Buffs Out To End Skid Vs. No. 10 Cougars

BOULDER — With the calendar inching up on mid-November, Mike MacIntyre's Colorado Buffaloes want to do something they haven't done since early October: win a game.

Their latest attempt will come Saturday against the nation's 10th-ranked team, 8-1 Washington State (5-1 Pac-12), in a nationally televised 1:30 p.m. game at Folsom Field (ESPN).

After a 5-0 start, the Buffs have dropped four in a row. With a 2-4 conference record, Colorado is still searching for a sixth win that would make CU bowl eligible for the second time in three seasons. The Buffs have had seven chances in the last two years to pick up that elusive sixth win, but haven't been able to get over the hump.

MacIntyre believes his team is ready to end that skid.

"This team has always come out and played hard," MacIntyre said. "I expect them to do that. They have great energy with each other, they care about each other and I think they'll play extremely hard. Our goal is to play extremely hard and to get one more point that the opponent has."

So far this year, only one team — USC — has managed that against Mike Leach's Cougars, in a 39-36 decision in September. Since then, the Cougars have put together a five-game win streak that includes victories over No. 12 Oregon (34-20), No. 24 Stanford (41-38) and Utah (28-24).

That win streak has put WSU in command of the Pac-12 North and also kept the Cougars at least in the conversation for the College Football Playoff, as they are currently ranked eighth in the CFP standings.

But the Buffs do have some history on their side, as Leach is 0-3 as a head coach in Boulder, including two losses as Texas Tech's head coach and a 38-24 Buffs win over Washington State at Folsom in 2016.

This year, the Cougars are taking the altitude seriously. When they opened the season this year at Wyoming — elevation 7,220 feet — the WSU health and nutrition staff had the players drinking beet juice the week prior to the game. Beet juice is supposed to help combat the effects of altitude by expanding blood vessels and allowing more blood — and oxygen — to pass through.

The Cougars won at Wyoming, 41-19. Earlier this week, Leach was asked after a practice if his team was drinking beet juice again. "I don't know what they put in this stuff," Leach said, nodding to the Cougars' practice field. "But if it's sitting there, I take it. I figure every little bit helps."

But WSU's dietary habits will be the least of the Buffs' concerns on Saturday. Colorado's main focus will be on Cougars' quarterback Gardner Minshew and his fleet of receivers. Minshew is averaging a nation-leading 390.8 yards passing per game, with 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.

Meanwhile, seven different Cougars have caught at least 25 passes, led by running back James Williams (58 catches for 463 yards and three touchdowns) and wide receiver Tay Martin (52-for-479, seven TDs). Minshew's offensive line has also afforded him outstanding protection, yielding just seven sacks in nine games.

"Everybody in their offense is a weapon, they get everybody the ball," Colorado linebacker Rick Gamboa said. "They rotate receivers in and out so anybody on the field is a threat. The O-line is good and gives the quarterback time to make throws. The quarterback leads the offense. He gets the receivers in the right positions and throws good balls where their receivers are going to catch it. He controls the game for them."

After seven games this year, CU's defense had not allowed a 300-yard passing game by an opponent, and had given up just nine touchdown passes. But in the last two games, the Buffs have allowed 695 yards in the air and eight touchdown passes.

Minshew has thrown for at least 300 yards in every game.

One sure-fire way to keep Minshew from moving the ball is to keep him on the sidelines. To do that, the Buffs will have to rediscover the balanced offense that helped produce wins against UCLA and Arizona State by controlling the tempo and the clock. In both of those games, CU held a healthy edge in time of possession, and both times put together long, sustained scoring drives to seal the wins.

"I'd like to be ahead to try and do that again," MacIntyre said. " think we can, we've done it twice now in those types of situations."

MATCHUP TO WATCH: Colorado's defensive line vs. WSU's offensive line. The Buffs aren't counting on piling up sacks against Minshew, but they would like to get some pressure on him and make him at least uncomfortable in the pocket. If they can do that, they can force some early throws and not leave their defensive backs in coverage for too long.

KEEP AN EYE ON: The red zone. The Buffs have had some golden opportunities in the red zone in recent weeks — and have let those opportunities slip away. Colorado needs to create those opportunities against the Cougars, and cash in on every one of them.

THE SERIES: Colorado leads the all-time series, 6-5, including a 3-3 ledger in Boulder. WSU has won three of the five games between the two teams in Pac-12 matchups, including a 28-0 win last year in a driving, cold rainstorm in Pullman.

NUTS AND BOLTS:

Kickoff: 1:35 p.m., Folsom Field, (50,183).

Broadcast: ESPN will televise the game with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Brock Huard (color) and Allison Williams (sidelines). The radio broadcast will be carried by 850 KOA with Mark Johnson and Gary Barnett in the booth and Andy Lindahl on the sidelines.

In-game live blog, stats: A live in-game blog as well as continually updated statistics will be available on www.CUBuffs.com

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

Players Mentioned

Rick Gamboa

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