BOULDER — One of the most pleasant developments for the Colorado Buffaloes this season has been the improvement of their rush defense.
Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ Buffs have been consistently stout against the run. Colorado has not yielded more than 177 yards on the ground in any game — and that 177-yard total came from UCF two weeks ago, when the Knights entered the contest as the nation’s leading rushing team.
That’s a far cry from last year, when CU allowed six teams to surpass the 200-yard mark on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Buffs (4-1 overall, 2-0 Big 12) have yet to give up a 100-yard rushing or receiving effort to any opposing player. Last year, Colorado allowed 14 such efforts.
But the Buffs’ defense will get another stout test Saturday when No. 18 Kansas State (4-1, 1-1) visits Folsom Field for an 8:15 p.m. (MT) matchup with CU (ESPN).
The Wildcats have a balanced offense, but their bread and butter is on the ground. KSU averages 432 yards of total offense per game, with 252 coming on the ground. Running back DJ Giddens is the workhorse, averaging 121 per game and 7.3 per carry, but quarterback Avery Johnson is also a threat, as he is the only player in the Big 12 with at least 800 yards passing and 300 rushing.
“Anytime you play against a team like UCF and this team this week with a running quarterback with an option-style principle, you just have to be disciplined,” said Buffs defensive ends coach Vincent Dancy. “Everybody has to trust one another, and everybody has to execute their assignment, because everybody has a different assignment, especially on the edge. So we just have to be very, very disciplined, lock in on our keys and play our assignment.”
The Buffs have used a solid rotation on the defensive line — both in the interior and on the edge — to bolster their run defense, along with consistent play from inside linebackers LaVonta Bentley and Nikhai Hill-Green.
On the edge, BJ Green II, Taje McCoy, Samuel Okunlola, Dayon Hayes and Arden Walker have all made big contributions. Inside, Shane Cokes, Anquin Barnes Jr., Amari McNeill and Tawfiq Thomas have all been part of the equation.
That depth has been critical.
“It just helps us out overall, especially as a unit,” Dancy said. “Everything we do up front is predicated off of each other and helping each other. We just rush as one, trust each other, be disciplined within this game, and that’s how we execute. That’s how we play fast, and that’s how we execute and make plays in the backfield.”
The Buffs have already recorded 38 tackles for loss this season in five games. A year ago, they had just 65 for the entire season. Five players have at least three stops behind the line, led by Hill-Green with five, Green with four and Hayes and Okunlola with 3.5 apiece.
While stopping the run will be critical against the Wildcats, the Buffs must also make sure they keep the KSU passing game in check. Johnson has thrown for 879 yards and nine touchdowns this year, with seven different Wildcats hauling in at least one TD pass thus far. Johnson is also a threat to scramble for yardage if he escapes containment on the edge.
“(Johnson) is very, very mobile,” Dancy said, “He’s elusive. If he gets outside, he could do damage. So we got to be very, very disciplined.”
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Story by Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com. Content courtesy of the University of Colorado at Boulder.