Friday's Fast Five: Keys For Buffs Vs. Washington State
October 18, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
PULLMAN, Wash. — One week after managing just three points in a loss to Oregon, the Colorado Buffaloes' have an opportunity to get back into a rhythm Saturday.
When the Buffs (3-3 overall, 1-2 Pac-12) square off in a 5 p.m. matchup with Washington State (3-3, 0-3) at Martin Stadium, they will be facing a defense that is 98th in the nation in points allowed (31.8 per game) and 115th in yards allowed (459.0 per game). It is also a WSU defense that let a 32-point second-half lead slip away earlier this year against UCLA, when the Bruins rallied from a 49-17 deficit to take a 67-63 win.
But in that same vein, an injury-riddled Colorado defense — one that is allowing nearly 34 points per game — must deal with a WSU offense that leads the nation in passing yards (452.7 yards per game) and is seventh in scoring (43.0 per contest).
Still, despite the gaudy numbers, WSU's offense has not been unstoppable. While the Cougars have scored at least 31 points in five of their six games, they managed only one touchdown and two field goals in a 38-13 loss at Utah.Â
It leads to all kinds of possibilities, and there is even a wild card in the equation: Saturday's forecast in Pullman calls for temperatures in the low 40s at kickoff, with a 100 percent chance of rain, along with wind.
Still, we already know this much: one of the teams will end a losing streak. WSU has lost three in a row while Colorado has dropped two straight.
What must the Buffs do to end their skid and extend the Cougars' woes?
1. Limit WSU's explosion plays. This has been a difficult area for CU defense all season. Colorado has given up 35 plays of 20 yards or more, with 11 of those resulting in touchdowns. WSU, meanwhile, is tied for second in the nation in pass plays of 15 yards or longer with 60.
But Utah found a way to limit Washington State's big plays. The Cougars' longest pass against the Utes was a mere 21 yards; their longest run was just 11 yards. That allowed Utah to control the tempo and play the game on its terms.
How did the Utes keep those big plays to a minimum? Glad you asked …Â
2. Limit yards after catch. Despite their big passing numbers, WSU doesn't lean heavily on a deep vertical game. Rather, the Cougars get receivers in space and create one-on-one matchups. Then, short and intermediate routes turn into long gains. It's why Washington State is second in the nation in yards after catch with 1,531.
But against Utah, the Cougars couldn't produce big plays because Utah's defenders kept WSU's receivers in front of them all day. WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon completed 30 passes in the game, but he finished with just 252 yards — 200 below his season average.Â
The Buffs have to do the same. If Colorado's secondary, particularly safeties Mikial Onu, Derrion Rakestraw and Aaron Maddox, can keep the WSU short passing game short and not give up yards after catch, the Buffs can give their offense the possessions it needs.
3. Run the ball with authority ... but hit the occasional big play. The best way to make sure an opponent's offense doesn't score is to keep them off the field, which is exactly what Utah did to WSU.
The Utes not only ran the ball for 192 yards, they won the time of possession battle by more than nine minutes. That limited the number of possessions for Washington State and also kept the Cougars' defense on the field for long stretches.
The Buffs' running game has been quietly improving as the season has progressed. Last week against Oregon, Colorado ran for 168 yards against a defense that had been holding opponents under 100 on the ground.
Saturday, the Buffs will see a defense that leads the nation in missed tackles — 104, according to Pro Football Focus. That should be a nice opportunity for Buffs running back Alex Fontenot, who has shown a knack for breaking arm tackles all season.
But the Buffs also need to add some juice to the run game. The Cougars have had their problems with explosive plays this year as well. In the last three games, Washington State has given up nine touchdowns of 20 yards or more. If the Buffs can punish the Cougars with a body blow rushing attack, then land a few haymakers, they'll be in the game when it matters.
4. Turnovers and takeaways. Despite losing the turnover battle 4-0 last week, the Buffs are still among the nation's top 20 teams in turnover margin this year at plus-0.67 (12 takeaways, eight turnovers). The Cougars, meanwhile have played a zero-sum game in that department, with 10 of each.
On offense, the Cougars have been a feast-or-famine bunch when it comes to turnovers. Washington State has fumbled just four times all season. But all four of those came in the same game, and they lost all four — a big reason UCLA was able to come back from that 32-point deficit.
Gordon, meanwhile, has thrown two interceptions in a game only twice, but both instances came in losses (UCLA and Utah).
Colorado has done a good job with ball security this year, particularly the running backs. The Buffs have lost just two fumbles this season, and both of those have come on kick returns. Quarterback Steven Montez, meanwhile, had a nice stretch of just two interceptions in the first five games before being victimized for four last week.
But it's a battle they have to win Saturday. If the Buffs can hang onto the ball and come up with a couple takeaways, they'll be in the game down the stretch.
5. Prove they are resilient. Up until last week, the Buffs had been taking pride in being in every game to the end. They seemed to be built to withstand difficult circumstances.
The 45-3 loss in Oregon, however, provided an entirely new level of adversity — and now they are back on the road in a game that will feature some adverse weather conditions along with the challenge of bouncing back from a big loss.
If history is a guide, that doesn't bode well for the Buffs. The last time CU saw those kinds of weather conditions was two years ago in Pullman, and the result was a 28-0 loss.
But this Colorado team has the chance to prove they are a different bunch. If they can put last week's loss behind them and come back with a solid effort Saturday — in difficult conditions — it will be a significant step forward in many ways.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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