BOULDER — While the nation eagerly awaits the start of the college football season, Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau had to take a little break from it over the summer.
“I’m excited and ready to get going,” Liufau said. “But with this week and a half that we have (until fall camp Aug. 5), I think it’s a time where a lot of our guys should kind of relax and rest their minds, their bodies, because it’s going to be a long year.”
After the Buffaloes (2-10, 0-9 Pac-12 last year) report to camp next week, they’ve got four weeks of practice followed by a 13-game schedule that includes no bye week.
“It’s going to test us and push us to the limits,” Liufau said.
After going through the offseason, though, CU’s starting quarterback is convinced he and his teammates are ready for the task ahead of them.
The Buffs held their final summer workout on Friday and Liufau went into this week’s break encouraged by what CU got done this offseason.
“Our best summer, by far,” said Liufau, who just completed his third summer in Boulder.
“My freshman year (2013), I think things were all over the place. It just kind of seemed like everyone was for themselves and not playing for the team and not caring, ultimately about winning and all of that. Slowly, sophomore year some more guys bought in, more guys believed we could play with teams — not necessarily win, but play. This year, we have this feeling about us, a confidence that we can play and beat teams.”
During summer workouts, Liufau said running back Phillip Lindsay and receiver Devin Ross impressed him. On defense, linebacker Kenneth Olugbode stepped up, “especially in a leadership role,” and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon also made an impression.
As a unit, the CU defense made strides this offseason under the direction of new coordinator Jim Leavitt, Liufau said.
“He’s just brought something with him,” Liufau said. “Not just his scheme, but his personality. The guys rally behind him. There’s something about him that helps drive the guys and they seem to be playing more as a unit instead of as individuals.”
CU, of course, needs its defense to improve after it yielded 39.0 points per game last year.
CU also needs Liufau to improve.
As a sophomore in 2014, he set 51 school records, including passing yards (3,200) and touchdown passes (28). On the flip side, his 15 interceptions left him one shy of the school record.
“The ones that really matter are picks when it’s in a game-deciding drive or when they flip the tide of the game,” he said. “I had too many of those and that’s something that kind of stuck out in my mind.”
Liufau studied every one of his turnovers (he also had four fumbles) this offseason.
“I think I’ve learned a lot from that and hopefully I can translate that into less turnovers and more plays for my team this upcoming year,” he said.
