Colorado tight ends coach Tim Brewster has a unique perspective on the Buffs’ attempt to restore some glory after a 1-11 season in 2022.
Brewster has been in coaching for more than 35 years, including a four-year run as the head coach at the University of Minnesota. In Brewster’s first year with the Gophers, in 2007, they went 1-11. In year No. 2, they went 7-6 and played in a bowl game.
This year, the situation is a bit different, but the first-year CU staff is doing its best to pull the Buffs away from the dismal 1-11 season of a year ago. This staff wasn’t here last year, but they have found a way to restore respect, if not glory, to the program.
“The real word that you look for as a coach is consistency — in pride, in your performance,” Brewster said this week. “Understanding how proud you are of the name on the front and the name on the back.”
Consistency is something the Buffaloes are still striving to achieve as they visit No. 23 UCLA on Saturday in Pasadena, Calif. Yet, as the Buffs return from last week’s bye, they are on the right path.
“I think we’re making progress,” Brewster said. “We’ve done some really good things already in year one, coming off of a really hard year that they had last year and our players, they’re understanding the commitment that it takes to win at this level.”
Brewster had a full season to try to establish that in 2007 with the Gophers and in 2008 it paid off, although there were still significant challenges. After a 7-1 start, that team lost five in a row to close the season.
College football is a much different world today than it was 15 years ago, so the process is sped up a bit. But, the challenges of knowing how to win are still the same.
At times this year, CU has looked like one of the better teams in the Pac-12. At other times, it has looked like one of the worst. That was never more evident that in the Buffs’ last game, Oct. 13 against Stanford. They stormed to a 29-0 lead at halftime against the last-place team in the conference, and then lost 46-43 in double overtime.
That game, perhaps more than any other, showed that head coach Deion Sanders and his staff still have work to do in order to establish the discipline needed to win consistently.
“Discipline does not just start on the field,” Sanders said. “Discipline starts off the field and they carry it on the field. A dude that’s undisciplined off the field, he’s going to be undisciplined on the field and you can’t allow that. That’s something that we’ve got to address, because if you’re late to this, you’re pretty much going to be undisciplined with that. If you’re not consistent in following your assignments and alignments and this, you’re going to be inconsistent when everybody’s sprinkled in that stadium with that. So inconsistencies … it’s consistent with who makes those mistakes.”
Playing in the Pac-12 doesn’t give CU any breaks, either. Beginning Saturday, the Buffs’ final five-game stretch includes three teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25 (UCLA, Oregon State and Utah), another that was there just a couple of weeks ago (Washington State) and another (Arizona) that routed Washington State to knock it out of the Top 25.
“The level of competition that we have each and every week, it’s a real, real challenge,” Brewster said. “But again, it’s, golly, just driving that point home about … you know, consistency in pride and performance. Every snap has got to be important to you, every single one, and we’re getting there.”
Saturday offers CU another opportunity to make a statement, not only to itself and its fans, but nationally. The Buffs are making good strides, but this is a big one for them to get to where they aim to go.
“Patience is not a word we allow,” Brewster said. “It’s not a word we allow in what we’re trying to accomplish. We are not going to be patient. We are not patient. We want to win and we want to win now. And to win now our guys just totally have to understand how important a Monday practice is, a Tuesday practice is and how that equates to winning on Saturday.
“We have to embrace the process, the hard work that it takes to win a football game, but you have to do that throughout the course of the whole week. We’ve got to continue to improve there.”
Game at a Glance
Matchup: Colorado Buffaloes at No. 23 UCLA Bruins
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. MT
Where: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Capacity: 91,936. Playing surface: Grass.
TV: ABC
Radio: KOA (850 AM)
Odds: UCLA by 16.5
Series: UCLA leads 13-5
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.