
Buffs Defenders Prep For Balanced ASU Offensive Attack
October 01, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — It was just a year ago that the Colorado Buffaloes had Arizona State on the ropes but couldn't deliver a knockout punch.
The Buffs held a 10-point lead at ASU at three different junctures — including heading into the fourth quarter — only to see the Sun Devils ultimately rally for a 41-30 win.
This week, the No. 21 Buffs (4-0 overall, 1-0 Pac-12) are preparing for a return engagement with ASU (3-2, 1-1) — and many of the players who led the Sun Devils' comeback a year ago will be at Folsom Field for Saturday's 2 p.m. game (Pac-12 Networks). The list includes senior quarterback Manny Wilkins, junior wide receiver N'Keal Harry and sophomore running back Eno Benjamin.
"It is a very talented team," Colorado defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot said after Monday's practice. "We're going to have to have everybody playing their best in order for us to win."
The Buffs are coming off a solid overall defensive effort in Friday's 38-16 win over UCLA. Colorado held the Bruins to just 289 total yards and allowed them just one trip into the end zone. Colorado had three sacks in the game — two from outside linebacker Drew Lewis — and held UCLA to 5-for-16 on third-down conversions. Linebacker Nate Landman had nine tackles while Buff back Davion Taylor had six tackles, including a sack and another tackle for loss.
Overall, CU is third in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, allowing just 17.8 points per game.
But the Sun Devils might be the stiffest test the Buffs have had yet. Under first-year head coach Herm Edwards, ASU has produced a balanced attack, averaging 181 yards per game on the ground and 245 in the air. The run game features Benjamin, who last week set an Arizona State rushing record with a 30-carry, 312-yard, three-touchdown effort in a 52-24 win over Oregon State.
The Buffs got a glimpse of Benjamin in last year's game, when he carried five times for 52 yards, including a game-clinching 19-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. But now that he is the feature back, he has taken his game to the next level.
"He's really talented," Eliot said of the 5-foot-10, 210-pound sophomore. "He makes people miss, he's explosive. We have quite a challenge with him this week."
The Buffs must also contend with the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Harry, a preseason first-team all-Pac-12 pick. Harry, who last year had six catches for 81 yards and a score against the Buffs, this year has 31 catches for 419 yards and five touchdowns.
"He's a big-time target," Eliot said. "He's one of those guys, even if you have him covered he finds a way to catch it. He uses his length and his size to body you up. You have to be ready for him."
And, of course, there is Wilkins, a fifth-year senior who is 10th on ASU's list of all-time passing yards. This season, Wilkins has completed 108 of his 170 attempts for 1,224 yards, 10 touchdowns — and just one interception.
"He's played for a long time," Eliot said. "He's been in the spotlight, he's been in those situations. He can make plays with his feet as well as with his arm and we have to be ready for him."
Indeed, Wilkins is a capable runner. Last season, along with 202 yards and two touchdowns passing, he also had 95 yards rushing and a score.
One thing ASU has done extremely well this season is take care of the ball. In five games, the Sun Devils have turned it over just twice — one interception and one fumble.
The Buffs, meanwhile, had their first game of the season without a defensive takeaway in the win over UCLA.
It's not, however, as if they didn't have their chances, as CU's defensive backs and linebackers had at least three potential interceptions fall to the ground. While it didn't make a difference in the outcome, CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said those are the plays the Buffs have to make in the future — and they will put in some extra work this week to try to change those plays from "passes broken up" to interceptions.
"We've dropped 10 interceptions in the first four games," MacIntyre said. "We have to make those plays. We need to make them. We're getting our hands on the ball, we're contesting the ball, we're playing tight coverage — we're just not catching it like we want. We've been working drills and we're going to work extra drills all week this week every single day. … We're getting there; we'll eventually make them. A lot of the guys have good hands, we just have to make them."
ASU AGGRESSIVE ON DEFENSE: While the head coach is new, ASU is still playing an aggressive, attacking defense. The Sun Devils are 18th in the nation in tackles for loss (8.2 per game) and they are tied for fifth in the nation in sacks, with 18. Five different ASU defenders have at least two sacks, led by three from freshman linebacker Merlin Robertson.
NATIONAL RANKINGS RESPONSE: CU's MacIntyre said the Buffs' appearance in the national rankings (21st Associated Press, 22nd USA Today) was by no means reason for celebration.
"We have to just keep moving forward," he said. "If we keep doing what we want to do, we'll stay ranked. If we don't do what we want to do, we won't stay ranked. It's that simple. Just keep going from there."
UCLA REWIND: After reviewing the film of Friday's win over the Bruins, MacIntyre said one thing that stuck out was CU's ability to come from behind. The Buffs trailed 16-14 early in the second half before scoring the last 24 points of the game.
It was Colorado's second comeback from a second-half deficit this year. A year ago, CU overcame a second-half deficit just once, in a 36-33 win at Oregon State.
"When we took the lead, it seems like our guys just put on the gas," MacIntyre said. "That's what you want to see. All those situations, when you win them, and you've come from behind, and you do things and you keep playing and you keep fighting … it gave them a lot of confidence. I think that's what these kids have learned. They've showed that twice now and just kept playing. That's exciting to see."
O-LINE SHUFFLE: The Buffs started their third different offensive line combination in four games against the Bruins. While conventional wisdom is to find a starting five, MacIntyre said CU may continue to rotate players.
Last week, six Buffs played at least 25 snaps on the offensive line.
"We have some really good athletes up there," MacIntyre said. "This is the most athletic line we've had. Some of it is young, but if they play some, then they could be really good, too. I feel like we've got enough athletic guys and big guys that can understand it that hopefully we've got enough depth. Sometimes you say you play five all the time, but really if you have seven or eight that can play and you can rotate them in, you're a better football team as the year goes along. That's what I think we'll be on the offensive line."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu