Stanford: Things have fallen into place for Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre.
MacIntyre leads revival for Buffaloes, just as he did at San Jose State
There was a lot of talk in Boulder, Colo., going into this football season that head coach Mike MacIntyre was on thin ice.
The Buffaloes were 4-8, 2-10 and 4-9 in his three years, and they had won a total of two Pac-12 games under him. Their fans were getting antsy — and apparently so was the administration. CU hadn’t been to a bowl game since 2007 and hadn’t finished with a winning record since 2005.
But things have fallen into place for MacIntyre and the experienced Buffs. They’re 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Pac-12 going into Saturday’s noon game at Stanford (4-2, 2-2).
They were leading Michigan until quarterback Sefo Liufau left early in the second half with an injury. With Liufau back as the starter after
three games on the sideline, the Buffs crushed Arizona State last week.
If Colorado beats Stanford, it will take a big step toward the Pac-12 South title and will become bowl eligible. And the former San Jose State head coach would become a prime candidate for conference Coach of the Year.
“Frankly, I’m surprised he was able to do this in only four years,” said B.G. Brooks of CUBuffs.com. “He came in with a plan and stuck to it. This year a lot of people didn’t believe he’d get it done.”
Last year, MacIntyre changed defensive coordinators, bringing in former 49ers linebackers coach Jim Leavitt. He replaced Kent Baer, whom MacIntyre had brought with him from San Jose along with four other assistants.
Under Leavitt, the Colorado defense leads the Pac-12 in fewest yards allowed and is third in fewest points allowed. It has 19 sacks, third in the league, and has given up the league’s lowest percentage of third-down conversions. This is despite losing star outside linebacker Derek McCartney for the season with a knee injury in the Michigan game.
The offense has been excellent, too, led by Liufau and his backup, Steven Montez. Tailback Phillip Lindsay, nicknamed “the Tasmanian Devil,” is fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing.
Liufau, Colorado’s all-time passing leader, returned from foot surgery this year. He probably would have redshirted had MacIntyre landed former Texas Tech quarterback Davis Webb. He committed to Colorado but switched to Cal and is third in the nation in passing.
“There’s a misconception with everyone that we just want to get to a bowl game,” Liufau told reporters. “We’re shooting for much higher than that.”
MacIntyre did an excellent job last year but “it was under the radar,” Stanford head coach David Shaw said. “They took multiple teams to the fourth quarter last year and couldn’t finish the game. This year, you see them playing with confidence, making plays to finish games, to win games.”
This year’s team was no surprise, Shaw said. “We saw it happen at San Jose State. We knew it was a matter of time, and thankfully they gave him enough time at Colorado to really get a foothold and start to build.”
Nor was it a surprise to people at San Jose State, where he built a big winner in three years. The Spartans were coming off a 2-10 record, with just three winning seasons in 16 years, when MacIntyre took over in 2010. Three years later, they went 10-2 and finished the season ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in school history.
“He has this unwavering commitment to excel for himself and everyone around him, including his staff and his players,” said SJSU deputy director of athletics Marie Tuite. “I’ve seen a boatload of football coaches, and he’s one of the best.”
She recalls that after his first Spartans team won just one game, a reporter asked MacIntyre, who came from Duke, where he’d been the defensive coordinator, whether he’d been able to see any tourist attractions in the Bay Area. He replied, “Sir, when you only win one game, you don’t have time for anything but work.”
Now that he has performed a similar overhaul at Colorado, Tuite said, “We couldn’t be more thrilled for him. He’s a man of high integrity and very smart. I could be president of the Mike MacIntyre Fan Club.”
After Colorado beat Oregon 41-38, MacIntyre had tears of joy in his eyes. “Our goal is to win a Pac-12 championship,” he said. “I know a lot of people still laugh about it, but that’s what those young men believe. And if we can’t believe it, then we can never achieve it.”