Seeking a signature win, CU says the time is right

boulder» When a team hasn’t had a winning season in a decade, it pretty much goes without saying that it has been a long time since the program produced a signature win.

It may be stretching the definition, but Colorado safety Jered Bell says the last big Colorado win he can remember came at home, 29-27, over Georgia in 2010, the final year of Dan Hawkins’ tenure. Bell, then a freshman, recalls fans storming the field in jubilation.

“Playing an SEC school, we were in the Big 12 at that time, there was a lot of hype around it,” said Bell, a sixth-year player who lost two seasons to ACL injuries. “We came out and won playing against A.J. Green and premier players like that. That was probably the biggest one I’ve been a part of.”

It wasn’t that big, though. Georgia was unranked and arrived in

Boulder with a 1-3 record. The Buffs haven’t beaten a ranked opponent since 2009, when they took down 17th-ranked Kansas, 34-30.

CU has an opportunity to produce a signature win of sorts with Oregon in town Saturday for a nationally televised game on ESPN. While Oregon is unranked in The Associated Press poll after suffering a 6220 loss at home to Utah last week, the Ducks are ranked 24th in the USA Today/Coaches poll, and they did reach the national championship game last year with since-departed quarterback Marcus Mariota.

It is, at minimum, a big game against a name opponent, not to mention CU’s Pac-12 opener. CU has won only two conference games over the past three seasons.

“We didn’t win any last year,” said coach Mike MacIntyre, in his third season at CU. “We felt like we had four or five we definitely should have won — outgained the opponent, time of possession, all the things you would look at on paper saying, ‘How did you lose the game?’ We’re excited about this game, playing the team that has kind of set the standard in the Pac-12 for the last few years.”

Although Oregon is 2-2, with losses to top-10 teams (Oregon also lost 31-28 at Michigan State), it’s probably better than any of the four teams CU (3-1) has played.

“This win could really help build some more confidence for us,” said quarterback Sefo Liufau. “Oregon will be a lot faster than teams we’ve played, a lot more sound on defense, offense and everything. When we get that win, I think a lot of guys will be even more confident and a lot more people will start believing.”

Confidence is what coaches and players have been stressing since training camp because the team is older, more experienced, bigger and stronger than it was in MacIntyre’s previous years. That confidence has grown with the team’s first three-game winning streak since 2008, and it gives the Buffs an emotional lift for this game.

“In the past, I don’t think we’ve been confident going into the big games,” Liufau said. “I think we’ve been hesitant in believing in ourselves and our ability to play against those tough teams. This week we’re more confident in ourselves. We just have to go out there and prove it on the field now.”

Oregon has outscored CU 10126 in MacIntyre’s two first seasons, but this week the Buffs are just a seven-point underdog.

“I don’t think we look at the point spread,” Liufau said, “but I think we’re a lot more confident in ourselves, which makes us believe it’s going to be a close game and we actually believe we can win this game this year.”

Footnote. Colorado will ask for a moment of silence before the game for the victims of Thursday’s Oregon school shooting.