Buffs Notes: Gilbert Leads Sack Attack On Sun Devils
October 16, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins was a marked man Saturday night at Folsom Field.
Wilkins, nursing a sprained ankle, was sacked five times by Colorado in the Buffaloes' 40-16 win, and hit a half-dozen more times just as he threw. Buffs linebacker Jimmie Gilbert recorded a pair of those sacks, and also tackled Wilkins a third time behind the line of scrimmage for a loss.
"No matter whether the quarterback is healthy or not, we have to stop the run," Gilbert said. "When we stop the run, that really allows us to focus on the pass rush. When we focus on the pass rush, things become a lot easier because there's no worries and we're just having fun playing the game we love."
The Buffs did indeed stop the run, holding ASU to just 50 yards rushing on 28 carries. Gilbert, meanwhile, enjoyed the third multi-sack game of his career while also recording his fifth forced fumble of the season.
"We have to thank the front four guys for allowing us to do that," Gilbert said of the five CU sacks. "They played stout. They do their jobs, which clears it up for us to come off the edge."
Along with Gilbert, Chidobe Awuzie, Kenneth Olugbode and Addison Gillam were also credited with sacks.
"We just wanted to make a statement that when you play us, you're going to get hit," Gilbert said. "We felt like today we had to dominate and stop the run and get to the quarterback as many times as possible."
GILLAM COMEBACK CONTINUES: Gillam continues to return to the form that made him a freshman All-American in 2013. Hampered by a variety of injuries this year, he's now as healthy as he's been all year.
"It's really been fun, that's the best way to put it," Gillam said. "I was pretty frustrated, but it's finally paying off this year, even with the whole team. Four years later, we're finally starting to win some games. It's awesome."
Gillam was credited with four tackles, including a sack and another tackle for loss. His biggest hit of the night was a crushing blow on Wilkins just as he threw the ball in the fourth quarter, a hit that drew an audible gasp from the crowd.
AWUZIE TOPS CHART: Awuzie's sack was the seventh of his career. He now has the CU record for sacks by a defensive back, surpassing the 6.5 by Michael Lewis from 1998-2001.
STREAK CONTINUES: CU's streak of forcing at least one turnover reached 20 Saturday when Afolabi Laguda recorded a third-quarter interception. It is the longest such streak in the nation, one ahead of Alabama.
ORVIS HONORED: Former Buffs defensive lineman great Herb Orvis, who this year will become the seventh Buffs player to be inducted into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame, was honored during Saturday night's game.
Orvis wore his CU jersey one last time for the occasion. He will now ship his jersey, CU helmet (still with red marks from his final games against Nebraska and Alabama), the 1971 Ohio State game ball and is Big Eight coin to the College Football Hall of Fame.
A First Team All-Big Eight Conference selection as both a junior and senior, Orvis was named the Big Eight Conference Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore in 1969 after recording 75 tackles. The 1971 recipient of the Dave Jones Award as Colorado's most outstanding defensive lineman, he led the Buffs to three consecutive bowl games, including wins in the 1969 Liberty Bowl and the 1971 Bluebonnet Bowl.
The senior team captain finished his career as Colorado's all-time leader in sacks (20) and second in tackles for loss (32). Orvis was named the National Player of the Week after a 12-tackle, two-sack performance against Penn State in 1970 that ended the Nittany Lions' 31-game unbeaten streak. He would lead the Buffs to a No. 3 national ranking in 1971 before playing in the Hula Bowl.
He joins Bobby Anderson (1967-69), Dick Anderson (1965-67), Joe Romig (1959-61), Byron "Whizzer" White (1935-37), Alfred Williams (1987-90) and John Wooten (1956-58) in the Hall, along with former Colorado head coach Bill McCartney (1982-94).
BUFFS BITS: The Buffs are 5-2 overall and 3-1 in league play for the first time since the 2005 season … The two newest members of the Pac-12, Colorado and Utah, are now tied for the Pac-12 South lead. … Now 1-7 against the Sun Devils all time, the Buffs scored their most points ever against ASU while holding the Sun Devils to their fewest points ever in the series. … The 199 yards offense from ASU is the lowest by a conference foe since Kansas State had 196 vs. Colorado in 2001. … In three games at Folsom this year, the Buffs have outscored opponents 143-29. … The crowd of 48,588 was the largest Folsom gathering since 50,083 came through the gates for the Colorado-USC game in 2011.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
