BOULDER — In its first two games this season, the Colorado Buffaloes’ defense has produced very different results from the first half to the second.
Thus far, the Buffs have given up 48 points in the first 30 minutes of their two games and six in the final two halves. (While they technically count, seven of those first half points came on an interception return and thus are not on the defense’s shoulders).
Saturday, the Buffs will aim to produce that second-half effort for an entire game when they visit Fort Collins for a 5:30 p.m. matchup with rival Colorado State in a nationally televised game (CBS) at Canvas Stadium.
“The overall theme is you have to start faster,” said CU linebackers coach André Hart after Wednesday’s practice. “In both games, the second half was way different than the first half, especially on the defensive side of the ball. So the communication to them is, ‘Hey, if we can do this in the second half, let’s push that to the first and then it makes it just that much easier to come out with a win.’ We cannot start slow. We have to start fast. We do that, then we’ll be victorious.”
The Buffs have had some solid individual efforts on defense thus far. Cornerback DJ McKinney leads the team with 14 tackles, followed by linebacker Trevor Woods and safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, both with 12. Silmon-Craig missed much of the first game with an injury, but came back to record 11 tackles at Nebraska, including a team-leading three for loss.
Also having a stellar start is linebacker LaVonta Bentley, who has 10 tackles and a sack. Bentley earned a nod of praise from CSU coach Jay Norvell earlier this week, who said, “I really am impressed with No. 20 … I think he’s a fabulous player. Plays downhill and very explosive.”
Hart said Bentley, who came on with some solid performances midway through last season, has become well-aware that he can’t afford a slow start in his final year of college ball.
“In defense, effort is the first fundamental and that’s what you’re seeing out there,” Hart said. “He’s giving great effort, fitting the ball, being physical and running to the ball. So you want to reward a guy who’s doing that, but he has to be consistent.”
CU also received a solid performance last week from transfer linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green, who earned the start ahead of Woods in the game. Hill-Green played 51 snaps and finished with seven tackles.
“He’s got a great IQ,” Hart said. “The test that we give them in the meetings, he’s aced all of those. I’ve said it before in my room, there’s never a secure starter. So every week, when you go into it, someone else can win a job. And he’s come back. He fit very well in practice. So I went with him as a starter.”
In watching film of this week’s opponent, the Buffs have seen two very different results from the CSU offense. Colorado State was blanked by No. 2 Texas, 52-0, in the opener before bouncing back to record a 38-17 win over Northern Colorado last weekend.
The Rams have shown an ability to run the ball, rushing for 118 vs. Texas and 224 against UNC. Running back Justin Marshall has 173 yards on 35 carries and Keegan Holles has 93 on just 12 attempts, a robust 7.8 yards per carry.
But the biggest focus for the Buffs will be CSU quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who last year threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns in CU’s 43-35 double-OT win — along with three interceptions, one of which was returned by Shilo Sanders 80 yards for a touchdown.
The Rams are big believers in a tempo offense and getting their playmakers in space. That, Hart said, will be a critical challenge for the Buffs.
“You have to get ready to understand what the call is, and where your eyes are as far as their formations,” he said. “What it is about is being consistent with our communication, understanding what you’re getting based on the sets they’re giving us, and then executing that … This is what you’re going to see in this area. This is what you’re going to see in this area, and on this down. Once they start going tempo, tempo is a rhythm. There’s not plays that can change. They have a group of plays they can run very quickly and work, based on what hash they’re on and where on the field. You have to make sure you get your guys to understand this.”
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Story by Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com. Content courtesy of the University of Colorado at Boulder.