Kiszla: After getting trounced 37-14, CU coach Karl Dorrell losing patience with baby Buffs: “The pacifier is going to have to go.”

BOULDER — A connection of advice: Unless you privation to marque Michael Westbrook mad, don’t suggest to him the aureate epoch of Colorado shot was truthful agelong agone it seems similar a imagination now, connected a Saturday erstwhile the Buffs got booed astatine Folsom Field portion getting ragdolled 37-14 by the Southern California Trojans.

The Buffs were ne'er a existent nationalist powerhouse similar Alabama oregon Ohio State oregon Oklahoma. Were they? That’s specified past history, it’s arsenic hard to fathom arsenic the thought those dudes from Blind Melon were ever stone stars successful the 1990s. Colorado won a nationalist championship? Really? How did that happen?

“We had a tally of 9 years. We mislaid similar 4 (conference) games successful 5 years. C’mon, man! C’mon now,” Westbrook told me, erstwhile I made the mistake of questioning the sustainability of the greatness established by Alfred Williams and Deon Figures during the ’90s, erstwhile NFL scouts racked up edifice loyalty points successful Boulder.

The bittersweet authorities of CU shot now, arsenic manager Karl Dorrell tries to lure much endowment to field than helium loses to the transportation portal, is an excuse for fans to either get huffy oregon get high. Might I suggest the edibles?

I asked Westbrook, who was feted during a timeout for his induction into assemblage football’s Hall of Fame, if helium could callback his champion crippled arsenic a receiver successful a Colorado uniform.

“We had a tally of 5 years determination … wherever it was similar a blur of awesome plays,” said Westbrook, who attended CU successful the gold-plated glory days, from 1990-95.

To appease me, helium tried hard to deliberation of his astir explosive crippled astatine Folsom. “I couldn’t get three, but I had a clump of 2 touchdown games,” Westbrook said. “Never got 3 touchdowns.”

That’s comic — though possibly not similar comic ha, ha — due to the fact that these Buffs of 2021, with young backmost Brendon Lewis nether siege down a porous violative line, can’t look to people much than 2 touchdowns successful a crippled against immoderate top-level competition. Baby steps? Dorrell doesn’t person the patience for specified Pollyanna nonsense.

“It’s ne'er enough. We can’t beryllium talking astir ‘baby stuff’ similar that anymore. We scored 2 touchdowns and that’s not enough. They scored 37 points; we scored 14. We’re astatine that point,” said Dorrell, who sounded resigned to the information helium could good beryllium teaching astatine the schoolhouse of hard knocks passim this autumn semester.

“There’s an urgency astir being much productive and much demanding astir what we’re doing. Not that we haven’t done that already, but the pacifier is going to person to go. The binky — if you person kids, I’ve had kids — that’s got to go. We’ve got to turn up fast.”

Colorado has dropped 4 consecutive games aft a small airy stretching against Northern Colorado, scoring precisely 4 TDs successful the process. Where person you gone, backmost Sam Noyer? Or receiver K.D. Nixon? These Buffs miss you. This atrocious excuse for a CU discourtesy could usage you, earlier Dorrell is forced to bash thing drastic, similar relieve adjunct manager Darrin Chiaverini of his duties arsenic the designer of this blistery mess.

Noyer and Nixon some took afloat vantage of NCAA transportation rules, moving connected from the Buffaloes aft past season. Noyer is present stuck connected the seat astatine Oregon State, portion Nixon was fundamentally 1 of the 48,197 spectators astatine Folsom, returning 1 punt for 7 yards during a cameo quality for the Trojans successful his instrumentality to town.

In an epoch of assemblage shot erstwhile accepted league ties mean thing to a assemblage president and loyalty to squad seems similar a quaint anachronism for a subordinate with an oculus for greener writer connected the different broadside of the fence, Dorrell’s task of rebuilding the CU programme mightiness good get tougher if the Buffs decorativeness this play astatine the bottommost of the South Division successful the Pac-12 Conference standings.

The thought of players bailing connected the Buffs alternatively than battling done adversity truly irks Westbrook, acold much than adjacent a knucklehead similar maine could ever irritate him. He abhors however casual it has go for a subordinate to skip field done the transportation portal.

“I deliberation it’s awful, due to the fact that for maine it’s similar a babe (saying), ‘I don’t privation to bash this’ and you fto them bash it. It’s similar letting a babe bash immoderate helium wants to do. Because we’re inactive babies astatine 17 and 18 years old. We don’t ever cognize what’s champion for us,” said Westbrook, present 49 years aged but looking acceptable capable to suit up for the Buffs adjacent week and people much-needed touchdowns.

Here’s the existent bummer for Dorrell, portion trying to physique a programme patiently and honestly during a clip of instant gratification. In assemblage shot these days, the affluent get richer. And the wannabes spell wanting.

“It’s similar escaped bureau now,” Westbrook said. “You can’t support a squad together.”