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After an extended hiatus over the holidays, Buff Bites is back and better than ever. How Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles’ fared in his only start against the black and gold, to five former Buffaloes to cheer for in Pyeongchang, South Korea this month, there are plenty of bites in this week’s edition to whet your appetite.
REVISITING THE BUFFS PAC-12 CONFERENCE WIN
Congrats to former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles for leading the Philadelphia Eagles to the organization’s first Super Bowl win Sunday, a 41-33 upset victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. It’s certainly a memory the Eagles quarterback will never forget. One memory he’d probably like erased from his mind came on November 12, 2011 in Boulder, Colo, when the Arizona senior and his Wildcats were trounced by Rodney Stewart and the Buffaloes 48-29. It was just the second win for first-year head coach Jon Embree – they finished with a 3-10 record in 2011 – and first league victory for CU after starting 0-6 in their inaugural Pac-12 Campaign.
BUFFS IN 2018 WINTER OLYMPICS
The Winter Olympics get underway this Thursday from PyeongChang, South Korea with five Colorado Buffaloes representing the United States team. Here’s a great piece on ex-Buff Joanne Reid (Biathalon) who is looking to follow in the footsteps of her mother, a bronze medalist (Speedskating) in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. Other current or former Buffs on the U.S. team include Brian Hansen (Long Track Speed Skating), Arielle Gold (Snowboarding), Kendall Wesenberg (Skeleton), and Boulder native Casey Andringa (Freestyle Skiing). Here’s a full schedule of events and which NBC-affiliated network they can be viewed.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE OPENS SEASON IN TOP-20
Following their first NCAA Tournament appearance last season, the CU lacrosse team has been slotted at No. 16 in the Women’s Inside Lacrosse preseason rankings. CU is one of only two Pac-12 schools ranked, USC at No. 8 being the other. The program begins their fifth season of play this Friday vs the unranked Michigan Wolverines in Jacksonville, Fla. Two days later, the Buffs take on the No. 5 Florida Gators in Gainesville, Fla.
ISAIAH OLIVER IMPRESSIVE IN ALL-STAR CHALLENGE
In case you missed it, former Buffs cornerback Isaiah Oliver participated in the 2018 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge Friday, February 2nd from AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Oliver finished second in the Edward Jones Hands competition, a full second behind former Boise State wide receiver Cedrick Wilson. Here’s a full video of the event which aired on ESPN2, with Oliver’s performance coming 1 hour, 7 minutes into the video.
Oliver also helped the Pac-12 finish second in the team competition behind Team Wild Card, a squad comprised of players from non-power five conferences.
NFL COMBINE INVITE LIST EXPECTED THIS WEEK
Oliver, a projected first or second round pick in April’s NFL Draft, is one former Buff expected to be invited to the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine (Feb. 27 - March 5). According to nflcombine.net, the official invite list will be released on nfl.com sometime this week. One former Buff that won’t be there is Phillip Lindsay.
No NFL combine invite for CU's Phillip Lindsay. He impressed at the East-West Shrine Game and was holding out hope he might receive one before the month's end. Fully expect him to turn heads at his Pro Day, though.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 30, 2018
MEN’S HOOPS UPDATE
With a 67-55 win over Utah on Friday the Colorado Men’s Basketball team (13-10, 5-6 Pac-12) is right back in the thick of the Pac-12 conference race. With a 5-6 record in conference, the Buffs are currently tied for seventh with Arizona State and Utah with seven games remaining. Here’s a good read from my colleague Sam Metivier (written prior to Friday’s Utah game) on how this closing stretch of games could benefit the Buffs.
WEDNESDAY IS NATIONAL SIGNING DAY
Just a reminder that Wednesday, February 7th is National Signing Day. According to ESPN.com, the Buffs Class of 2018 currently consists of 22 players – (5) 4-stars, (17) 3-stars – either signed or committed. Here’s a look at ESPN’s 10-hours of multi-network coverage of National Signing Day. Also, for recaps and in-depth analysis of the Pac-12 classes you can check Pac-12 Network’s three-hour signing day special from 4-7pm MT.