Woelk: 10 Takeaways From Buffs' Win Over UNC

BOULDER — Three weeks into the season, the 3-0 Colorado Buffaloes have shown enough in all three phases of the game to believe they can be a factor once again in the Pac-12 South.

Of course, all three phases will get their stiffest test yet — by a significant margin — Saturday, when the 3-0 Washington Huskies (No. 6 coaches poll, No. 7 AP) pay a visit to Folsom Field for the Pac-12 opener for both teams (8 p.m., FS1).

What did we learn from Saturday's 41-21 win over Northern Colorado in the Buffs' non-conference finale? Our weekly installment of "10 Takeaways …"

1. Colorado's offense is rounding into shape. One of the more telling offensive statistics from Saturday's win was CU's scoring drives. The Buffs had four touchdown drives of 73 yards or longer, averaging roughly 7 plays each. The Buffs successfully converted at least one third down play on three of the four long drives and had a good mix of run and pass on each. Equally importantly, quarterback Steven Montez spread the ball around, with Devin Ross, Shay Fields, Bryce Bobo and Jay MacIntyre all catching at least four passes.

2. There's still work to be done against the deep ball. Not only did the Buffs give up their first touchdown of the season, they gave up three long touchdown passes (and what could have been a fourth was dropped). Not even standout cornerback Isaiah Oliver was immune. This is also a defense that had three long completions by Colorado State called back by offensive pass interference penalties. Guaranteed, the Huskies will test the Buffs deep.

3. CU's run defense continues to play well. The Buffs are giving up just 105 yards per game on the ground thus far — and even that number is inflated by a 55-yard run by Texas State two weeks ago. D.J. Eliot's defense has received solid play from the defensive line and inside linebackers, and as a result, they've limited opponents to just 2.7 yards per rush and only 12 successful third-down conversions on 47 attempts. Again, this is an area that will be tested by the Huskies, who rushed for 265 yards against the Buffs in their Pac-12 championship game meeting last season.

4. Colorado's kickers continue to be dependable. CU punter Alex Kinney has kicked 15 times for a 43.8-yard average and a 40.5-yard net. Kicker James Stefanou, meanwhile, is 6-for-7 on field goals and 10-for-10 on PATs. They will need to continue that kind of consistency in Pac-12 play.

5. Coverage teams haven't been tested ... yet. That's something that will almost certainly change this week. So far, CU's Davis Price has kicked off 20 times for the Buffs, and only three have been returned, for a total of 43 yards. Kinney, meanwhile, has seen just two of his punts returned, for a total of 9 yards. But waiting on the other end of Kinney's punts this week will be Washington standout Dante Pettis, who has returned a punt for a score in three straight games this year (and an NCAA record-tying eight times in his career). The Huskies will no doubt test the Buffs in this area.

6. Phillip Lindsay knows what it means to be a north-south runner. CU's senior running back has carried 71 times this season and been stopped behind the line of scrimmage just four times. If there's even the hint of a hole, Lindsay will find it and produce some positive yardage.

7. CU's offensive line is still a work in progress. There have certainly been more bumps here than anticipated — due in part to the fact that the starting five most folks expected to take the field in the opener have yet to play in the same game. The good news is left tackle Jeromy Irwin returned to the lineup Saturday and had a chance to work the rust off, and starting center Jonathan Huckins has been cleared to play and will be available next week. The reality, though, is that the Huskies aren't going to wait for the Buffs to get their timing back.

8. Buffs weren't the only team hit with targeting calls. In fact, the Buffs weren't the only team in America on Saturday to lose two players to targeting flags. On the same day that CU's Afolabi Laguda and Chris Mulumba were ejected, LSU lost a pair of players to targeting calls. Other teams that had at least one player ejected included UCLA, Oklahoma, Clemson, Oregon State, TCU, Boise State, Virginia, USF and Mercer. What's become apparent is that officials are serious about the call. CU's Mike MacIntyre said the Buffs "have to do a better job" of making sure they go lower on tackles.

9. Buffs QB Steven Montez continues to improve. It's been awhile since a CU quarterback entered a season with as much hype as Montez. Fans remembered his performance against Oregon a year ago and expected much of the same every week this season (while conveniently forgetting that he had two interceptions in that Oregon game). It's worth remembering that Montez is just a sophomore, and that he has steadily improved each week this season. The Buffs are still figuring out how to best utilize his skill set while also doing their best to expedite the process of him mastering the nuances of the position. He'll continue to make plays such as the one Saturday when he scrambled, stopped just short of the line of scrimmage and tossed a touchdown to Shay Fields; just as he will still make some mistakes. That proportion, though, will start to lean more toward more big plays and fewer mistakes as he continues to learn the position.

10. We have no idea how good the Buffs might be — and next week won't be the definitive answer. What we do know is the Buffs have done what they were supposed to do: win their first three games. They beat a good Colorado State team that gave a strong account of itself at Alabama on Saturday. They took care of business against two lesser opponents in Texas State and Northern Colorado.

Now, we'll have the chance to see how they match up against one of the nation's best teams, a game that should be a great barometer — but win or lose, it won't be the final judgment on how good this team might be by November.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu