Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Notes: Schedule Possibilities, League Leaders, Explosive Plays And More
November 16, 2020 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — With next Saturday's game against Arizona State canceled because of coronavirus issues at ASU, the 2-0 Colorado Buffaloes are now in what coach Karl Dorrell termed "high alert" mode.
It means the Buffs are preparing this week for a number of scenarios that could unfold — and they will do their best to be ready for whatever finally does occur.
The list of possibilities includes:
— No game, meaning Dorrell's squad would simply continue to prepare for their Nov. 28 game at Southern California.
— A change in the conference schedule that would give the Buffs another Pac-12 foe this weekend.
— The addition of a non-conference opponent to the schedule.
There is already precedent for a change in the Pac-12 schedule. Last week, the conference made a late-week decision and sent Cal to UCLA for a Sunday game after both of those schools had their previously scheduled games canceled because of opponents' virus problems.
In Colorado's case, that scenario exists this week because USC is scheduled to play Utah on Saturday and the Utes last week had to cancel their game because of covid issues. If the Utes aren't healthy this week, the conference could ostensibly match the Buffs and Trojans on Saturday or Sunday, then pair Colorado vs. ASU and USC vs. Utah the following week.
Dorrell also acknowledged Monday that CU Athletic Director Rick George is exploring the possibility of adding a non-conference opponent to the schedule for the weekend. Colorado has identified a handful of FBS schools that aren't scheduled to play this weekend, but such a game would require the additional permission of a number of entities. The Pac-12 would have to amend its guidelines to allow such a game, and it would also require the involvement of state and local health authorities.
Given his druthers, the Buffs would no doubt rather have a game this weekend. They are off to a hot start and the chance to continue that momentum is something they would obviously like to have presented.
The best solution from Dorrell's standpoint would be another Pac-12 foe, as he and his staff have already "pre-scouted" all the teams on the schedule.
"I've looked at all the teams and have a preliminary scouting plan for all of our conference members," Dorrell said. "For that to occur, it wouldn't be a tremendously hard thing for us to shift gears. We've already put some work in on all of our conference members that we're playing."
A non-conference game, however, would be considerably more difficult in terms of preparation. CU obviously has not devoted any time to scouting opponents that weren't on the schedule this year.
"I think it would be harder to try to play someone out of conference, that you don't have much familiarity with," Dorrell said. "That's the harder scenario, to get that type of game scheduled, where it's late in the week and all of a sudden you're playing someone you weren't anticipating. That would be more challenging."
Still, if it means a game or sitting at home this weekend, Dorrell said his Buffs want to line up and play.
"We are on high alert for anything and everything that could happen this week," he said. "It's kind of the nature of this year. It's a year when everything can change day to day and we're not going to bat an eye. We're going to rise to the occasion when we get an opportunity and hopefully continue the success we've been having."
LEAGUE LEADERS: After two games, CU running back Jarek Broussard leads the Pac-12 in rushing, averaging 154.0 yards per game. Quarterback Sam Noyer is fourth in yards passing (256.0 per game) and wide receiver Dimitri Stanley is tied for fifth in receptions per game (6.0) and is seventh in receiving yards per game (96).
Also this week, Buffs safety Isaiah Lewis, who stepped into the starting lineup for injured Chris Miller, was Pro Football Focus' highest-ranked safety in the league for last weekend's games. Lewis leads the Buffs with five pass breakups this year.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: Looking back at CU's 35-32 win over Stanford on Saturday, Dorrell said he liked what he saw from all three phases of the game.
After a slow start, CU's offense found its rhythm and put five touchdowns on the board. The defense, meanwhile, had a good start — holding Stanford to field goals on two red zone penetrations in the first half — to help give the Buffs' offense time to get into a groove.
But, Dorrell also noted that the defense had several chances at producing takeaways and couldn't quite capitalize.
"There were at least five or six guys that had their hands on the ball that could have been turnovers," Dorrell said. "That's a good thing that we got our hands on some balls, but we need to execute and finish those opportunities. If we did, the score wouldn't have been as close."
ANOTHER STEP FORWARD FOR NOYER: Dorrell said Noyer continues to improve on a weekly basis — but he'll continue to urge Noyer to play it a little more safely and not put his body in harm's way so often.
Noyer again challenged defenders on several occasions in Saturday's game, including a play when he attempted to leap a defender en route to getting into the end zone. Dorrell playfully referred to the attempt as a "karate kick."
"I want to keep coaching him about getting down and protecting himself and not being exposed," Dorrell said. "I'm going to keep riding him on doing the safer aspects of protecting himself."
Still, Dorrell said those plays are an example of Noyer's competitiveness, and he continues to make strides in every area of the position.
"I love the kid because he is a competitor," Dorrell said. "He's trying to do the right things. He's minimizing his mistakes from one week to the next. He's made some ground that way and he's getting more comfortable."
Dorrell even saw growth in his quarterback after he threw his first interception of the year, an ill-advised long ball early in the game against Stanford,
"He didn't bat an eye, didn't lose focus, didn't get down," Dorrell said. "He just kept fighting, kept going out there. He quickly goes through the process of talking through it, understanding why he did it and moves on from it. That's what you want. You don't want a quarterback that's going to be lingering on things that have happened in the past. That seems not to be his nature. I'm very pleased at where he's progressing."
One play that showed Noyer's growth came in the second half. As Noyer surveyed the defense, he saw the Stanford cornerback cheating toward the line of scrimmage, preparing to blitz from the edge.
Noyer then gave a quick hand signal and nod to wide receiver Brenden Rice, who got the message and found himself wide open when the ball was snapped. The two then connected for a 34-yard touchdown pass.
"They (the Cardinal) made a mistake of not having the safety rotate over the top," Dorrell said. "It was a great read for Sam and Brenden to be on the same page. It was a well-executed play."
MAKING HIS OWN NAME: Rice, son of former NFL great Jerry Rice, had two catches in the game. Dorrell stressed that he has been impressed with Rice's determination to carve his own path, despite the pressures that come with having a famous father.
"It's always unfair when you have a famous dad that's all everything, a Hall of Famer," Dorrell said. "He wants to stake his own claim. He wants to be who he is and not off the coattails of his dad. Brenden Rice is a really good player and he's got a chance to have his own great career and he's going to do it on his own merit … If he continues to trend like he's doing, he's going to be an excellent player."
EXPLOSIVE PLAY IMPROVEMENT: After giving up eight plays of 20 yards or longer in the opening 48-42 win over UCLA, the Buffs cut the number in half against Stanford, yielding just four.
Equally importantly, the longest Cardinal run of the day was just 15 yards, as CU held Stanford to just 70 yards on the ground.
CU's offense, meanwhile, has put up 13 plays of at least 20 yards, including two for touchdowns.
STATS UPDATE: A Sunday review of game film credited Colorado linebacker Nate Landman with 17 tackles, giving him a team-leading 26 for the season. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez had 11 stops and linebacker Carson Wells is right behind with 10. Wells, linebacker Akil Jones and defensive lineman Terrance Lang all have two tackles for loss.
Contact: Neill.Woelkl@Colorado.edu
