Tuesday Buffs Bits: 'Folsom Fast' Can Also Pound Out Long Drives
October 02, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Since the season began, the Colorado Buffaloes' offense has prided itself in being "Folsom Fast."
Of CU's 25 scoring drives, 15 of them have taken less than three minutes to complete. It's what happens when 10 of your touchdown plays cover 25 yards or more.
But in last week's 38-16 win over UCLA, Colorado also proved it can grind out steady, methodical scoring drives that work the clock — and take a toll on the defense at the same time. The Buffs had a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive that took 5:51 off the clock in the first half, then took control late in the third quarter with another punishing drive, a 13-play march that featured 10 rushes while covering 67 yards and using 5:45.
That drive, which gave the Buffs a 28-13 lead, left the Bruins' defense gasping for air. The Buffs then delivered the knockout punch in the fourth quarter with a six-play, 51-yard drive for a field goal and a five-play, 63-yard march to the final touchdown of the night.
It's a trend the No. 21 Buffs (4-0 overall, 1-0 Pac-12) would like to continue Saturday when they play host to Arizona State (3-2, 1-1) in a 2 p.m. game at Folsom Field (Pac-12 Networks).
"We definitely will want to be able to do that," head coach Mike MacIntyre said at his Tuesday press conference. "We ran the ball well. We also used the clock really well on that drive. We used the clock and were able to get a score. That made a big, big difference."
MacIntyre and his co-offensive coordinators, Darrin Chiaverini and Klayton Adams, obviously like the ability to score quickly and build momentum. But they have also made sure they can put together sustained drives that control the clock when necessary.
"A lot of teams that play fast get out of rhythm and can't do that," MacIntyre said. "We practice so we can be fast, but also be a game management football team. I'm not going to just call and go, 'See if it works out.' I've heard people say that, and I don't think that's smart. You have to practice that. You can't just all of a sudden click that on in a game. Our guys understand that. I think the kids managed that really well."
Quarterback Steven Montez said he's comfortable with either approach. The CU junior already has 12 pass plays of at least 20 yards, with five of those going for touchdowns. He also has scoring runs from 35 and 38 yards.
"We can do it both ways," Montez said. "We can put together those long drives and march down the field and do it that way, or we're so explosive because we've got so much talent on the perimeter that we can hit you with a deep shot and just do it that way, too. I think however you slice it you have to be prepared to see both types of drives every time we step out onto that field."
One added bonus of the long drives — especially when the Buffs are at home — is the physical toll it takes on a defense.
"We want to play with a high tempo," MacIntyre said. "We have quite a few linemen that we can rotate in and stay healthy. That keeps you going fast. We feel we have a couple of running backs who can do it and have a multitude of receivers. We are able to play fast and stay fresh. We would like to definitely do that. That dictates how the defense gets going, but we can get going, play fast and our kids are good at it."
MacIntyre also said Montez has become extremely adept at running the up-tempo attack.
"He understands it all," MacIntyre said. "He's a quick-twitch thinker. He can see and he can think. He is very, very bright. He can get the ball out of his hands quickly. He is a running threat also. We don't want to run him a ton, but if they are going to give it to us we will let him."
REMEMBERING LAST SEASON: Colorado players haven't forgotten last year's 41-30 loss at ASU, a game in which the Buffs had a 27-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
"We are absolutely going to remember what happened last year down there in Arizona," linebacker Drew Lewis said Tuesday. "Our coach is telling us that we are taking this personal. ... Â That is something that is going to stick with me so I'm taking that to heart."
The Sun Devils mounted their comeback last year on the ground. ASU finished with 381 yards on the ground on 54 carries.
So far this year, Colorado's run defense has been much better. The Buffs are yielding just 156.3 yards per game on the ground — with the bulk of the damage coming at Nebraska, when the Huskers ran for 329 yards against CU.
"The big thing was the running game in the fourth quarter," Lewis said of last year's game with the Sun Devils. "You could tell that we were getting beat down a little bit. We were missing tackles and were knocked down some. We are moving on to this game knowing that we can't let that happen again. We have to stay strong all four quarters. That is something that is on our mind on defense."
RANKED? Both MacIntyre and Montez said the Buffs are paying no attention to the most recent national polls, which have Colorado ranked No. 21 by the Associated Press and No. 22 in the Amway/USA Today Coaches poll.
"We have no idea," Montez deadpanned. "We don't know. We are going to play it just like that. We are going to just act like we are not ranked and just keep putting in the same work we've been putting in. I mean right now there is no point in getting complacent with a ranking from the AP poll, it doesn't matter, it doesn't get us to our end goal, so we are just going to keep working like we have all season and hopefully try to stay off social media and whatnot."
MacIntyre said none of the players have brought up CU's ranking in team meetings.
"I haven't said anything to the team about it and not one of the players has said anything to me about it," MacIntyre said. "That (being top-25) is a great thing for everybody, but for us, we know if we take care of our next game, and our next game then we will keep moving up, and we'll be able to do the things we want to. If we lose a couple of games, we'll be out of all of that. That doesn't affect us at all. It is good for recruiting though. I will say that because those kids look at that. As far as this team and what we're doing, not one of us or one of the coaches has said one word about it. I'm glad none of the players has said anything about it. We have bigger aspirations than just being ranked. Hopefully we can get there."
PREPARING FOR WILKINS: The Buffs definitely remember ASU quarterback Manny Wilkins, who threw for 202 yards and ran for 95 more against CU last year.
"Their quarterback is very athletic," Lewis said. "I remember from last year there were a couple of plays where he got away from me in the pocket. I'm not going to forget that. It's imperative that we play our roles and play up field shoulder and stay in our gaps. They are very talented, but I think we have a good idea of what to expect."
EDWARDS ON ALTITUDE: While Saturday will be Herm Edwards' first trip to Boulder with the Sun Devils, he's no stranger to the mile high altitude in Colorado. As a head coach in the NFL, he brought both the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs to Denver to face the Broncos.
He is not, however, a fan of discussing the effects of altitude.
"I don't talk about it," Edwards said at his press conference this week. "I have never talked about it. Let's just go play football, nothing different. We are going to play football, that's how it's always been. I have played up there numerous times. I have coached teams up there and it never was an issue. … Make it an issue if you talk about it, we don't talk about. Going to play the Buffaloes, they're 4-0."
But Edwards also had nothing but praise for the Buffs.
"We have a very good opponent we are about to play," he said. "They have a really good offense, they have some good players – quarterback is a seasoned guy. They have a wide receiver (Laviska Shenault Jr.) similar to N'Keal (Harry). They get him the ball a lot, they are averaging about 40 points a game. Defense is playing well, they are giving up about 18. They score in all quarters, they score a bunch of points. They're a fast offense, they have a running game also, they rush it for about 200 yards. They are a well-coached football team. ... They have a nice program that has played well the last four weeks. Very confident and very solid football team so we have our work cut out."
BROWN CATCHING ON: While much of the attention surrounding CU's receiving corps has been focused on Shenault — and for good reason, as he leads the nation in receiving yards per game and receptions per game — other Colorado wideouts are getting their share.
For the last two weeks, it's been junior Tony Brown, who has been stepping in for an injured Juwann Winfree. The transfer from Texas Tech has caught 11 passes for 157 yards over the last two games, with 53-yard catches against New Hampshire and UCLA.
"He's been playing really well," MacIntyre said. "We knew he was a really good player and liked a lot of things about Tony. All the other receivers are playing and Steven is doing a good job getting them the ball at different times. All those guys will step up and continue playing well."
But while he's had big numbers the last two weeks, Brown's biggest catch thus far might be the 17-yard pass he caught on third down at Nebraska that kept CU's game-winning scoring drive alive.
"That slant where he broke the safety down was a huge third down play on the last drive," MacIntyre said. "I think that gave him a ton of confidence."
BROADCAST CREWS: Saturday's Pac-12 Network broadcast team will include Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Â Anthony Herron (color commentary) and Lewis Johnson (sideline reporter). As usual, the KOA radio crew will have Mark Johnson on the play-by-play call, Gary Barnett on color commentary and Andy Lindahl on the sidelines.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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