Friday's Fast Five: Digging Into Keys For Buffs Vs. Huskies
October 19, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — When the 2018 Pac-12 football schedule was released last fall, Colorado fans knew this two-week stretch would be the most difficult of the season.
On the road at USC, followed by another road trip to Washington. Two games in two weeks against the last two conference champions.
Now, after a 31-20 loss to the Trojans last week, Colorado heads to Washington on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. matchup with the 15th ranked Huskies in hopes of picking up a split.
What must the Buffs do to leave Husky Stadium with a win? Our weekly Fast Five:
1. Stop the UW run game. This was one of our top keys last week — and while the Buffs accomplished the goal by limiting USC to a scant 51 yards on the ground, they still came up short.
Doesn't matter. It is still imperative this week that CU's run defense produce another solid effort. In their last two meetings — the 2016 Pac-12 title game and last year's regular season contest — the Huskies rushed for 265 and 254 yards, respectively. That allowed Washington to control the tempo and momentum of both games.
The Buffs have to change that trend and force UW into second-and-long and third-and-long situations and make Washington quarterback Jake Browning go to the air. Browning is an excellent quarterback who can make plays — but the Buffs will still be better off if they can force Washington to depend on its passing game to win.
2. Win the first-down battle on offense. For the first time this season, the Buffs were stymied all night on first down against USC, and the result was a season low in points (20) and total offense (265 yards).
Colorado went into the USC game averaging 6.5 yards per snap on first down. When a team can do that consistently, it gives the offense all kinds of options and puts the defense on its heels. Those second-and-4 situations can be converted via run or pass, meaning the defense can't load up to stop either.
But when a team averages just 1.5 yards per first-down snap — as the Buffs did against USC — the defense has a tremendous edge, especially when those second-down snaps come behind the sticks.
The Buffs need to win that first down battle and put themselves in manageable second down situations. If they do that, they will have the opportunity to move the chains and establish some rhythm and tempo.
3. Limit offensive plays for losses. Last week, USC had 16 tackles for loss — a big reason for that 1.5 yard average on first down.
It wasn't until late in the game that Colorado was able to establish any kind of push up front on a consistent basis. The Trojans limited Colorado's running game without "stacking" the box, meaning they still had plenty of defenders to work the perimeter and passing lanes and contain CU's playmakers in space.
This one won't be easy. The Huskies have a big, physical defensive line that is helping hold opponents to just 136.6 yards on the ground, and they are also prone to bringing extra players when necessary, thanks to an outstanding secondary they can trust.
4. Limit UW explosion plays. The Buffs defense has been good in limiting big plays most of the season — but the Trojans made theirs count. USC hit Colorado with four pass plays of 25 yards or longer. Two went for touchdowns, the other two set up scores. USC threw the ball 35 times against Colorado for 283 yards in the air — but four of those passes accounted for 159 yards.
The Huskies have hurt Colorado with big plays in the past. Last year, UW scored on a 43-yard pass play and a 57-yard run. The Huskies also scored on a 35-yard interception return, which brings us to …
5. Win the turnover battle and take advantage of takeaways. In the last two games against Washington, Colorado quarterbacks have thrown six interceptions — including two returned for touchdowns.
That's a recipe for a loss. The Buffs can't afford to give UW any of those momentum-shifting opportunities, especially on the Huskies' home turf.
Meanwhile, the Buffs must also take advantage of the takeaways their defense produces.
Last week against USC, Colorado's defense came up with a pair of first-quarter interceptions, but came up empty on both ensuing offensive possessions.
It was the same story a year ago against the Huskies. Immediately after scoring the first touchdown of the game, Colorado recorded an interception and drove into UW territory, only to end up punting.
Those are the kinds of opportunities that can't be wasted. If the Buffs can win the turnover battle — and produce some points off their takeaways — they have a chance to be in the game down the stretch.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu