BOULDER — Back to work.
After a day off Monday, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes were back at it Tuesday morning, preparing for Saturday’s Big 12 opener, a 6 p.m. Homecoming matchup with Baylor at Folsom Field (Fox).
Both teams enter the game with 2-1 records after each collected a big win over a Mountain West opponent last weekend. The Buffs dominated Colorado State, 28-9, while the Bears used a big second half to thump Air Force, 31-3.
Baylor coach Dave Aranda, in his fifth year with the Bears, has built a team around a solid defense and balanced offense. BU is yielding just 9.7 points per game while averaging 29.3 points and 381 yards per game on offense.
“Coach Aranda has done a great job of having his team disciplined in the things that they do really well,” Coach Prime said at his Tuesday press conference. “We have to first of all stop the run. I don’t know which quarterback they’re going to feature this week, but we’re preparing for both quarterbacks. But that team, they have athletes. They’re physical, they’re strong and they don’t make a lot of mistakes, self-inflicted wounds.”
The quarterback question is one the Buffs might not know the answer to until Saturday. Dual threat Dequan Finn got the start in BU’s first two games — a win over Tarleton and a loss to Utah — but was sidelined by an injury late in the Utah game. That opened the door for Sawyer Robinson, who threw for 248 yards and ran for one score in the win over AFA.
“You got to prepare like you’re going to prepare for both of them, but one guy features a different asset than the other,” Coach Prime said.
Meanwhile, the Buffs will continue to focus on steady improvement. They took a big step forward last week in their win over CSU on both sides of the ball, especially in the trenches.
“We’re trying to clean up some things, even from last week,” Coach Prime said. “We’re trying to move forward and make sure we truly understand the physicality from week to week. When we’re more physical, understand our just basic fundamentals, we’re able to run the ball effectively.”
CU’s run game did indeed make significant progress last week, easily surpassing the Buffs’ output from the first two games combined. Freshman Micah Welch hammered out a nine-carry, 65-yard effort, a big part of CU’s final 109-yard total on the ground.
“Every week is the same thing,” Coach Prime said. “We want to be able to run the ball effectively. We want to be able to stop the run.”
The Bears actually lead the nation in pass defense, giving up a paltry 75.7 yards per game in the air. But that number is greatly skewed by having played Air Force, which attempted just eight passes — and completed only two — in last week’s game.
The Buffs will no doubt want to test that defense. Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders is fourth in the nation in passing yards with 999 and tied for fourth in touchdown passes with nine. He has four receivers with double-digit catches, led by two-way star Travis Hunter, who has hauled in 30 receptions for 342 yards and five touchdowns. Also in that group are Jimmy Horn Jr. (14-for-246, 1 touchdown), LaJohntay Wester (14-158, 3) and Will Sheppard (12-143).
Those numbers haven’t gone unnoticed by Baylor’s Aranda. While he knows his defense has to get pressure on QB Sanders, he also knows he has to find a way to keep those receivers from getting open.
“You can only double-cover so many people,” he said.
That’s why Colorado’s preferred offensive lineup usually includes four wideouts and just one running back.
“Our receivers are a tough cover when we’re protecting our quarterback,” Coach Prime said. “I don’t wish that on anybody. I feel like we could do some phenomenal things, as they feel like they could shut us down in some areas of concern. But our guys are pretty good. We just gotta give our quarterback a little time.”
Indeed, Colorado’s fortunes hinge greatly on the ability of CU’s O-line to protect Sanders. When they have troubles as they did against Nebraska — six sacks — the offense sputters. But when they provide a clean pocket like they did against CSU — one sack — the offense can hit on all cylinders, especially when the threat of a run game exists.
Defensively, the Buffs will focus on stopping Baylor’s ground game. The Bears are averaging a robust 167.3 yards per game rushing, with three different backs already with more than 100 yards to their name this season.
Last week, CU’s run defense was solid against the Rams. The Buffs limited Colorado State to just 131 yards on the ground, with 62 of those coming on one run late in the game when the outcome had already been decided.
Leading the way for CU’s run defense have been linebackers LaVonta Bentley and Nikhai Hill-Green. Bentley had five tackles and a huge forced fumble and recovery to stop a CSU drive near CU’s goal line while Hill-Green, who stepped into the starting lineup against Nebraska, was credited with six tackles, including two for loss.
HUNTER HONORED AGAIN: For the second time in three weeks, Colorado two-way star Hunter was named the Hornung Award Player of the Week.
Hunter, last season’s Hornung Award winner, played 123 of 139 snaps in the win over CSU. He finished with 10 catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns and he recorded five tackles and an interception.
McKINNEY STANDING OUT: Colorado sophomore cornerback DJ McKinney continues to make a name for himself. The transfer from Oklahoma State led CU with seven tackles last weekend while also adding three pass breakups.
With Hunter usually on the opposite side, it means opponents are targeting him more often — and he continues to deliver, as he is Colorado’s leading tackler thus far with 21 stops.
“The kid can flat out play the game,” Coach Prime said. “He practices with the same tempo, the same level of consistency. He’s a first-round pick to me. Maybe not this year, but next year for sure.”
FOX BROADCAST CREW: Saturday’s game — CU’s fourth in as many contests this year on a national network — will feature Connor Onion on play-by-play and Mark Helfrich as analyst. Helfrich is a former CU offensive coordinator and Oregon head coach.
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Story by Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com. Content courtesy of the University of Colorado at Boulder.