Friday Fast Five: Keys For Buffs Vs. Idaho State

BOULDER — Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre and his players spent the week promising they would not take the Idaho State Bengals lightly.

MacIntyre and his players are well aware that ISU coach Mike Kramer has won at Folsom Field before. In 2006, Kramer led Montana State into Boulder and left with a 19-10 win over the Buffs.

Thus, MacIntyre insists this is not a game the Buffs are looking past. Rather, it's simply the next one on the schedule in a year in which Colorado players say their goal is simply to "go 1-0 every week."

Just like the Buffs in their opening 44-7 win over Colorado State, the Bengals had no trouble in their opener, rolling to a 47-3 win over Simon Fraser at home.

Offensively, Idaho State had its way for most of the game, finishing with 543 yards total offense. ISU quarterback Tanner Gueller threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns and running back Jakori Ford rushed for 68 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries.

Defensively, the Bengals held Simon Fraser to just 233 total yards total offense while also forcing three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble). ISU also held Simon Fraser scoreless until late in the third quarter, when the Bengals held a comfortable 33-0 lead.

Still, it's no secret this is a game the Buffs are expected to win if they take care of business, and their top priorities will be:

1. Ball security. In the opening win over CSU, one of the few negatives was CU's propensity to put the ball on the ground. The Buffs fumbled three times and lost two, with another near fumble overturned by instant replay.

MacIntyre's teams have almost always been solid when it comes to ball security. Last year, the Buffs lost two fumbles in the same game only twice all year.

This week, the Buffs put in plenty of extra work on the issue. Rest assured, MacIntyre will do his best to make ensure last week's case of the dropsies was an aberration and not the beginning of a trend.

2. Pass rush. A week ago, the Buffs' top priority was stopping the run, and they were quite successful in that area. Colorado held CSU to a mere 162 yards on the ground, and much of that came after CU had the game well in hand.

This week, though, their eyes will be on ISU's Gueller, who threw 36 of ISU's 40 passes in the opening win. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound sophomore has a strong arm and a solid corps of receivers — nine different Bengals caught passes last week.

The Buffs' first goal will be to simply disrupt Gueller's rhythm. The Bengals' offense is predicated on quick throws — Kramer said he wants his quarterback to "catch and spit the ball' — and CU's first priority will be to push the pocket and keep Gueller off-balance.

But Idaho State did give up four sacks last week, and Gueller fumbled on three of those sacks. Colorado had two sacks against CSU — including one that forced a Rams fumble and led to a Colorado field goal — and there's no doubt they would like to inflict the same kind of havoc on Saturday.

3. Continue to establish a running game. While the Buffs' up-tempo passing game grabbed the headlines in the opener, CU's running game put up a "quiet" 260-yard effort, led by 95 yards on 20 carries from junior Phillip Lindsay.

Here's a great stat in that area: since the 1989 season, the Buffs have run for at least 250 yards 62 times. Their record in those games: a terrific 59-2-1.

It's why the Buffs would like to build on their first game, particularly with games against a pair of top 25 foes on the immediate horizon. CU's offensive line was outstanding in both the running and passing game in the opener, but the most impressive drive of the night might have been the 11-play, 50-yard drive for the final touchdown of the evening. Every play on the drive was a run, exactly the type of drive offensive linemen love.

There's no doubt they'd like to have a few more of those Saturday.

4. Improve in the red zone. Yes, it's hard to find fault with the scoring when your squad puts up 44 points. It's also not bad when every penetration inside the opponent's 20-yard-line produced points of some kind.

But the Buffs did leave points on the field against CSU, as they settled for three field goals after reaching inside CSU's 20 on three occasions.

Those are the types of situations that could make the difference in a close game. It's something the Buffs worked on assiduously in fall camp, and something on which they'll hope to improve not only this weekend, but the rest of the season.

5. Third-down conversions. This is not something the Buffs need to improve upon; rather it's something they need to continue at the same pace they produced in the opener on both sides of the ball.

Defensively, the Buffs were outstanding on third downs against CSU, holding the Rams without a first down on their first six possessions (five punts and a fumble). By the time CSU finally recorded a first down, Colorado held a 24-0 lead.

Offensively, CU was similarly effective. The Buffs finished the day 12-for-19 on third-down tries, including 2-for-2 in the first quarter and 4-for-7 by halftime.

If CU can continue to produce those kinds of results, the Buffs should be in for a good day against the Bengals.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

Players Mentioned

Phillip Lindsay

Related Videos