University of Colorado Athletics
Woelk: Friday's Fast Five Keys To Buffs Vs. WSU
November 20, 2015 | Football, Neill Woelk
PULLMAN, Wash. — Five keys for the Colorado Buffaloes in Saturday night's game at Washington State (8:45 p.m., ESPN2):
Disrupt Luke Falk: Notice this doesn't say contain Luke Falk. Nobody has contained the Washington State quarterback all season, at least not very effectively. Falk has thrown for at least 300 yards in nine of 10 starts this year, has two 400-yard games (one with 497) and another two 500-yard games. The key, according to CU's coaches, is disrupting his rhythm. Hands in his face, pressure on the pocket — anything to keep him from getting comfortable.
Don't expect the Buffs to throw too many blitzes Falk's way, as that's exactly what the Cougars want. A blitz means an open receiver somewhere, and Falk is exceptional on the hot read. The Buffs have to get pressure on him with four linemen. WSU has given up 35 sacks this year, but even that is slightly misleading — the Cougars average 57 pass attempts per game, making a few sacks almost inevitable.
Stanford managed to put enough pressure on Falk to force two late-game interceptions that helped fuel a 17-0 Cardinal run in a 30-28 Stanford win. CU's defensive backs will have to be at their best and the Buffs' front four will need to get some pressure.
Run the ball: Two of the three teams to beat the Cougars this year, Portland and Stanford, had more than 200 yards rushing. They kept the ball out of Falk's hands — to a degree, at least — and kept the score down in the process.
The Buffs also need to run the ball and eat clock so their defense stays fresh. Rushing the passer roughly 60 times a game takes its toll. If the Buffs can put together some sustained drives, it will give their defense some much-needed breaks during the game, something that will be important headed into the final quarter.
Win the turnover battle: Falk doesn't throw a lot of interceptions — just eight this season. The Cougars have also lost just seven fumbles (although they've put it on the ground 19 times). They did, however, lose three fumbles in a loss to Cal, and Falk's two interceptions against Stanford were a huge factor. The Buffs' defense has been opportunistic with takeaways this season, and they'll need to give the ball to their offense at least a couple of times this game to keep up with the Cougars.
Claim special teams edge: The Cougars have had a rough season on special teams. They've given up a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown, they fumbled away a fake punt that was returned for a touchdown by Cal in a loss to the Bears, they fumbled away a punt in a loss to Portland and they gave up a 59-yard punt return touchdown vs. Arizona.
CU fans know the Buffs have had their own issues at times on special teams this year. But whichever team has a clean game in this area on Saturday could end up having the deciding edge.
Protect the quarterback: The Cougars don't mind taking chances on defense because they have so much faith in their offense. Washington State has 23 sacks this season and is 12th in the country with 7.9 tackles for loss per game. They'll no doubt have their ears pinned back for CU's redshirt freshman QB Cade Apsay, who will be making the first start of his college career. Apsay was sacked five times last week in his relief appearance against USC, and the Buffs need to give him as much help as possible this week to make sure he's not scrambling for his life all night long.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
