Colorado University Athletics
Woelk: Friday's Fast Five Keys to Arizona Game
October 16, 2015 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — For the second straight week, the Colorado Buffaloes will be catching a team whose offense snapped out of a slump the previous week and put up big numbers.
A week ago, it was Arizona State. This week, it's the 4-2 Arizona Wildcats, who ended a two-game drought last weekend with a 44-7 win over Oregon State.
Here's what the 3-3 Buffs will need to do to stop the Wildcats in Saturday game at Folsom Field (7 p.m., Fox Sports 1) and end a 13-game Pac-12 winless stretch:
Contain Solomon. The Wildcats have a powerful running game, but their offensive success revolves around quarterback Anu Solomon, whose run-pass option skills are terrific. The UA sophomore completed 17 of 30 passes last week for 276 yards and did not throw an interception.
Solomon has great feet and the scrambling ability to keep plays alive, and thus can lure a defense out of position. The Buffs' pass rush can't allow Solomon to escape to the outside and the interior has to maintain its gaps. In the secondary, CU's pass defenders have to be disciplined and not let Solomon pull them out of coverage.
Made Wildcats work for scores. Of Arizona's 32 touchdown drives this season, 17 have lasted two minutes or less, and the 'Cats have 42 plays of 20 yards or longer.
That's been a bugaboo for the Buffs. CU has given up 15 plays of 30 yards or longer this season; and in the Buffs' three losses this year, opponents have seven scoring plays of 25 yards or more. If the Buffs can limit the big plays and make Arizona put together sustained drives for its scores, it will be a game they can win.
Turnovers/takeaways. Some simple statistics: The Buffs are 3-0 when quarterback Sefo Liufau does not throw an interception and they're 0-3 when he throws one. Arizona is 4-0 when forcing at least one turnover and 0-2 when not forcing any. And, when the Buffs win the turnover/takeaway battle, they are 3-0.
The Wildcats have been solid with their ball security. They've lost just four fumbles this year, Solomon hasn't thrown an interception in 145 attempts and backup QB Jerrard Randall has just one.
It means takeaways won't come easily for the Buffs — but if they're going to take this one into the fourth quarter with a chance to win, they'll have to figure out a way to pry the ball out of the Wildcats' hands at least a couple of times.
Running game. This goes both ways. The Wildcats have an extremely capable back in Nick Wilson, who has rushed for 683 yards and eight touchdowns this year. Wilson has six rushes of 20 yards or longer and is averaging almost 6 yards per carry. If the Buffs don't keep Wilson in check and complete the tackle on first contact, it will be a long night.
CU, meanwhile, has to establish a consistent ground game, and it should be better this week with tackle Sam Kronshage back in the lineup. Arizona's run defense hasn't been great. The Wildcats have given up an average of 185.7 yards per game, and yielded 213 to UCLA and 314 to Stanford in back-to-back losses. With Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright still out, the Buffs need to establish a rhythm with Phillip Lindsay, Christian Powell and Patrick Carr.
Pass protection. The Buffs have given up 13 quarterback sacks in the last two games. While Liufau has missed his share of open receivers, more than a few of his throws have been off target because he's been hit just as he released the ball.
This is also where a consistent run game comes into play. If the Wildcats have to respect the running game, they can't simply tee off on Liufau every down.
Liufau did complete a couple of long balls last week, including a 68-yard touchdown pass to Devin Ross. He's also looked sharp in practice this week. If he gets some protection and improves his short game — particularly to his tight end — he could have a big game against the Wildcats.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
