Brooks: Buffs Look To Eugene, Opportunity To Reverse Ugly Trend
September 20, 2016 | Football, B.G. Brooks
Ducks haven’t shown much mercy since CU joined Pac-12
BOULDER – Colorado opens Pac-12 Conference play on Saturday at Oregon, and if you're basing a prediction on their brief but one-sided Pac-12 history you shrug and say – pun intended – the Ducks win in a walk.
They're 5-0 against the Buffs since CU joined the conference in 2011, hadn't allowed CU more than 16 points until last season, and had overwhelmed and outpointed the Buffs by a combined score of 216-42 until that 41-24 Oregon win last fall in Boulder. (FYI: The halftime score was 17-17.)
Those figures, coupled with just two CU conference wins (25 losses) in the past three seasons, make it hard to argue that the Ducks have owned the Buffs. Pac-12 ownership won't change on one weekend, but neither will these Buffs go into Autzen Stadium doomed by disbelief.
For only the second time (last season was the first) since CU has played Oregon as Pac-12 members, the Ducks are unranked. In previous meetings, they've been ranked as high as No.2 (twice, No. 3 once) and were No. 9 in their first conference game (2011).
Last October, Oregon visited Boulder a week after a jaw-dropping (62-20), record-setting home loss to Utah. This weekend, CU visits Eugene after a 35-32 loss at Nebraska dispatched the No. 22 Ducks from this week's Top 25.
Angst is undoubtedly bubbling up in Autzen. Saturday's game, also the Ducks' conference opener, makes a bounce-back mandatory for Oregon fans who aren't accustomed to losing in mid-September. Or mid-anytime, for that matter.
The Buffs go to Eugene with one suitcase reserved for questions, and it's a full bag:
Minus senior placement specialist Diego Gonzalez (Achilles tear, out for season), can junior Chris Graham or maybe true freshman Davis Price be a crunch-time kicker if the Buffs keep it close and call on either late in the game?
Maybe minus senior quarterback Sefo Liufau (ankle, game-time decision), can redshirt freshman Steven Montez put his Michigan experience behind him and elevate his game to a competitive, winning Pac-12 level?
If Montez is the guy, can CU's O-line keep the Ducks off of him? Michigan's pass rush swarmed Montez last week (2 sacks, minus-14 yards) when he replaced Liufau in the third quarter and there's every reason to believe that if he makes his first college start in Autzen, the Ducks will try and make him miserable.
Minus outside linebacker Derek McCartney (knee, out for season), who sets the edge on defense against an Oregon offense that likely will favor attacking the perimeter rather than running inside against a large and stout Buffs front?
The bad news, obviously, is that McCartney is out and will be missed. The quasi-good news is that the Buffs are well-stocked with fast DB types who actually see more Pac-12 playing time in the nickel/dime in-conference packages that have become nearly standard for CU.
But if the Buffs arrive with baggage, the home team is lugging plenty of its own. The Ducks, 2-1 after last week's three-point loss at Nebraska, are enduring criticism (well-founded or not) from the usual sources – talk shows, columnists, wavering fans, etc.
Once again, former CU assistant Mark Helfrich and the Ducks have gone the transfer route to find a starting quarterback. Dakota Prukop, a Montana State graduate, was 14-of-23 for 146 yards last weekend in Lincoln – not a horrible outing if Oregon had won.
However, Prukop didn't throw a touchdown pass, snapping an NCAA-leading 82-game streak in which Ducks QBs have recorded a TD throw. Plus, Oregon lost receiver Devon Allen and left tackle Tyrell Crosby for the season to ACL injuries.
The Ducks also left Nebraska not knowing the status for this weekend of leading rusher Royce Freeman (leg). Freeman averages 108.3 yards a game for an offense that is No. 8 nationally in rushing (296.0 yards a game) and No. 10 in total offense (545.3).
The Buffs yielded 168 rushing yards (397 total) in their 45-28 loss at then-No. 4 Michigan but are ranked No. 4 nationally in total defense (293.3 yards a game, 119.7 allowed both rushing and passing).
Stopping Oregon's run game has been another, darker matter for CU. In their three most recent meetings with the Buffs, the Ducks have averaged 325 rushing yards. Freeman's status, as well as the ability to cope with Oregon's perimeter speed, will be critical for the Buffs.
Prukop might not make Ducks fans or anyone in the Pac-12 forget Marcus Mariota but he's mobile enough, talented enough to cause the Buffs problems if they don't contain him. "He can make a lot of people miss," said defensive end Samson Kofavalu. "He's very fast, his speed is there."
Kofavalu, who has seven unassisted tackle (11 total) in three games, is eager to open conference play against Oregon. USC would have been an acceptable opener too, but the Trojans – his boyhood favorite – can wait two more weeks.
"Growing up, I've always known Pac-12 schools, USC being my favorite," he said. "I've grown out of it. My older brother got letters from Oregon and showed me all of their new uniforms. I didn't want to see it; I told him to get that out of my face. It's very important for me to come out in this game and do what I have to do."
Coach Mike MacIntyre hopes that feeling resonates with all of his players. If the Ducks are in a bounce-back mode, the Buffs are no different. Their test last weekend in the Big House started promisingly but didn't end that way. Even so, they still left Ann Arbor believing in themselves – maybe enough to halt the domination by the Ducks.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
They're 5-0 against the Buffs since CU joined the conference in 2011, hadn't allowed CU more than 16 points until last season, and had overwhelmed and outpointed the Buffs by a combined score of 216-42 until that 41-24 Oregon win last fall in Boulder. (FYI: The halftime score was 17-17.)
Those figures, coupled with just two CU conference wins (25 losses) in the past three seasons, make it hard to argue that the Ducks have owned the Buffs. Pac-12 ownership won't change on one weekend, but neither will these Buffs go into Autzen Stadium doomed by disbelief.
For only the second time (last season was the first) since CU has played Oregon as Pac-12 members, the Ducks are unranked. In previous meetings, they've been ranked as high as No.2 (twice, No. 3 once) and were No. 9 in their first conference game (2011).
Last October, Oregon visited Boulder a week after a jaw-dropping (62-20), record-setting home loss to Utah. This weekend, CU visits Eugene after a 35-32 loss at Nebraska dispatched the No. 22 Ducks from this week's Top 25.
Angst is undoubtedly bubbling up in Autzen. Saturday's game, also the Ducks' conference opener, makes a bounce-back mandatory for Oregon fans who aren't accustomed to losing in mid-September. Or mid-anytime, for that matter.
The Buffs go to Eugene with one suitcase reserved for questions, and it's a full bag:
Minus senior placement specialist Diego Gonzalez (Achilles tear, out for season), can junior Chris Graham or maybe true freshman Davis Price be a crunch-time kicker if the Buffs keep it close and call on either late in the game?
Maybe minus senior quarterback Sefo Liufau (ankle, game-time decision), can redshirt freshman Steven Montez put his Michigan experience behind him and elevate his game to a competitive, winning Pac-12 level?
If Montez is the guy, can CU's O-line keep the Ducks off of him? Michigan's pass rush swarmed Montez last week (2 sacks, minus-14 yards) when he replaced Liufau in the third quarter and there's every reason to believe that if he makes his first college start in Autzen, the Ducks will try and make him miserable.
Minus outside linebacker Derek McCartney (knee, out for season), who sets the edge on defense against an Oregon offense that likely will favor attacking the perimeter rather than running inside against a large and stout Buffs front?
The bad news, obviously, is that McCartney is out and will be missed. The quasi-good news is that the Buffs are well-stocked with fast DB types who actually see more Pac-12 playing time in the nickel/dime in-conference packages that have become nearly standard for CU.
But if the Buffs arrive with baggage, the home team is lugging plenty of its own. The Ducks, 2-1 after last week's three-point loss at Nebraska, are enduring criticism (well-founded or not) from the usual sources – talk shows, columnists, wavering fans, etc.
Once again, former CU assistant Mark Helfrich and the Ducks have gone the transfer route to find a starting quarterback. Dakota Prukop, a Montana State graduate, was 14-of-23 for 146 yards last weekend in Lincoln – not a horrible outing if Oregon had won.
However, Prukop didn't throw a touchdown pass, snapping an NCAA-leading 82-game streak in which Ducks QBs have recorded a TD throw. Plus, Oregon lost receiver Devon Allen and left tackle Tyrell Crosby for the season to ACL injuries.
The Ducks also left Nebraska not knowing the status for this weekend of leading rusher Royce Freeman (leg). Freeman averages 108.3 yards a game for an offense that is No. 8 nationally in rushing (296.0 yards a game) and No. 10 in total offense (545.3).
The Buffs yielded 168 rushing yards (397 total) in their 45-28 loss at then-No. 4 Michigan but are ranked No. 4 nationally in total defense (293.3 yards a game, 119.7 allowed both rushing and passing).
Stopping Oregon's run game has been another, darker matter for CU. In their three most recent meetings with the Buffs, the Ducks have averaged 325 rushing yards. Freeman's status, as well as the ability to cope with Oregon's perimeter speed, will be critical for the Buffs.
Prukop might not make Ducks fans or anyone in the Pac-12 forget Marcus Mariota but he's mobile enough, talented enough to cause the Buffs problems if they don't contain him. "He can make a lot of people miss," said defensive end Samson Kofavalu. "He's very fast, his speed is there."
Kofavalu, who has seven unassisted tackle (11 total) in three games, is eager to open conference play against Oregon. USC would have been an acceptable opener too, but the Trojans – his boyhood favorite – can wait two more weeks.
"Growing up, I've always known Pac-12 schools, USC being my favorite," he said. "I've grown out of it. My older brother got letters from Oregon and showed me all of their new uniforms. I didn't want to see it; I told him to get that out of my face. It's very important for me to come out in this game and do what I have to do."
Coach Mike MacIntyre hopes that feeling resonates with all of his players. If the Ducks are in a bounce-back mode, the Buffs are no different. Their test last weekend in the Big House started promisingly but didn't end that way. Even so, they still left Ann Arbor believing in themselves – maybe enough to halt the domination by the Ducks.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
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