(Photo by Lance Wendt)

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – As Tyler Burgasser left the field in Blacksburg late last February, he wasn’t feeling great. An assistant coach for Colorado then – now the Buffs head man – Burgasser had just watched his team lose, 16-6 to Virginia Tech in the third game of the season.

“I have no issues saying that we didn't belong on the same field as them that day,” admitted Burgasser.

As last Monday drew closer and the Hokies had wheels down at the Denver airport for the rematch, Burgasser knew he had to put those thoughts in the memory hole and start fresh. Everybody in the country knew that the 24th-ranked Buffaloes were massive underdogs, but there’s still a job to do.

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“As a staff, we try to block that type of stuff out and just see what the tape tells us,” he said. “Defensively, you can't game plan for them without talking about Aidan Smith. He impressed the heck out of me in our game against them last year and on tape this year.”

Could there possibly be a chance?

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* * *

Prior to hosting Virginia Tech, Colorado had been on two road trips with two vastly different results. The first trek was to the southeast to face Auburn and Georgia Tech, and it was a slow start for the Buffs. It ended up as an 0-2 weekend.

“Auburn and Georgia Tech had to do with figuring out how all our pieces fit together,” Burgasser said. “Where did our guys feel the most comfortable and what type of roles can they excel in? There's a lot of talent on this team, and as a staff, we didn't do a great job of maximizing our talent. That falls squarely on me, not my kids.”

The coach liked the Buffs resiliency, especially coming back to make it a game against Auburn. He knew it would come in handy during the trip to Phoenix. Colorado looked formidable in an 11-5 win over Grand Canyon, but the big one was against a ranked Arizona State outfit. The Sun Devils were undefeated and had just manhandled the same Auburn team the Buffs lost to.

When Jake McIntyre’s goal hit the back of the net in overtime to give CU the 11-10 win, the first emotion was sheer exhaustion. Rookie poles Benjamin Beckler and Sam Carpenter had played every second of the two games. Myles O’Connell and Jack Ryan were both nursing injuries, but battled through.

“We had starting attackmen who were so exhausted after ASU that they were throwing up postgame,” Burgasser said. “But they never once mentioned being tired or displayed weakness during that game.”

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Secondly, the Buffs felt like they may have just found their stride.

“We were confident that we had the right pieces in the right spots but, more importantly, we knew that we had a really resilient group here in Boulder,” Burgasser said.

* * *

Virginia Tech scored the first goal of the game on Monday, but that was the only time the Hokies would hold a lead. With Harrison Mead doing his best to limit Smith to just four goals – all in unsettled situations – the defense allowed Colorado to keep the Hokies off-balance. The architect of the backline, Burgasser’s young brother, Jimmy, had a masterful gameplan.

“I'm a little biased, but he’s done a great job with our defense,” the elder Burgasser said. “Offensively, we felt really good about our balance and chemistry heading into this game. The kids are playing unselfish ball and we thought that if we just played our game, we would be successful.”

The lead ballooned to 14-7 after three quarters and the Buffs captured the biggest upset of the season, 15-12.

Colorado had done it.

Now what?

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The Buffs proved to themselves – and the country – that they can play with anyone. That can be both a blessing and a curse, however. You are gifted the knowledge there is nothing standing in your way and saddled with the expectation of proving it every game.

“We talk to the kids all the time about just distilling everything down to competing and being good teammates,” Burgasser said. “As long as they do that, they shouldn't have anything else to worry about.

“I truly don't see this group letting their confidence morph into cockiness or arrogance. It's not who these kids are. They know that everything in life, lacrosse included, starts and ends with hard work.

“At the end of the day, we are still only 3-2 and have a lot of talented teams left on our schedule, and that continues on Friday against Boise State.”

GAMES I’M FOLLOWING

No. 18 Minn.-Duluth at Bridgewater State, Friday – 12 p.m.
This is the middle contest of the Bulldogs three-game quest to sweep up all of the CLC’s committee cred. As you’re reading this, UMD will have posted a result against No. 6 Rhode Island, which occurred on Thursday evening in Kingston. Even with a loss there, a 2-1 jaunt to New England would be considered a success. That can’t happen unless the ‘Dogs subdue the Bears, who are undefeated against D-II competition.

Boise State at No. 14 Colorado, Friday – 7 p.m.
We’ll find out how much the Buffs have been reading their press clippings when the Broncos come calling. In terms of a hangover game, this is a perfect test for Colorado. Boise State has always been a physical team with plenty of talent, and they have the potential to knock off anyone. I wouldn’t expect any complacency out of CU, but they’ll have to be sharp or last Monday could just be a footnote to the season.

No. 1 Air Force at No. 21 Denver, Friday – 8:30 p.m.
This is the first ranked competition for the Falcons since their ascension to the top spot in the New Balance poll a couple of weeks ago. The Academy’s three games since their opening season domination at the Rocky Mountain Rumble has been akin to a kitten playing with a ball of yarn, so Denver will present some relatively new challenges. It’s a solid bet that Air Force will put the clamps on Grayson Passias (4.6 ppg), meaning the Pioneers’ secondary options will have to play a big role.

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No. 23 Loyola Marymount at No. 11 Cal State San Marcos, Saturday – 2 p.m.
The Lions have been taking care of business in the early season, racking up a 5-0 mark, but the level of competition jumps considerably this weekend. San Marcos has yet to play a non-ranked D-II team, so don’t let the Cougars’ 2-3 mark deceive you. San Marcos has to play No. 22 Utah State on Friday, but Loyola Marymount will have to be as sharp as they can be to stay in this one.

No. 25 Southern Methodist at No. 19 Oregon, Saturday – 3 p.m.
I thought the Mustangs might be toting a perfect record to the Pacific Northwest, but Clemson caught SMU, 10-9, on Saturday. It certainly was through no fault of Declan Maseker, who finished with 21 saves. Maseker and the defense will have to be on point against the Ducks, who are having no trouble scoring so far. On the flip side, SMU is the best team Oregon has seen this season, so challenges await the home squad.

No. 20 Tennessee at No. 10 Florida State, Saturday – 6 p.m.
This is the first big heat-check for the undefeated Vols. Tennessee has built its ranked credentials via a road win against Clemson – certainly a quality win, but nowhere near where the Seminoles are currently operating. While Mason Cain is one of the top quarterbacks in the ALC, he’s facing an FSU backline anchored by senior Hunter Chang. There is some danger for the ‘Noles, as UT should be playing like they have nothing to lose.

No. 9 Texas at No. 13 California, Sunday – 12 p.m.
If conventional – and ranking – wisdom holds, both these teams will lose to top-ranked Georgia Tech. As such, barring a David-Goliath-type upset, one of these teams is finishing up the weekend at 0-2. It’s certainly not the end of the world as the Longhorns are heavy favorites to take the LSA AQ and the WCLL appears to be a coin flip between the Bears and UCSB at this point. Still these types of weekends can be an illuminating trial run for May.

No. 11 Florida at No. 2 Chapman, Sunday – 1 p.m.
Chapman’s run of blowing out unranked teams and playing one-goal contests against rated squads continues into this matchup with the Gators. Florida is 4-0 at home and 0-2 at home, but that nugget is a little misleading considering they traveled to Virginia Tech and South Carolina on back-to-back days. The cross-country flight might take a little bit of a toll, but this has game of the week written all over it.

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Stanford at Cal Poly, Sunday – 2 p.m.
You probably have to be a bit of a WCLL honk to appreciate this conference showdown, but the race for the five slots in the league tournament is very much underway. Stanford (4-2) has the prettier record, but Cal Poly’s (3-3) three setbacks are to ranked teams – including a pair of Top 10s. The Mustangs are substantial favorites at home, but the Cardinal is eyeing an upset.

SLIDES & RIDES

- Week Three of the New Balance Coaches Poll dropped on Wednesday and it proved to be an interesting one, at least on the D-I side. Division II saw Air Force’s lead expand, which is about right after Dayton’s opening-season stumble. I would expect St. Thomas to slowly close the gap if both teams remain undefeated. The ALC’s metamorphosis into a power conference is something to behold.

The Division I poll is going to take another week to complete flesh out as Monday games are always tricky for pollsters. Some religiously get their ballots in on Sunday evening at the conclusion of the traditional week while others will wait it out until every game is played before the Tuesday deadline. That makes what we see in this poll more obvious. Barring any big upset in Berkeley, the poll will coalesce next week.

- As mentioned above, Georgia Tech is a comfortable favorite in both its ranked games in Berkeley this weekend, but going forward the Yellow Jackets’ biggest obstacle might be a tougher opponent: boredom. Once the Wreck return from the Left Coast, they will play just three games over the final six weeks of the season before the SELC tournament.

Granted, those three games feature two ranked squads and a blood rival, but the Tech coaching staff will have to get creative to keep things fresh yet focused. This will be especially true in what could be a two-week siesta leading into the conference playoffs. Good luck.

- Been getting a lot of questions lately, but to reiterate, nominations for weekly awards are due by noon on Monday. In addition, stats are due 72 hours after the contest was played and EVERY PLAYER WHO DRESSED should be entered into the stat sheet, regardless of whether they recorded a stat or saw the field, including goalies.