Woelk: 10 Takeaways From Buffs Game Vs. Washington

BOULDER — Mike MacIntyre's Colorado Buffaloes will have no time to wallow in their misery this week.

With Saturday night's 37-10 loss to Washington no doubt still very fresh in their minds, the 3-1 Buffs must return to work Monday morning and begin preparation for a game against another squad that endured a less than-successful Pac-12 opener.

Waiting for the Buffs on Saturday night in the Rose Bowl (8:30 p.m., ESPN2) will be the 2-2 UCLA Bruins, who kicked off conference play with a 58-24 loss to Stanford.

But while the Buffs will want to put the Washington game behind them as quickly as possible and turn their attention to the Bruins, they will also no doubt take away some valuable lessons from the loss to the Huskies.

Thus, our weekly "10 Takeaways:"

1. The learning curve continues for QB Steven Montez. If anyone in the state was sympathizing with Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian after his two costly picks in Denver's loss to Buffalo on Sunday, it was CU's sophomore quarterback.

After his three interceptions in Saturday's loss, Montez had to be feeling Siemian's pain, and there's a comparison here worth noting.

Both are talented young quarterbacks who have shown the ability to make something out of nothing — and both still need to learn when to settle for nothing and not give the ball away.

There's no doubt Montez's playmaking ability is tremendous, as is his confidence. But part of his growing process as a quarterback must include learning when to rein in both. While he's had only seven career starts, he needs to take that next step in the maturity process in a hurry.

As head coach Mike MacIntyre said when asked what he hopes Montez learned from Saturday's game: "I hope he takes away not throwing the ball to the wrong colored jerseys."

2. Colorado's defense has the chance to be good. Strictly from a numbers standpoint, Saturday's game wasn't a bright spot for CU defense. The Buffs technically allowed 37 points, 414 yards (254 on the ground) and 14.5 yards per pass completion.

I say "technically" because CU's defense played better than the numbers suggest. One UW touchdown came off an interception return; another came when the Huskies needed to go only 12 yards after a blocked punt. Meanwhile, the Buffs held Washington to just 10 points and 182 yards in the first half before simply wearing out after intermission.

Some of that is on the offense. The Buffs had their chances to score and didn't take advantage — and when the gap became a two-touchdown affair in the third quarter, the Huskies could afford to take their time and pound the Buffs with their run game.

No doubt, the defense is still a work in progress — 254 yards rushing is too much no matter what the circumstances. But so far, I still like what I've seen from D.J. Eliot's schemes and the Buffs' playmaking ability.

3. The O-line is making strides. Mike MacIntyre's fall camp assessment that this would be CU's best offensive line in his tenure hasn't yet materialized. It's still a work in progress — but there were some positive signs Saturday.

The Buffs ran the ball effectively early in the game, springing Phillip Lindsay loose for some nice gains — enough, anyway, to keep Washington's defense honest . There's still work to be done in pass protection, but the Buffs won't see too many more pass rushes the caliber of Washington's.

Overall, the line made enough strides against UW to have kept the Buffs in the game had it not been for the miscues.

UCLA, by the way, will be an interesting test. The Bruins are giving up an average of 43 points and a whopping 524.8.5 yards per game — including 307.5 on the ground. It would be a great time for the Buffs' line to find its complete rhythm.

4. Juwann Winfree will be a playmaker. Ever since he was an early star in CU's 2016 fall camp before being sidelined by a knee injury, CU folks have wondered when — and if — Winfree would be a factor. Saturday night, he gave us our first real look at his potential, snaring five catches for 33 yards, including some nice grabs over the middle.

Winfree's size and speed in the slot make him a tough matchup for defenses. It's not his natural position, but he could be a valuable asset there, particularly if regular Jay MacIntyre continues to be hobbled by a foot injury.

5. The deep ball is still missing. Colorado's longest play of the night Saturday was a 29-yard Montez run. CU's longest pass completion was a 22-yarder to Devin Ross.

That's not an aberration. The Buffs have yet to produce a 50-yard play this year, with the longest play thus far a 45-yard Lindsay run early in the game in the season opener vs. Colorado State.

It's not that the opportunities haven't been there. The Buffs have just missed on several deep balls this year, including an overthrow to a wide-open Ross on Saturday that likely would have resulted in a 69-yard touchdown. Those are the plays Colorado needs to start hitting — and the sooner the better.

6. Special teams miscues are magnified in big games. The Buffs aren't the only team in the nation to have a blocked punt cost them this season (it sometimes just seems that way). Also Saturday, Oregon had its first punt of the day blocked by ASU, leading to a Sun Devils touchdown in Arizona State's 37-35 win over the Ducks. Other teams to have punts blocked already this year include Michigan, San Diego State, Louisville and Florida State.

But while it's an area on which the Buffs have worked extra hard this year, there is obviously still some work to be done. Saturday's mistake wasn't the difference in the game, but it certainly swung momentum to Washington's sideline. Even the best teams have the occasional flub (Utah, a national special teams leader every year, had a punt team disaster Friday vs. Arizona). The Buffs just have to make sure this was a rarity.

7. James Stefanou has been a great addition. Not to jinx Colorado's 30-year-old freshman, but the man from Down Under has been a quality kicker thus far. He's 7-for-8 on field goal tries, including 6 for his last 6, and he hit a 49 yarder in less than ideal conditions Saturday. He's also 10-for-10 on PATs. No one expects him to be perfect the rest of the season, but there's no doubt the Buffs have confidence in their kicker.

8. Colorado's secondary is again a strength. For a team that lost three starters to the NFL Draft, CU's defensive backfield is playing well.

Washington's came into Saturday's game averaging 301 yards per game in the air. The Buffs limited Jake Browning to a very pedestrian 11-for-21 night for 160 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

We all knew that Isaiah Oliver would be good, and he hasn't disappointed. Oliver kept Washington star Dante Pettis in check all night. But Oliver's secondary mates — Afolabi Laguda, Ryan Moeller, Trey Udoffia, Evan Worthington and Nick Fisher — have also played well. They will get their biggest test of the year next week when they face UCLA's Josh Rosen and Co.

9. Washington is very, very good. Expectations are a curious thing. Even a year ago, a CU loss to the No. 7 team in the nation in the Pac-12 opener would not have been seen as a setback of any magnitude. But now, Buffs fans expect more.

The good news is, CU may see just one more team as talented as Washington the rest of the regular season. With eight games to go, there is a lot of season to be played and plenty of opportunities for the Buffs to get things going back in the right direction. There's not a game remaining the Buffs can't win (or lose).

"Teams have won it (a division title) before with three losses," MacIntyre said. "You keep playing, you never know what happens. Everybody will beat up on everybody."

10. We're in for a wild Pac-12 season. This year's Pac-12 may turn out to be one of the more wacky seasons in recent history. All you need to do is look at what's happened so far.

Cal, picked to finish last in the North, took USC — the preseason pick to win the conference title — into the fourth quarter all tied up at 13 before finally succumbing. Oregon, which started out with a 3-0 record and jumped into the top 25, fell to Arizona State, the same Sun Devils who have given up an average of 37 points per game. Utah had to hold off Arizona, and Stanford — after a stunning loss to San Diego State — pummeled UCLA.

Simply, MacIntyre wasn't kidding. There will no doubt be plenty more upsets, close calls and unexpected blowouts before the season is over.

Our advice is to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu