Buffs Ready For Friday Night Encounter Vs. Trojans

BOULDER — After three straight losses, including two on the road, there's no doubt Mel Tucker's Colorado Buffaloes need a win.

But ending their skid won't be easy. Their next chance is a Friday night date under the Folsom Field lights with Southern California, a program the Buffs have not beaten in 13 tries. It is a skid the Buffs politely addressed this week when asked, but the truth is the Buffs aren't concerned with history — not, at least, with anything prior to the 2019 season.

What is of pressing importance to Tucker, his coaches and his players are the issues that have contributed to the recent slide. The Buffs (3-4 overall, 1-3 Pac-12) spent the week addressing those problem areas and are looking at Friday night's nationally televised game (ESPN2) as an opportunity to get back on track.

The recipe, Tucker said, isn't complicated — and it begins with confidence.

"You first of all have to believe you can win the game," Tucker said. "That is first. You have to have a belief and not just hope. ... You can't get overwhelmed by the other team's talent or the magnitude of the situation. You never look at the scoreboard. You stay neutral and play the next play. Treat every play as if it has a history and a life of its own. You grind it out. You have a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter and you make one more play. That is how you get it done."

The Buffs were very good at giving themselves a chance to win through the first five games of the season, when they compiled a 3-2 record. Their first loss came in overtime to Air Force; the second was a five-point decision to Arizona that saw CU with possession in Arizona territory in the waning minutes of the game.

But the last two weeks have seen the Buffs come out on the short end of some lopsided scores — and in both games, they have hurt their cause with self-inflicted wounds.

Those are the issues they have to correct against a talented USC squad (4-3, 3-1).

"There are certain things you have to do to be able to win any game," Tucker said. "You have to take care of the football, take it away, be efficient on early downs on both sides of the ball, convert on third downs, score in the red zone, keep points off the board, and be flawless on special teams. Big-time players make big-time plays in big games. Your good players have to step up in big games and be good players. They call that competitive greatness. You have to have those things."

The Buffs no doubt have the ability to create big plays — but so does USC. Even though the Trojans have been hit hard by the injury bug, they still have playmakers on both sides of the ball. Wide receiver Michael Pittman is second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards (43 catches for 599 yards) while fellow wideout Tyler Vaughns is fifth with 532 yards on 42 catches. Meanwhile, freshman running back Kenan Christon ran for 103 yards and two scores on just eight carries in his debut last week in USC's win over Arizona.

"With good teams, they usually have pretty good depth," Tucker said. "A guy goes down and another guy can step in and get the job done. They have that. Everyone we play has good players. We have our fair share of good players as well."

But the Buffs have to get their good players to return to form, especially on offense. CU has scored just 13 points in the last two games combined while committing seven turnovers, all interceptions. The offense must also rediscover its effectiveness in the red zone — CU has just one touchdown in its last seven trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line — as well as dial up a few more explosive plays. After averaging five plays per game of 20 yards or longer, Colorado has managed just six such long gains in the last two games combined — and none longer than 29 yards.

Defensively, USC boasts a pass rush that has accounted for 21 sacks this year — second-best in the Pac-12 — but the Trojans have also given up 188.7 yards per game, second-worst in the conference.

"We've been running the ball efficiently and we've been moving the ball in terms of drives and yardage and things like that," Tucker said. " It's just about finishing drives and red zone production. Our identity needs to be to run the ball on our terms and be able to make explosive plays, take care of the football, and score points. That's a big part of it and we're working towards that. Obviously we're not where we need to be right now but we're working towards it and I expect us to get there at some point."

The Buffs do hope to get a boost from their home crowd. While they are just 1-2 at Folsom this year, they have played well in all three games at home — and USC is winless on the road this season.

"It's really good to get back home, our crowds have been strong," Tucker said. "We're one of the few places in America that has it packed out every game (CU has averaged more than 51,000 per game this year). … Our crowd and our fans have done a great job this year so I'm really looking forward to getting back out there."

MATCHUP TO WATCH: Colorado offensive line vs. USC defensive line. The Buffs have had decent success running the ball over the last three weeks, and they face a Trojans defense that has given up yards in chunks at times. If the Buffs can establish their run game early — and get into the end zone — they have a chance to wear the USC defense down. At altitude, that could be a fourth quarter factor in CU's favor.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Colorado quarterback Steven Montez. The CU senior has had back-to-back rough outings. If he can bounce back with a good effort Friday, it will be good news for the Buffs.

THE SERIES: USC leads the all-time series 13-0.

NUTS AND BOLTS:

Kickoff: 7:01 p.m (MT)., Folsom Field (50,183)

Broadcast: ESPN2 will carry the telecast with Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (color commentary) and Paul Carcaterra (sidelines). KOA 850 radio will carry the broadcast with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson, Gary Barnett and Andy Lindahl.

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