Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Concentrate On Red Zone As They Prepare For Visit From USC
October 23, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Since the day he arrived, Colorado coach Mel Tucker has stressed that he wants the Buffaloes to "run the ball on our terms."
Slowly but surely, the Buffs have been improving in that area, as they have increased their rushing totals in each of the last three games. Colorado is fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing in conference games, averaging 161 yards per game, with sophomore Alex Fontenot currently seventh in the league in rushing with 568 yards on 114 carries, .
But the one place the Buffs haven't been able to pound the ball with authority in recent weeks is where it counts most — inside an opponent's 20. The Buffs have let some golden red zone opportunities slip away recently, opportunities that might have kept games close.
It's an area the 3-4 Buffs (1-3 Pac-12) will be aiming to improve Friday when they play host to USC (4-3, 3-1) in a 7 p.m. (MT) game at Folsom Field.
 "We've gotten to the point where we've been able to run the football, and that's good and we've wanted to do that," Tucker said earlier this week. "We've been running the ball efficiently and we've been moving the ball in terms of drives and yardage and things like that. It's just about finishing drives and red zone production."
Through the first five games of the year, the Buffs were efficient and effective in the red zone. In 20 trips inside the opponents' 20-yard line, Colorado scored 12 touchdowns and six field goals.
But in the last two games, they've come away empty more often than not. In seven red zone trips in the last two games, they have produced just one touchdown and two field goals.
"Everything happens quicker in the red zone," Tucker said. "You don't have as much space. The red zone is a special situation. It is like short yardage or goal line (situations). You have red zone patterns on offense and defense. It is different. Most people, in the red zone, love to be able to run it in ... On offense you love to be able to run it in. On defense you never want to let them run it in."
It's an area on which the Buffs have placed an emphasis this week.
"If you are not performing well in the red zone you have to dedicate more time to it and really have to break it down," Tucker said. "It is really about execution. Things happen really fast down there."
And, there's no doubt how Tucker would like to produce those final few yards into the end zone.
"If you can run it in it makes it a lot easier."
USC INJURY WOES: While the Buffs have been hit hard in the injury department, they won't get any sympathy from the Trojans.
USC began the year by losing starting quarterback J.T. Daniels in the season opener, then backup Kedon Slovis for a game a couple of weeks later. Meanwhile, they have also lost a half-dozen other starters at various points of the season, with several still expected to be out this weekend. The list includes starting defensive ends Christian Rector and Drake Jackson, along with linebacker Palaie Gaoteote, as well as three of their top running backs.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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