Friday's Fast Five: Keys For Buffs Vs. UCLA

PASADENA, Calif. — Just in time for the Colorado Buffaloes, the UCLA Bruins are playing their best football of the year.

After losing their first three games, and five of their first six, the Bruins (3-5 overall, 3-2 Pac-12) have turned things around with two straight victories (Stanford and Arizona State).

The Buffs (3-5, 1-4), meanwhile, have traveled almost the opposite path. Winners of three of their first four, they have since lost four in a row and need a win to get themselves back on the right track and remain in contention for a bowl bid.

The Buffs' October woes were the result of a variety of issues. The offense struggled in a pair of lopsided road losses; the defense has played well in stretches but has yet to hold an opponent under 30 points; and penalties have been a problem throughout.

Chip Kelly's Bruins, meanwhile, have turned to the run game to get back on track while also playing improved defense. UCLA has rushed for over 200 yards in each of its last four games while the defense held Stanford to 16 points and Arizona to 20.

So what must the Buffs do in order to end their losing streak and start November off on a good note?

1. Stop the UCLA run game. While there are still elements of Kelly's old Oregon offense in the Bruins' attack, he has also added a little more straight-on power. UCLA regularly utilizes a pair of big tight ends to supplement the run game blocking, and the results have been good, as they are averaging more than 220 yards per game on the ground in Pac-12 games.

But the CU defense has been solid against the run in recent weeks. CU is fifth in the league in rushing yards allowed in conference play, giving up just 136.6 yards per game. If the Buffs can bottle up the Bruins' run game and force UCLA to the air, they have a chance to force some game-changing mistakes. While CU's injury-depleted secondary has had some tough moments recently, forcing the Bruins to throw still offers Colorado's best chance of keeping UCLA in check.

2. Force UCLA offensive mistakes. In every close game the Buffs have played — three wins and three losses — they have won or stayed even in takeaways/turnovers.

Turnovers, meanwhile, have been the Bruins' downfall, as they've come up on the short end of the turnover battle in four of their five losses. That includes seven interceptions thrown by quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and seven lost fumbles.

Winning the turnover battle hasn't guaranteed the Buffs a victory, but when they win or keep it even in that department, they've been in the game down to the wire. That includes last week's loss to USC, when they had four chances to end two Trojans drives by claiming a fumble, but couldn't come up with the ball.

If the Buffs can produce a couple of those moments Saturday and continue to take care of the ball on offense, they will be in good position down the stretch.

3. Continue to run the ball with authority. This is another area in which Colorado has steadily improved. The Buffs have increased their rushing totals every week in Pac-12 play, and it's a trend they need to continue Saturday.

The Bruins have played good defense against the run, yielding just 143.4 yards per game, and they held Stanford to just 55 yards on the ground in a 34-16 win. But the Buffs have added some interesting tweaks to their attack, most notably utilizing quarterback Steven Montez on planned runs, a scheme that produced some big plays last week against USC.

Those successful runs also seemed to help get Montez into a rhythm in the passing game. The Buffs need to pound the ball early, control the clock and play the game at their tempo.

4. Stop the penalties. Over the last four games, the Buffs have averaged 10.5 penalties per contest. The yellow flags have killed drives, kept opponents' possessions alive and generally played havoc with establishing any sense of rhythm.

The Buffs have to end those unforced errors. Tucker and his staff have made it a point of emphasis, and sooner or later, it has to sink in. Every opportunity with the ball is critical, and Colorado can't afford to continue administering those self-inflicted wounds.

5. Finish. In three of their losses — USC, Arizona and Air Force — the Buffs have had chances to put the game away in the fourth quarter, and each time they came up short. Against Air Force, it was a special teams miscue. Against Arizona, they came up short in the red zone in the final minutes. Against USC, they needed a defensive stop but missed chances at takeaways.

Saturday, they need to give themselves that chance again in the fourth quarter — and then seal the deal and pick up a win.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

Players Mentioned

Steven Montez

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