Colorado University Athletics
Mixed Results From Offensive Line In Opener
September 04, 2015 | Football
HONOLULU - Colorado's offensive line returned three starters from last year's unit that gave up the fewest sacks in the Pac-12. They were expected to help push the Buffs' offense to the next level this season, but their first go at it was uneven.
The line helped Colorado establish its run game late in the first half; they paved big holes for junior running back Michael Adkins, especially when he hit a hot streak in the second quarter. Adkins' running was Colorado's brightest offensive spark; coach Mike MacIntyre said that he would play the running back with the hottest hand, and Adkins stepped up.
"We were rushing the ball well," MacIntyre said. "We had opportunities. I thought that definitely, we were going to turn the tide in the game."
Adkins ran sharply and decisively, and he had big holes to run through. His 90 yards led all rushers and he scored both of the Buffs' touchdowns. Colorado ran the hurry-up on both of those scoring drives and the line asserted themselves over Hawai'i.
"It all starts with the O-line. They've been improved during camp and they showed it tonight," Adkins told 850 KOA.
The line also opened holes for sophomore Philip Lindsay, who averaged 4.4 yards per carry and had some nice runs after contact. Junior quarterback Sefo Liufau ran for 81 yards, most of which came from escaping broken pockets up the middle.
The line allowed only 24 sacks all of last season, but Liufau went down four times tonight. Hawaii blitzed aggressively at first — the Rainbow Warriors sent a corner blitz on Colorado's first drive that went unblocked, got Liufau rocked and forced the Buffs into a three and out.
Later, Hawaii dialed back its blitzes. The Rainbow Warriors didn't need them. On several plays they pressured Liufau with just a three-man rush. When Hawaii played four defensive linemen, it used stunts to get all the pressure it needed. That move — where the interior linemen loop behind each other and rush through the other's gap — seemed to confuse Colorado's line at times as the Buffs committed too early to double teams, and at times let the Rainbow Warriors' inside rushers made it to Liufau unblocked.
The line wasn't the sole reason for Colorado's disconcerting loss, but pass protection will likely be an area of emphasis before UMass visits next week. The Minutemen gave the Buffs some trouble last year, but nothing would wash the taste of Hawaii out of Colorado's mouths more than a dominant home victory.
