Fast Five: Keys For Buffs Vs. Colorado State

BOULDER — Ask most coaches and they'll tell you the toughest game of the year to plan is the opener. You haven't seen the other team play, there are new players in the lineup and often new coaches on the sideline.

It means your most valuable research tool is game film from a year ago, which limits much of your game planning to educated guesses.

But there are some things the Colorado Buffaloes do know about the Colorado State Rams (and vice versa), certainties that are virtually guaranteed to manifest themselves when the two square off Friday in Denver (6 p.m., ESPN) for the 88th game in the series.

Thus, we bring you our first Fast Five of the season, areas we believe will be essential to the Buffs if they are to win their season opener for just the second time in Mike MacIntyre's four years in Boulder:

1. Contain CSU's run game. Yes, this is obvious. If there are 70,000 fans in attendance Friday night, roughly 69,000 of them will be expecting Mike Bobo's Rams to attempt to establish their ground game early.

It's no surprise because it's exactly what CSU did a year ago, to the tune of 218 yards on 49 carries, a healthy 4.4 yards per rush. Four of the linemen who produced those holes last year are back, as is running back Dalyn Dawkins (20 carries, 118 yards, one touchdown). MacIntyre put it quite succinctly earlier this week when he said CSU's offensive line "kicked our butts" a year ago, and with four of those linemen back, you can bet Bobo will be asking those linemen to tee it up again.

But, there is a difference this season. A big difference. A 325-pound difference, to be exact, in the form of Buffs nose tackle Josh Tupou, who returns to the lineup after a year away from the program. Tupou, a player NFL scouts are following closely, should make a big impact this year. The fact that he'll have a couple more 300-pounders right next to him in fellow seniors Samson Kafovalu and Jordan Carrell should at least make it a little tougher for the Rams to open the gates again. Throw in a corps of experienced inside linebackers (Kenneth Olugbode, Addison Gillam and Rick Gamboa), and there's reason for at least cautious optimism for the Buffs in this department.

Not that the Buffs are going to shut Dawkins and Co. down. They'll get their occasional sizable chunks of yards. The key for the Buffs will be to make sure those bursts don't come back-to-back-to-back and produce long, sustained drives. If the Buffs can force the Rams into third-and-long situations all night, it will be playing right into CU's wheelhouse, where an outsanding secondary will be waiting to give CSU fits.

That's a matchup the Buffs like very much.

2. Start fast. Here's a statistic from CU sports information director and statistical guru David Plati: Colorado has won 24 of its last 26 season openers when scoring first. Think about that: the last 26 times CU has scored first in a season opener, they've won the game 92 percent of the time. Conversely, in that same span, CU is just 4-18-1 when the opponent has scored first in the opener.

That's what you call a trend.

The key for the Buffs here will be establishing some tempo and momentum early on offense. Colorado scoring first would also force the Rams to play catchup, something they won't particularly enjoy doing with an inexperienced group of receivers against CU's strong secondary.

There are, of course, anomalies in this trend — and one of them happens to be a very recent CSU game. Two years ago, the Buffs scored first and jumped out to a 17-7 lead over Colorado State, only to see the Rams fire back with the last 24 points of the game for a 31-17 win.

But it's not a wise idea to bank on aberrations, and you can bet the CU coaching staff has made it clear that a quick start would be a great idea.

3. Win the special teams battle. A year ago, the Buffs did exactly that and it was a big difference in the game. Despite being outgained on the ground (218-125) and in the air (282-220), a blocked field goal in overtime by CU's Tedric Thompson proved to be one of the biggest plays of the game. It gave CU's Diego Gonzalez a second chance to kick a game-winner, and Gonzalez made the most of the opportunity.

The Buffs also played well in other special teams areas. They limited the Rams to just 27 return yards all night (CU punted seven times), keeping the Rams from opening drives with good or great field position.

Of course, last year's game wasn't the season opener. In CU's 2015 opener, a disastrous blocked punt early set the tone for a Hawaii win.

The Buffs spent lots of time in fall camp making sure such a gaffe doesn't occur again.

4. Force takeaways, limit turnovers. This, of course, is part of the recipe for success in virtually every football game at every level.

But it's been of particular importance in the CU-CSU series.

Last year, Colorado did not lose a fumble or throw an interception. CU's defense, meanwhile, produced a momentum-changing 60-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Kenneth Olugbode. It was exactly the type of play that made up for CSU's offensive yardage edge while the lack of mistakes on the offensive side didn't give the Rams any extra opportunities.

In 2013, neither team threw an interception and the Buffs did not lose a fumble. The Rams, though, put the ball on the ground twice — and CU's Greg Henderson scooped up one of them and returned it 53 yards for a score, extending a two-point lead to a nine-point margin early in the fourth quarter of a 41-27 CU win.

Under MacIntyre, the Buffs have been relatively good in the ball security category. They also improved dramatically a year ago in takeaways. If they can produce a couple Friday night, they could very likely be the type that salt away a win.

5. Establish some tempo on offense. This is actually an extension of a quick start, but it will be a key for the Buffs all night.

Throughout fall camp, CU co-offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini stressed the importance of getting a quick first down, setting the tempo early and putting the defense on its heels.

Friday, that would accomplish two things. One, it would give the Buffs — in particular quarterback Sefo Liufau — some confidence early. Two, it would have CSU defensive coordinator Marty English scrambling.

The Rams have been salty on defense the last several years, but word is they're still trying to put the pieces together this season. While their secondary isn't completely inexperienced, it still has some JC transfers who have never played in the type of atmosphere they'll see Friday night and some early mistakes wouldn't be a surprise. CSU's linebackers, meanwhile, are also relatively young, and an up-tempo offense might be enough to put their heads on a swivel.

The key for Colorado, of course, will be its offensive line. There's plenty of starting experience and size up front, but the question will be how well they've meshed in camp. If the Buffs can make the Rams respect their running game and give Liufau a little protection — just enough time to get CU's up-tempo passing game in rhythm — it will be a good sign for the rest of the night.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu