BOULDER — Colorado’s Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders has stressed all week that his Buffaloes need to display a sense of urgency Saturday when they face off with Colorado State in a 5:30 p.m. game at Canvas Stadium (CBS).
“We got to start strong,” Sanders said at his weekly press conference. “I challenged them that if your person that you love the most, that you care for the most, was dependent upon your performance at practice today, how would you go about it? So that’s how we’re going about it. We are holding everybody accountable, including myself, in a sense of urgency.”
The 1-1 Buffs no doubt need a win over the 1-1 Rams to get back on the right track. A 28-10 loss at Nebraska last weekend left a number of issues for Colorado to address this week in practice and Saturday should provide a good indication of how much improvement they were able to make.
What the Buffs already know is that they will be stepping into a hostile environment in their second rivalry game in a row. While capacity at Canvas is just 36,500, the atmosphere still promises to be a raucous one as CSU fans have not forgotten last year’s 43-35 double-overtime loss in Boulder — a game in which the Rams let a 28-17 fourth quarter lead slip away.
CU’s troubles last week have been well documented. The offense couldn’t provide quarterback Shedeur Sanders with a consistently clean pocket or generate any kind of run game. The Buffs defense gave up 21 points in the first half and CU yielded another easy score with a 7-yard interception return for a touchdown.
But the Rams have had troubles of their own. A season-opening 52-0 loss to Texas saw CSU finish with just 118 yards rushing and 74 yards passing. Colorado State did have a “get well” game last week against Northern Colorado, a 38-17 win over the Bears, but there were still plenty of issues for the Rams to address in their practices this week.
A rivalry win would be a big step for either team. For Colorado, it would mean some momentum heading into next week’s Big 12 opener at home against Baylor.
How do the Buffs bounce back and get that win? Our weekly Fast Five:
1. More than just a fast start. As Coach Prime said, the Buffs have to get out of the gate with a strong start. That could mean a defensive takeaway or an opening score — anything to quiet the crowd and build some momentum.
But the Buffs need more than a fast start. They need to maintain that sense of urgency for 60 minutes. The Buffs have played from behind in the first half of both of their games thus far. They need to establish control early and make the Rams play catchup.
2. Give QB Sanders a chance to make plays. We’ll hit on the obvious here, but this is no doubt a critical key to Colorado’s success.
CU gave up six sacks last week — five on Sanders — and as a result, the Buffs were never able to really find an offensive groove. They had only three drives of longer than 40 yards, with two of those coming in the second half.
The good news is that CSU hasn’t shown much of a pass rush, recording just one sack thus far. The Rams will no doubt try to increase the pressure this week to get to Sanders, but if the Buffs can keep Colorado State’s defense honest, they can give their quarterback a chance to connect with his outstanding group of receivers. Travis Hunter has had back-to-back 100-yard receiving games and he could add another Saturday.
How do the Buffs make that happen? Glad you asked …
3. Establish a run game. This has been another problem area thus far. CU is averaging just 37.5 yards per game on the ground, last in the nation.
But this might be a good week for the Buffs to at least find some footing in this area. The Rams gave up 190 yards on the ground to Texas and 107 to Northern Colorado. While Colorado is expected to be missing running back Dallan Hayden, the Buffs’ most-productive back thus far, CU still has backs capable of grinding out some yards.
The Buffs don’t have to hammer the Rams into submission with their run game. But they do need to make it a substantive threat and one that can pick up short yardage and extend drives.
If Colorado can accomplish that, it will force CSU to devote enough defenders to contain the run game and not blanket the secondary with extra people.
4. Put pressure on Fowler-Nicolosi. If the Rams have their way, they will run a tempo offense that features a steady blend of run and pass. In last week’s win, they had 224 yards on the ground and 202 in the air. They’ll do their best to keep the clock and chains moving while not allowing Colorado to adjust.
CU has to contain CSU’s ground game, put the Rams behind the sticks — and then put pressure on Nicolosi-Fowler, who is certainly not immune to mistakes.
The Buffs’ pass rush hasn’t been particularly effective thus far. They had two sacks in the opener but did not have one last week. The Rams will try to keep their QB safe in the pocket with quick drops and throws — and the Buffs will have to find a way to disrupt that pocket quickly.
5. Limit unforced errors and create opportunity. OK, this is actually two distinct areas but both are critical.
The Buffs were flagged for seven penalties in the first half last week, greatly assisting two Nebraska scoring drives. The Buffs can’t give away yardage.
Meanwhile, it’s time for the defense to come up with a takeaway or two. CU has yet to recover a fumble or record an interception. If the Buffs can force a couple of those mistakes — especially early — they can pull momentum to their side, make the Rams play from behind and control the tempo to their liking.
Then Rams faithful will still be waiting for a win over Colorado on their home turf — something that hasn’t happened since 1955.
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Story by Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com. Content courtesy of the University of Colorado at Boulder.