Buffs LB Landman Ready To Return; CU Defense Stingy Where It Matters Most

BOULDER — As far as Colorado linebacker Nate Landman is concerned, the math is simple.

Landman missed the second half of last week's 28-21 win over Arizona State after being called for targeting in the first half of the game. Thus, he has some catching up to do Saturday when the Buffs travel to the Los Angeles Coliseum for an 8:30 p.m. meeting with USC (FS1).

"I figure I owe myself a game and a half for this week," Landman said after Wednesday's practice. "I have a game and half's worth of work to do. I'm looking to go out there and make an impact and help my team."

A game-and-a-half from Landman would be something to see. Despite missing nearly two-thirds of last week's game (10 minutes in the first half and the entire second half), he still leads the team in tackles (48) and interceptions (2), is second in tackles for loss (5) and is tied for third in third-down stops (5).

After being ejected for targeting, players must leave the field. That meant Landman watched the rest of the game from the CU locker room, an experience he called "surreal."

"You prepare the whole week for that couple hours of game time," Landman said. " You have film preparation, practice, weight room, and to have that was heartbreaking. … But I was super, super happy to see the step up. Before I left the field I told them to go get the win and play how they know how to play. They really responded well. That fourth-down goal-line stop they had was tremendous."

The Buffs defense did play well in Landman's absence, limiting ASU to just one second-half touchdown. But it also forced CU to move outside linebacker Drew Lewis inside, leaving CU shorthanded on the outside.

The Buffs will no doubt need all hands on deck Saturday against the Trojans.

Meanwhile, Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre said he would like to see a change in how the penalties are assessed for targeting to make them more uniform. While he doesn't advocate a change in the way the rule is called — "I still think we should call targeting" — he is in favor of a change in the way the penalty is assessed.

For starters, MacIntyre said, he doesn't like the fact that players are escorted from the field.

"It's a tough situation — they go to the locker room and it's kind of like they're taken off the field like a villain," MacIntyre said. "They're not a villain."

On a more substantial note, MacIntyre said he would like to see the penalties assessed in a manner similar to the penalty box in hockey, so every violation results in the player receiving the same punishment.

As it stands now, when a player is ejected, he must also sit out the next half of play. The result is a major discrepancy in how much time a player might miss.

If he is ejected in the second minute of a game, the player is forced to miss 58 minutes of play. If he's ejected in the last minute of a half, he misses only 31 minutes.

"I think it should be done like a hockey game — if you get it, you sit out for 15 minutes," MacIntyre said. "Everybody should have equal time, and (currently) it's not an equal time distribution."

Instead of sending players to the locker room, MacIntyre said they would be sent to the sidelines. An official in the press box could then begin keeping track of game time. When the player is eligible to return, "They can come over and announce, '38 can now report back into the game.'"

MacIntyre said he has talked to other coaches about his proposal and will continue to push it to the NCAA's Rules Committed.

"It's not a fair distribution for the crime, so to speak," he said. "Everybody who makes the same crime doesn't have the same penalty. I'm going to push it, push it, push it, hopefully until I get some traction on it. I think that would be fairer for everybody."

BUFFS DEFENSE STINGY WHERE IT MATTERS: At first glance, the 5-0 Colorado Buffaloes' defense this year is playing just a step above average.

The Buffs are fifth in the Pac-12 in rushing defense (154 yards per game), fourth in passing defense (201.0 yards per game) and sixth in total defense (355 per game). It is the same when it comes to the national rankings: 59th in rushing defense, 46th in total defense and 43rd in pass defense.

Overall, it suggests the 19th-ranked Buffs (No. 18 USA Today) are playing defense just a notch above average.

But when it comes to the statistic that matters most — the one that makes the difference in a game — defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot's defense is far above average.

That statistic, of course, is points allowed and thus far this season, the Buffs are among the nation's best. In five games, Colorado is allowing just 18.4 points per game. That is third-best in the Pac-12, tied for No. 21 in the nation — and just three points per game away from being in the top 10.

"You have to look at defense differently now in today's football," CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "It's all about points. You're going to give up yards in today's world. … You don't worry about yards, you worry about points. You worry about getting them out on different third downs. They're going to gain some yards."

MacIntyre cut his teeth on defense. He played defensive back in college and spent the majority of his time as an assistant coach on the defensive side of the ball. It thus pains him to a degree to say that yards given up is no longer a statistics that matters a great deal.

"I'm a defensive guy and I hate to say it," MacIntyre said. "But as I've watched it, that's what it's all about, is points. People are going to move the ball some in today's world. Quarterbacks throw it too good. They spread you out. … With the rules, you can throw the ball across the middle more, you can take more chances with passes because guys can't hit 'em. People are making catches where they wouldn't have made catches before."

It means inflated numbers, particularly in yards gained. But in the end, the stat that matters is the one on the scoreboard.

"It's just changed," MacIntyre said. "Points is the key. Period."

If the Buffs can stay relatively close to their current production on defense, they will beat last year's number (28.2 points per game allowed) by at least a touchdown. It will also put them in the same discussion as CU's 2016 defense, which finished the year allowing just 20.5 points per game.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu