Colorado University Athletics
CU's Spruce Ready For One More Shot At Oregon
September 29, 2015 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Nelson Spruce has one more shot at Oregon.
In the four years that Spruce has been playing football at Colorado, he's lined up against the Ducks three times. None of them have been particularly memorable — at least not for the right reasons — as the Ducks have won handily each season.
Last year was particularly forgettable. Spruce entered the game against Oregon as one of the Pac-12's leading receivers, but left with just two catches for 16 yards, as the Ducks' defense made him their No. 1 target all day.
Saturday, he'll get one last chance when Oregon visits Folsom Field for an 8 p.m. nationally televised game (ESPN).
"I'm looking at every game I play as the last chance to get after a certain team," Spruce said. "This year, especially after we've built up the momentum that we have in the past three games, and with it being the Pac-12 opener on a Saturday night on ESPN, I think it's going to be a really special atmosphere. I'm excited for it."
Spruce isn't the only one with that feeling. The 3-1 Buffs are riding a three-game winning streak while 2-2 Oregon is coming off a shocking 62-20 loss to Utah and has fallen out of the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2009.
But while others are writing the Ducks off, Spruce and his teammates aren't ready to pick up that pencil.
"Regardless of what happened (vs. Utah), Oregon is still Oregon," Spruce said. "They've still got great players. If you come out flat, they're going to run it up on you quick."
But if nothing else, Utah did show that the Ducks are no longer invincible — not by a long shot. The Utes rolled up 530 yards offense on Oregon, and distributed it almost evenly: 273 on the ground and 257 in the air.
Neither was it the first time this season the Oregon defense had experienced troubles defensively. In a 61-42 win over Eastern Washington earlier this year, the Ducks gave up 549 yards offense, including 438 in the air.
Those numbers are why Oregon's defensive backs have been taking a huge chunk of the criticism lately. Utah threw for five touchdowns against the Ducks, with one true freshman, Ugo Amadi, and a redshirt freshman, Glen Ihenacho, in a cornerback rotation that also included a sophomore and converted quarterback.
The Buffs, though, haven't exactly been a juggernaut through the air this season, averaging just 205.5 yards passing per game. They've made up for it with an improved running game, and they hope to continue to produce that kind of balance Saturday.
More than anything, though, the Buffs enter this game with some legitimate confidence. They've won three in a row, including an overtime victory against rival Colorado State. Their defense has been producing takeaways, the offense has been balanced, and each week they've reduced the mistakes that were so costly a year ago.
"I think our confidence is the highest it's been since I've been here," Spruce said. "Even after that stumble against Hawai'i (a season-opening loss), we stayed up. We know what we're capable of. We feel comfortable knowing we can compete with any team we line up against."
Certainly nobody expects the Ducks to arrive in Boulder and lay another Utah-type egg. While the Buffs had Monday off, it was a regular day of practice in Eugene, and players and coaches there spent part of their day trying to explain what happened against Utah — and what's next..
"This group isn't dead," Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost told the Eugene Register-Guard. "We might take some lumps here and there, but this group is going to keep fighting. We have a high character team and this team is going to keep moving in the right direction."
The Buffs believes they're headed in that same direction.
"If we handle our business, we can be successful," Spruce said. "They've been the standard of the Pac-12 for the past five or so years. It's going to be a good test for us to see where we're at."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
