Northern Colorado’s Ed McCaffrey following loss to CU Buffs: “They thought we’d lose by 60”

BOULDER – Northern Colorado’s Ed McCaffrey stood astatine the doorway of his team’s locker country and tapped the bottommost of his chin for each subordinate who needed it.

Defeated locker country oregon not, determination would beryllium nary hanging heads astatine Folsom Field precocious Friday night. Even though Colorado wrested power successful the 2nd half, ultimately winning successful convincing 35-7 fashion, McCaffrey was bullish connected what helium saw from his team.

“No 1 was giving america a chance,” the erstwhile Broncos large said. “They thought we’d suffer by 60. We truly thought we could triumph this game. That’s what is truthful frustrating.”

McCaffrey, making his Bears coaching debut, couldn’t conceal his pridefulness aft his squad showed up and competed successful their archetypal crippled since November 2019.

“I’m truthful incredibly arrogant of the young men successful our shot program,” helium said. “We haven’t played shot successful 2 years and we stood toe-to-toe with 1 of the champion teams successful the Pac-12. Had a shutout for a quarter.”

It was true. Neither squad gained a foothold aft a sloppy opening quarter, and the Bears’ assurance was brewing astatine 0-0 to unfastened the second. Much of their assurance emanated from the caput coach’s son, backmost Dylan McCaffrey, a highly-rated imaginable who landed successful Greeley aft transferring from Michigan.

McCaffrey, who hadn’t played successful 2 years either, showed wherefore endowment evaluators were truthful precocious connected him coming retired of Valor Christian. He finished the nighttime 24 of 42 for 236 yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

“I conjecture the biggest happening you could accidental was rusty,” helium said erstwhile asked to measure his night. “It’s tough. I conscionable gotta enactment america successful overmuch amended situations. I thought my throws were each implicit the place. Felt similar we had immoderate bully concepts dialed up that I kinda botched with my eyes.”

McCaffrey credited his violative enactment for their protection. When helium missed unfastened receivers, helium said it was connected him.

“It’s truly conscionable astir being amended connected my own,” the younger McCaffrey said.

On the Bears’ lone scoring play, helium didn’t miss. McCaffrey rolled close from the Buffs’ 34-yard enactment and threaded a choky seam to wideout Kassidy Woods to extremity the 3rd quarter. The 6-foot-4 receiver shrugged disconnected 2 would-be tacklers and barreled into the extremity zone.

“I unrecorded by a saying: ‘The archetypal points are the hardest to get,’” McCaffrey said of his dart.

With 8:05 near successful the 4th fourth and the Bears trailing 28-7, the younger McCaffrey walked down his seat and high-fived each subordinate needing immoderate love. He reiterated the aforesaid enactment for his teammates aft the game.

“He’s a person and he’s a hellhole of a quarterback,” his dada said.

Almost word-for-word, some begetter and lad took immoderate semblance of work for the loss. Both said they needed to enactment their squad successful a amended presumption to win, with dada conceding immoderate flubbed reddish portion opportunities and lad owning his errant first-half interception successful the extremity zone.

“He came live successful the 2nd fractional and was moving the shot highly well,” the elder McCaffrey said. “… Tough arsenic nails. He took immoderate hits, too. Unfortunately it’s a curse with the McCaffrey family.”