go through senior day festivities.
“I just want to be able to get whatever magic button that I can push in my role,” Sanford said. “I want to do that to be able to make sure that we have our best for our seniors. And that’s
what this thing’s really all about.”
CU faces a daunting task in trying to beat the heavily favored Utes, but the Buffs can relish the opportunity to play one more time together.
“Through all the adversity that we’ve all faced as a whole, we’re just a really, really tight-knit group,” said senior safety Anthony Lyle. “I think it’s just a brotherhood.”
Like Russell, Lyle is an in-state product who came to CU as a walk-on before earning a scholarship.
“This has been a place that’s helped me progress into the next phases of my life,” said Lyle, from Legacy High School. “It’s given me the tangibles and intangible tools to take with me in my next journey of life. (CU) means a lot to me, everything to me. It’s shaped me to the person I am today.”
Guard Tommy Brown has a year of eligibility remaining, but he is planning to go through senior day festivities. The Alabama transfer has been at CU for less than a year, but has enjoyed playing with the Buffs, despite the struggles.
“Colorado has been great to me,” Brown said. “Not just the university, but the whole state. … I’m very appreciative for everyone here and just happy that I’ve been able to do what I’ve done since I’ve gotten here.”
While Brown has been at CU for less than a year, Russell has spent six seasons with the Buffs. He also grew up as a Buffs fan, as the nephew of CU great Matt Russell.
Despite that long history with the Buffs, Russell said he wasn’t sentimental in the days leading up to Saturday’s finale.
“I don’t really want to treat it any different than any other game and get my nerves up too high or something,” he said. “It’s definitely something I’ll reflect on after the game but I have plenty of those memories soaked up already. I don’t want to wallow in, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s my last game.’”
Defensive end Terrance Lang, meanwhile, was feeling a bit nostalgic in the lead-up to the finale. He, too, has been at CU for six seasons and said he’s eager to take part in the great tradition of running behind Ralphie one last time.
“That’s one thing I’m going to remember forever is running behind Ralphie,” Lang said. “I don’t think there’s an experience like it in college football.”
When the game is over, the seniors will move on, as will CU. The focus will once again turn to the coaching search, the upcoming transfer portal window and trying to get the program back on track.
Emotions will take over for a little while on Saturday, however, as the Buffs play together for the last time.
“I get very emotional because you don’t know when you see them again,” said running backs coach Darian Hagan, who has been through numerous senior days as a player and coach. “It’s gonna be emotional knowing that I won’t be able to coach (senior Alex Fontenot) anymore and he’ll be moving on to greener pastures. Then it’s on to the next.
“But it’s gonna be emotional.”