Mel Tucker is undefeated as the head coach at the University of Colorado.
"It was very gratifying,” says Tucker after beating Colorado State in the Rocky Mountain Showdown. “I'm proud of the group I really am."
Yet, wandering through the black and gold, he can still see the forest for the trees.
"This team and this football program are important to so many people,” says Tucker. “You can feel that leading up to the [Rocky Mountain Showdown], it was a win for our players and our coaches but also for our fans and our alums, all of our supporters at CU."
Tucker asked the Buffaloes to trust his process, and in return he made winning adjustments at halftime.
"We knew when coach Tucker got here, we were excited about him and that he was going to bring a different attitude, a different mindset to our team,” says senior quarterback Steven Montez. “It showed up in the second half more than anything especially on defense, they played lights out."
"I guess it just proves to us that what he's telling us is true,” says sophomore running back Alex Fontenot. “We bought in and the results are paying off."
Now the buffs battle "relief syndrome," a term Tucker coined for “letting up after a big win.”
"Sometimes getting a win is just not enough. It's just not,” says Tucker. “We got the win but that's not the end all be all, we all know there's things we have to improve."
I don't think coach Tucker needs to worry about that this week.
Huskers are incoming. And you know how CU feels about Huskers.
"They get to come into our house this time it's a big rivalry, everyone knows that, it's going to be fun to go out there and put on,” says junior wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. “Hopefully the team come together and we're going to play a very good game.”
