Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre runs after the referees and yells at them after a controversial call late in the game against Oregon State on Saturday, Oct. 4. MacIntyre was fined $10,000 for doing so. (Matt Sisneros/CU Independent)
The Pac-12 fined Colorado football head coach Mike MacIntyre $10,000 Tuesday morning for his heated reactions toward game officials after last weekend’s tough loss to the Oregon State Beavers. The Buffs lost by five points (36-31), but Coach Mac’s loss of composure reflected more than frustration with second-half calls.
To be frank, Coach Mac did what every Colorado football fan wished they could do after Saturday’s game. He broke his well-trained, media-minded mold of saving face and finally cast optimism aside. He was angry, he felt cheated and he felt underrated.
So did the rest of the CU football community.
MacIntyre’s behavior was deemed inappropriate by the Pac-12 conference and “completely unacceptable” by commissioner Larry Scott. But in retrospect, this outburst shows that he cares about Colorado football, and feels a more intense sort of heartbreak when the Buffs come so close to winning — and miss.
Although it was excruciating to watch, Coach Mac communicated something very important: this team doesn’t lack intensity.
Many questionable calls surfaced during the second half of the OSU match-up, but the most glaring was a pass interference penalty against Colorado, which called off a Kenneth Crawley interception. MacIntyre referred to the play as a “momentum-changer.”
Now, it’s easy to deny CU any more wins in the Pac-12. Starting on Oct. 18th, we have UCLA, Washington, Arizona, Oregon and Utah to worry about. Four of those five teams sit among the top 25 in the nation. It’s time to ignore the horrors of on-paper comparison, though, and focus on recognizing the football that Colorado plays.
The Buffs don’t suffer embarrassing blowouts anymore, nor do they give up when momentum swings away from them.
CU lost to Arizona State by 21 points, but lost 13-54 against the Sun Devils in 2013. They lost to Cal by three, battling through two overtimes. When Cal scored after three quick plays in the first, quarterback Sefo Liufau and wide receiver Nelson Spruce answered with an immediate touchdown pass to keep Colorado alive. Although the Golden Bears bested the Buffs, the fight wasn’t an easy one to win. Nelson Spruce originally set a school record of 11 catches in a single game against the University of Hawaii, but crushed that record with 19 versus Cal.
The point is, compared to the loss against CSU back in August, and even to both wins this season, recent Pac-12 losses seem to be where the Buffs shine most.
According to University of Colorado Athletic Director Rick George, Coach Mac “recognizes that what he did was inappropriate.” That recognition was good enough for him, and it should be good enough for Buffs fans, too. This week’s bye is a perfect time to regroup and prepare for the final half of the 2014 football season.
Keep fighting, Coach Mac.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Jordyn Siemens at jordyn.siemens@colorado.edu.
