You always remember your first.
“It feels great,” said Jon Embree after his first victory as a head coach, “My first win as a player was against these guys so to do it as a coach means a lot.”
It doesn’t hurt that his inaugural victory comes against, what is now, Colorado’s only true rival.
The 16th Rocky Mountain Showdown matched the undefeated Rams against the defeated Buffs but lacked the anticipation that many Colorado natives once knew. The two teams combined for 8 wins in 2010 (only 7 if you don’t count the Buffs win in the same matchup last year), and the last bowl game for either team was Colorado State’s win over Fresno State in 2008.
Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, which holds upwards of 70-thousand people, was far from full. There were patches of empty seats scattered throughout, but the no-shows (whom are usually booed at Mile High Field) didn’t lessen the energy that translated to the players on the field.
“I heard them; I don’t count them. I don’t spend too much time looking at them,” said CSU head coach Steve Fairchild about the fans although the Rams were only able to see a little more than 17-thousand of their 31-thousand (55%) allotment, “There were enough people there to provide an atmosphere.”
The 55-thousand that staggered into the building from the exponential rowdy tailgates saw a physical game. The Buffs defense took on a new mentality that made them fly to the ball.
“I take responsibility for the personal fouls because I told the team in their today that I took the leash off – there were no rules,” said Embree who usually doesn’t handle the defense, allowed the Buffs to fly around in this big game, “There were no rules and I took the leash off them.”
Colorado’s defense slowed down the Rams rushing game, only giving up 67 yards on the ground and only 176 through the air for sophomore Pete Thomas. But the 10 minute drive to seal the game for the Buffs, the defense stepping up, and even the win was once again overshadowed by the mistakes.
“I’m happy. I’ll be happier,” said Jon Embree who was clearly upset by numerous mistakes that are constantly plaguing the Buffs.
“There are a lot of things we need to fix too,” said senior Ryan Miller. Colorado came into the game as one of the most penalized teams in the nation and was flagged 10 times for 114 yards on Saturday. “[Today] definitely wasn’t a perfect game. We had a lot of penalties; we need to clean that up.”
The Buffs have a long way to go, but the victory is most obviously a step in the right direction. But CU can’t stew on the victory too long; they have to start preparing for the Buckeyes and a streak that nobody in black & gold can avoid.
“As soon as possible,” said senior Anthony Perkins.
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