Improving Buffs Run Defense Gears For Bruins
October 31, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Aside from a rough evening at Oregon, the Colorado Buffaloes' run defense has played well in Pac-12 games.
The Buffs are fifth in the league in rush defense in conference games, yielding just 136.6 yards per game on the ground. Outside of giving up 252 yards to Oregon, CU hasn't allowed a conference opponent to gain more than 128 yards on the ground in its other four Pac-12 contests.
That run defense will be tested Saturday when Colorado (3-5 overall, 1-4 Pac-12) faces off with UCLA (3-5, 3-2) in a 7 p.m. game at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins have averaged a league-leading 220.6 yards per game on the ground in Pac-12 play, including four straight games over the 200 mark.
"We didn't play the way we would have liked to against Oregon and we tried to make that an emphasis point coming back," Colorado defensive coordinator Tyson Summers said earlier this week. "Unfortunately we gave up an explosive run against Washington State early (a 47-yard touchdown run) and we gave up an explosive run early against USC (a 37-yard scoring run). But after that we were able to hold them when we needed to for the most part and made them one-dimensional to some degree. I do think we're improving; it's something we're certainly working toward to get better each day."
UCLA is getting most of its run game production from junior running back Josh Kelley, who has 735 yards and eight touchdowns on 153 carries. That includes a 164-yard, four touchdown effort in last weekend's win over Arizona State. The Buffs are familiar with Kelley, as he ran 12 times for 124 yards in last season's 38-16 CU win in Boulder.
But coach Chip Kelly's Bruins have another capable back in junior Demetric Felton (311 yards on 70 carries), and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has rushed 72 times for 156 yards and three scores.
"They're doing a nice mix of some new stuff with multiple tight ends and tight end sets, and a lot of stuff that he used to do back at Oregon," Summers said of Kelly's offense. "They have a talented group of tight ends that they're using to help the offensive line."
The Bruins can also throw the ball. Thompson-Robinson is 126-for-215 for 1,611 yards and 15 touchdowns this year, but he has also thrown seven interceptions. Backup quarterback Austin Burton has stepped in when needed and completed 32 of 50 attempts for 284 yards and a score.
 "They have a lot of different schemes and you have a couple backs that can really run it well," Summers said. "They also have two really talented quarterbacks that give them the ability to be dynamic and dual threat."
Felton is the Bruins' leading receiver with 36 catches for 439 yards and three touchdowns, with wide receiver Kyle Phillips right behind at 34-for-381 and five touchdowns.
CU's run defense was helped last week by the return of healthy nose tackle Jalen Sami, who had been hampered by an injury. After missing the Washington State game, he returned to play 30 snaps and finish with three tackles, including one for loss. But more importantly, the 6-foot-6, 320-pounder attracted a regular double team inside, allowing CU's linebackers to defend the inside run.
"Ultimately, it is about stopping the run and trying to convert over to pass and put pressure on the quarterback and really just get some reliefs for our DBs, who are pretty young back there," Tucker said. "We have to take care of them by stopping the run and getting pressure on the QB."
The Buffs' run defense also received a boost from the return of junior Mustafa Johnson, who played 40 snaps and finished with five tackles. It was his most extensive action since being injured early in the Arizona State game Sept. 21.
HEALTHY SHENAULT: Colorado wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. has recovered from some early injuries that hampered his play. He is coming off of a season-best nine-catch, 172-yard effort against USC that included a 71-yard touchdown reception, the second-longest play of his career.
"His body felt good and he was confident mentally that he could go out there and play at a high level," assistant head coach/wide receivers Darrin Chiaverini said. "We all know how talented Laviska is, it's just a matter of him being healthy enough to go out there and perform like he did on Friday. It was fun for all of us, it was fun for him and we need him to play at a high level for us to be successful."
Also against USC, the Buffs ran junior wide receiver K.D. Nixon from the slot on occasion. He caught one touchdown pass from the position, then added another on a very similar route when he was lined up wide.
"We're just trying to find a combination to get us going a little bit," Chiaverini said. "We struggled a little bit in the passing game the last couple weeks and we wanted to get Steven (Montez) some confidence. K.D. has been practicing at a very high level and we wanted to get him some touches. It was a way for us to game plan for No. 3 and get him the ball in space and let him do some things."
MANGHAM NUMBERS: True freshman running back Jaren Mangham has quietly been producing some good numbers in limited action all season. Over the last two games, he has been particularly effective, rushing 15 times for 80 yards, a robust 5.3-yard per carry average.
Mangham has also steadily improved his weekly grade from Pro Football Focus. Last week, after a 7-carry, 38-yard effort against USC, he finished with a 75.5 grade and was credited with 27 yards after contact.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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