Tuesday Buffs Bits: Takeaways And Big Plays; Sun Devils Eye Shenault; Penalties A Concern

BOULDER — After three games, one of the biggest sources of concern for the Colorado Buffaloes' defense is a tendency to give up explosive plays.

On the flip side, the Buffs are also one of the nation's best teams in defensive takeaways.

It is the first item that worries CU head coach Mel Tucker. It is the second that provides at least a small sense of optimism as the Buffs head into their Pac-12 opener Saturday at Arizona State (8 p.m., Pac-12 Network).

In 12 quarters of play this season, plus two overtime periods, the Buffs have yielded 12 touchdowns — and eight of them have come from 25 yards or farther, an average of 2.67 big scoring plays per game. To put that into perspective, Colorado last year yielded just 12 scoring plays of 25 yards or more in a 12-game season.

"I'm very concerned," Tucker said Tuesday when asked about opponents' explosive play production thus far. "We're giving them yards, we're giving them points, we're giving them momentum — and almost every single time it's something basic, a mental breakdown."

It has been in many ways a classic case of feast or famine.

When CU's defense is dialed in — as it has been in the second half for much of the season — the Buffs are solid. CU has given up just three points in the third quarter this season, and just 27 points after halftime. A big part of that has been forcing turnovers at key junctures.

But the Buffs are also yielding big scoring plays at the most inopportune of moments.

"We're playing Nebraska, we get the (96-yard touchdown) flea-flicker, the momentum swings and we have 'em on the ropes," Tucker said. "Our defense had stopped them four times in a row. Then they run a simple play they ran three times the first half and we don't contain the ball. It wasn't that we couldn't contain, it was that we made a decision to go inside and the ball runs up the sidelines for a (75-yard) touchdown. Then we're right back where we started."

In that game, at least, the Buffs were able to come back to tie the game, force overtime and ultimately come away with a win.

But last week against Air Force the Buffs weren't so fortunate. While CU did manage to again overcome an early deficit — this time one produced by AFA touchdown passes covering 81 and 32 yards — the big-play bug bit in overtime when AFA scored on a 25-yard touchdown run on its first play of the extra period .

"It's frustrating," Tucker said. "Explosive plays are going to happen because guys are going to get beat once in a while. But that's not what's happening to us. It's not like someone really just got beat or got run over. They are very basic, rudimentary, fundamental situations that we have shown we know how to handle, but then we have a breakdown. That's when you get guys that are wide open, just running up the field — just gone."

Tucker vowed that he and his coaching staff will correct the problem.

"That's our job as coaches," he said. "If a personnel change fixes it, we'll do that. If we have to find a different way to approach it and fix it, we'll do that. But it is something we will correct."

Meanwhile, Tucker and defensive coordinator Tyson Summers will continue to coach producing turnovers — the art of taking the ball away from an opponent.

In that area, the Buffs are among the nation's best. CU is currently tied for second in the nation with 10 takeaways and is also tied for second in turnover margin (plus-2.33 per game).

Safety Mikial Onu has been the biggest contributor in that area. The senior is tied for the nation's lead in interceptions with three and is tied for fourth — with teammate Aaron Maddox, among others — in forced fumbles with two. Combined, that also makes Onu the nation's leader in forced turnovers with five. Meanwhile, CU senior outside linebacker Nu'umotu Falo is tied for the nation's lead in fumble recoveries with three.

All told, those turnovers are a big reason CU's defense — which has yielded at least 30 points in all three games this year — has been able to withstand the big plays.

"We have to limit big plays," Onu said. "If you take out explosive plays on defense, we've had some really good games. We have to start faster. … They got a touchdown in almost all of the first drives in the first couple of games. We have to work on starting faster and limiting busts in the secondary."

Onu, by the way, is already closing in on the CU record for most forced turnovers in a season (nine), currently held by CU Hall of Famers Dick Anderson and John Stearns. Anderson had seven interceptions and two forced fumbles in 1967; Stearns had six picks and three forced fumbles in 1972.

GOOD PRACTICE: Tucker said he liked what he saw from the Buffs in Tuesday's workout.

"Today was a good day for us, and I say that because these are the types of days that really test you, coaches and players," he said. "Tuesdays and Wednesdays are our really hard days. We call them 'bloody Tuesday' and 'bloody Wednesday' but we really get after it with the pads on. Coaches and players try to find ways to get better and improve, individually and then collectively as a team."

SECONDARY CHANGES: With Maddox out for several weeks with a severe leg laceration, it will mean a new starting strong safety this week, most likely Derrion Rakestraw. The junior came in last week in relief of Maddox and played well down the stretch.

"It's just next man up," Tucker said. "I've talked about it all the time with our players. We need everyone. We coach everyone. We coach our walk-ons. We coach everyone on every play, every day, all the time. And because football, unfortunately, is a game of injuries, that's the nature of the game. Guys get banged up, and the next guy has to step up."

Another Buff who could see some time at safety is converted quarterback Sam Noyer, who also happens to be Onu' roommate.

""He is excited," Onu said. "He is a big, physical and very athletic guy. He always talks to me and is always looking to get better. We watch film together and he'll ask questions on certain plays and stuff. When he gets out there, he'll do well. We have all the confidence in him, just as much as anybody else. He has done really well so far and I'm proud of him. We are going to continue to get better, all of us."

SUN DEVILS WILL BE WATCHING SHENAULT: In terms of total defense — yards given up per game — Arizona State has been good but by no means great. The Sun Devils are 35th in the nation in that statistics, yielding 303 yards per game.

But in the statistics that matters most for a defense — points allowed — the Sun Devils have been outstanding. ASU has given up just 7 points per game in all three outings this year, second-best in the nation.

"They are a hard-playing defense," said CU wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. "They're all ballhawks. They all go hard on every play. We just need to make sure we come in with a good mindset and a good scheme."

There's no doubt the Sun Devils will have their eye on Shenault. In last year's 28-21 Colorado win in Boulder, the CU star scored all four Buffs touchdowns: two 1-yard scoring runs, plus scoring passes covering 3 and 30 yards.

"I definitely expect (ASU's full attention)," Shenault said. "That's why it is a team sport and not an 'I' sport. We have the guys who can do it. Anybody that comes in can get the job done. Everyone has to execute."

Shenault has already produced 16 first downs this year (5 rushing and 11 receiving) and he has two receiving touchdowns and one rushing score. Against Air Force, Shenault touched the ball 11 times (eight catches, three runs) and produced nine first downs, plus a touchdown on a short run.

SLOW STARTS: After scoring a touchdown on their first offensive possession against Air Force, the Buffs did not reach the end zone again until the fourth quarter of Saturday's 30-23 overtime loss. That's when they put together back-to-back scoring drives covering a total of 135 yards.

"We had urgency at the line of scrimmage," quarterback Steven Montez said of the late drives. "You can kind of tell watching the film that we're just kind of slow to get to the ball, slow to get the line of scrimmage, slow making our calls, and slow making our checks, and a lot of that's on me as well. We just need to be faster, quicker, and we need to run at a higher tempo so we can keep their defense off balance."

BIG INFLUENCE: While he's technically not an assistant coach, there's no doubt that former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is having an impact on the ASU coaching staff.

Lewis, the Bengals' head coach for 16 seasons, joined Herm Edwards' ASU staff as a "special advisor" in the offseason.

CU's Tucker knows both Edwards and Lewis.

"He (Edwards) has been really good to me over the years and he's been very supportive," Tucker said. "He's a role model, so to speak for me. I actually know coach Lewis better. I was at Ohio State in 2001 and then he came to the Bengals, so I got a chance to spend time with him over the years. And then once I got to the NFL in 2005, we were in the same division. Those two guys, they looked out for me."

FOCUS ON PENALTIES: After being flagged for just four penalties in the season opener, the Buffs were called for nine infractions against Nebraska and six against Air Force.

Both are too many for Tucker's liking, particularly a handful of procedure penalties on the offense before the ball was snapped.

"It's been a point of emphasis for us," Tucker said. "We have some things that we think are going to help us to eliminate those types of penalties, whether it's a procedure, or whether it's a misalignment or miscommunication on defense. Those are self-inflicted wounds, death by inches, paper cuts, so to speak. They all add up to making it hard to be successful against really good teams. We're addressing those."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu