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10 29 24 Voice of the CU Buffs Mark Johnson on Coach Prime securing bowl eligibility
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They are ranked, they're playing good football, and that's got a lot of eyes and ears and a lot of talk about CU Buffs, and deservedly so. Yeah, and joining us now on the KOA comment spirit health hotline to talk all about it is CU Voice of the Buffs. It's Mark Johnson. Hey Mark, thanks for your time as always. Okay, let's start with that nice victory that we saw against the Cincinnati Bearcats over the weekend. What went right and what needs to continue to go right for the Buffs? Well, Gina, just about everything went right. In fact, the last couple of ball games Colorado has played, they have been a complete football team. I mean, we knew going into the season with Shadoor Sanders, he's maybe the best quarterback in America. Travis Hunter is a Heisman candidate, that they were going to be explosive on that side of the ball last few weeks, have been running the ball effectively, and really defensively, they've been as good as anybody in the big twelve here the last few weeks. So this team has gotten better all season long, and right now they're in the race for the big twelve championship, ranked number twenty three in a country, and playing really well. Very good football, six and two. It looks like to me, Mark, that they haven't even really reached their peak yet. As you say, they've played the most complete, they've played since the beginning of the season, since since Coach Sanders took over. Do you see even a higher ceiling for these buffaloes? I think so, Marty, and I say that because this offensive line has played better and improved in recent weeks, and I still think it's got some room to grow. I mean, you know, it doesn't take a football genius to figure out that they were a great passing team, but they didn't run the ball very well early in the season, very one-dimensional, and defenses were playing them as such. Well, now all of a sudden, they've begun to play a little bit better up front, they're opening some holes for guys like Isaiah Gosto, who's kind of risen to maybe the number one spot in that running back room, they're running the ball effectively, they've been over a hundred yards each the last couple of weeks, and that takes some pressure off should do or that. He doesn't have to be Superman, you know, gaming and game out, and so now you've got a little bit more balanced offensive attack to go along with what we just talked about defensively, and yeah, they continue to come, and I'm pretty impressed right now that they've got a real chance to run the table here, they've got four games left, two of them at home, got a chance to run the table, you'd be talking about a 10 and two football team with one loss and big 12 players, I don't want to put the card ahead of a horse here, but there's potential here, no doubt. Mark, what's also impressive is the accomplishments of Travis Hunter, now the first player in the big 12th history to be named offensive and defensive player of the week in the same season. You know, it's really amazing, and you know, I've been doing this for a long time, and the guy that's just next to me to both Gary Barnet's been in the coaching world for well over 50 years, and you know, he made a comment here a few weeks ago, he just flat out, you know, after all these years, I'm ready to say that's the most dynamic and best player I've ever seen in college football, and that's some high praise coming from a guy who's coached it for, you know, half a century for goodness sakes, and he does things that I've never seen before, and he's unique, he's a physical talent, the way he approaches the game is really interesting, he is dominant on both sides of the ball, something that we've ever maybe never seen before, and so that's why I frequently say he's the most dynamic player in college football, and I hope the Heisman Trophy, you know, voters are paying attention because no one's ever done this before, and it's a lot of fun to watch. I know he loves playing both sides of the ball, but has he ever expressed a preference to you, and I couch up by saying I've seen analysts in the NFL said that Travis Hunter, he's a receiver hiding as a d-back nut, and then that's not a slur against him, but saying they see him as a wide receiver at the next level. Has he ever said, do you, I really want to play this position over this, but I love being on the field regardless? No, no, he's equally talked about both sides, and depending on which scout you talk to, because over the year, I'm really through last year as well, you know, I talked to a number of guys, and the opinions vary. I've had guys say they think he's a receiver at the next level. I've had other guys say, no, no, no, he's a corner back in the next level, it just goes to show you how divided that opinion is, but they all agree that he's just about as good as anybody in college for both sides of the ball, and so I've never heard him express, he just loves playing, loves being out there, wants to continue doing it, I mean, to continue to play 130 staff for game really is spectacular, almost unthinkable prior to him doing it here the last year and a half. Mark, will a bi-week be good for the buffs? I think so, and there's been a number of guys who've been dinged up a little bit, including shooter Sanders he had the flu last week, but he's been dinged up, Chuck Travis has been dinged up, there's a handful of other guys, and so I think this comes at a very good time, they're playing very well, but I think having that extra week here for kind of that stretch form of the season is going to be good for this football team, and then they get back of course here in just a hundred, two weeks against Texas Tech, who's got a game this weekend, they've been playing some pretty good football as well, but you got to go on the road and win that ball game, but I do think this is a good pause for everyone just to kind of lick their wounds a little bit, and maybe get right for the rest of the last four games. Mark, a bi-week is probably also pretty good for Peggy, because I heard she wasn't at the game on Saturday battling COVID, have you had any updates to that? Yeah, she had COVID, I was told that she was recovered from that, could have been there, but, and I tell you what, when you're 99, almost 100 coming up here in just a few weeks here, her family said that late game's a little bit tough on her, and so they decided to keep her home, but I understand she's bad, she's through COVID, she's feeling well right now, and the good news is we're bowling for Miss Peggy this season. All eyes did deliberately on the football program, but I don't want to let you go before we talk about a little sea immense basketball, I cannot believe basketball season is right around the corner for college basketball, what do you anticipate this season, I know ket coach, Tad Boyle, he's pretty bullish on this team. Yeah, he kind of likes him, although it's all brand new, you know, they lose a lot to three players, so the NBA likes, they're all three, we're drafted, two of them in the first round, one of the second, and he's had to replace everybody, so it's a totally reworked team, and he seems very pleased with it, I've been in the office a number of times, come in a couple of practices, talking with the staff, they like this squad, there are just questions yet to be answered, because this group hasn't played together, and we'll find out, beginning on Monday night, they got Eastern Washington coming into the events centre at what six or seven o'clock on Monday night, so yeah, this is always, when we get into November, this is always that area for those with the cover of the team, or broadcast the game through your bouncing back and forth, and so it's going to be a busy next two, three weeks. Yeah, and you can hear CU Buffs basketball, KOA Monday night, like Mark mentioned, KOA coverage will begin at 630, CU Buffs football has a bye week, they'll take on Texas Tech Saturday, November 9th, Voice of the Buffs, it's Mark Johnson, thanks Mark. There's only one feeling like knowing your banker personally, like growing up with the bank you can count on, like being sure what you've earned is safe, secure, and local, there's only one feeling like knowing you're supporting your community. You deserve more from a bank, you deserve an institution that stood strong for generations. Bank of Colorado, there's only one, member FDIC.