Buffs Ready For Visit From No. 25 Cornhuskers
September 07, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — If you sift through all the rivalry chatter and get to the bottom of what is actually at stake Saturday for the Colorado Buffaloes, it becomes simple.
The Buffs' nationally televised 1:30 p.m. matchup with old rival Nebraska at Folsom Field (Fox) is an opportunity.
A very good opportunity.
For starters, it's an opportunity for the 1-0 Buffs to collect a win over a nationally ranked team, something they haven't done since knocking off No. 21 Utah in Boulder in late November 2016. Since then, the Buffs have lost eight in a row to ranked teams, with the 1-0 Cornhuskers (No. 25 in both polls) offering the latest opportunity.
It's also a chance for Colorado to build more momentum in their first year of the Mel Tucker era. The Buffs presented Tucker with a 52-31 win over Colorado State last week in his CU debut; a win Saturday would give Colorado a nice head of steam heading into next week's non-conference finale against Air Force.
And, it is a chance for the Buffs to earn a little recognition as Tucker and his staff go about the task of making Colorado football relevant again. Not that one win would immediately turn the Buffs into title contenders, but a win over a nationally ranked team — one picked to contend for the Big Ten West title — would no doubt be a step in the right direction.
It is why, when asked about the rivalry aspect of Saturday's matchup, Tucker consistently referred to the game as "a great opportunity for us to go out and perform."
Of course, there's plenty at stake for the visiting Cornhuskers as well. It's no secret that all of Nebraska — the entire state — is still smarting from last year's 33-28 Colorado win in Lincoln. The Buffs overcame an eight-point deficit in the game by scoring the last 13 points of the contest, including a 40-yard touchdown pass from Steven Montez to Laviska Shenault Jr. in the final minutes for the win. The fact that it came in Cornhusker legend Scott Frost's first game as the NU head coach only added salt to the wound, one that is still open.
But Nebraska also needs a win to prove the national ranking is deserved. The Cornhuskers opened the season with a less-than-impressive 35-21 win over South Alabama, and the only way to put that performance fully behind them is to produce a solid effort Saturday.
Tucker — no stranger to rivalry games — knows how important the game is to Colorado's fan base. Folsom Field will be a sellout Saturday, the first such home sellout for the Buffs since the 2016, victory over Utah.
"It's going to be great for our players and our coaches, our fans are going to be into it, they're going to be loud," Tucker said. "We're going to have 10,000 plus students there so there's a great atmosphere and a great opportunity for us to go out and perform."
But Tucker has also spent the week making sure his players understand that maintaining their composure from beginning to end will be a key. Momentum swings will occur; how the Buffs react will be critical.
"We talk about it all this time, the pendulum is going to swing back and forth,"Â Tucker said. "You've got to play for 60 minutes and play to win. To keep our guys focused and to keep our guys on an even keel, it's really about playing the next play. We talk to our guys all the time about not watching the scoreboard. It's about our performance and our behavior and playing the next play. That's how you stay focused. I know that all sounds cliche but that's the way you keep guys on an even keel."
Saturday's focus no doubt begins with the quarterbacks. Colorado's Steven Montez threw for 351 yards and three touchdowns in last year's game; Nebraska's Adrian Martinez hit the Buffs with 187 yards passing and one touchdown, along with 117 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
But if both teams' season openers are any indication, defense and takeaways will be huge factors. The Buffs had a 4-0 edge on CSU in the turnover department, including one for a touchdown (a fumble recovery). Nebraska, meanwhile, had five takeaways — two for scores — as well as a special teams touchdown (punt return).
Nebraska's defense spent its week preparing for Colorado's Shenault, who had 10 catches for 177 yards last year, including the game-winner. But the Buffs last week showed they intend upon running the ball with authority. Sophomore Alex Fontenot ran for 125 yards and three touchdowns against CSU, and his effort caught the eye of NU's Frost.
"He's going to make them better," Frost said. "He's a good all-around player. He runs hard, he can make you pay and create some big plays, so I'm not surprised they put up a bunch of points Saturday with the weapons they have. Like I said, our defense has to be ready for a good challenge."
The Buffs will no doubt be focused on Martinez, as he is the focal point of everything the Huskers do offensively. The sophomore struggled last week in NU's season opener, and as a result, the Huskers' offense never really got untracked.
But the Buffs will also be on the lookout for running back Maurice Washington, who played just one half last week after serving a first-half suspension, but finished with 39 yards rushing on just six carries. He gives Nebraska a weapon on the perimeter, an area Colorado's defense struggled to consistently defend last week.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: CU wide receiver Laviska Shenault vs. the Nebraska secondary. The Huskers had a solid game last week against South Alabama, having a hand in all five NU takeaways. Shenault will no doubt be their focus Saturday. But if NU defenders concentrate too much on No. 2, the Buffs have plenty of weapons elsewhere to make the Huskers pay.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Colorado's edge defenders. NU no doubt saw that the Buffs had trouble containing the perimeter last week and will try to explore that option early. Colorado defenders believe they've cleaned up the problem. If they have, it will greatly reduce the Cornhuskers' options.
THE SERIES:Â Nebraska leads the all-time series by a 49-19-2Â count, which includes a 26-9 advantage in Lincoln and a 23-10-2 edge in Boulder.
NUTS AND BOLTS:
Kickoff: 1:35 p.m., Folsom Field (50,183).
Broadcast: Fox will televise the game with Joe Davis, Brock Huard and Bruce Feldman. KOA 850 will carry the radio broadcast with Mark Johnson and Gary Barnett in the booth and former Buffs star Jeff Campbell on the sidelines..
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
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