Buffs Notes: Lewis Steps In At Safety, Buffs Continue Preparation

BOULDER — Karl Dorrell's 2-0 Colorado Buffaloes continue to prove that "next man up" is more than just a saying.

Last Saturday's 35-32 win over Stanford provided the latest example when injuries forced the Buffs to turn to the next man on the depth chart, and in each instance, the production didn't suffer any dropoff.

The list included senior starting guard Kary Kutsch moving to center, junior Chance Lytle making the first start of his career at guard, and junior Isaiah Lewis stepping in as the starter at safety in place of injured Chris Miller.

Each played well.

But it might have been Lewis who turned the most heads, as he not only played every defensive snap for the Buffaloes, but also graded out as the highest-ranked safety in the Pac-12 by Pro Football Focus.

Lewis has been perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises for the Buffaloes this season. After playing mostly special teams last season, the junior has stepped in and become a significant contributor by being able to play three positions on the back end of the defense,

"Here's a guy that's been under the radar," Dorrell said. "He's had a really good training camp for us. He plays a number of positions in our secondary … He played well, but I'm not surprised by that. He showed me that he's ready to fill in any of those roles. He's trending up."

Lewis, a 6-foot, 205-pounder from Granite Bay, Calif., played 41 defensive snaps in CU's 48-42 win over UCLA, then was one of three Buffs to be on the field for all of Colorado's 79 defensive snaps against Stanford. He leads the team in pass breakups (five), and he has seven tackles, a quarterback hurry and three third-down stops to his credit.

So what has fueled his jump this season?

"I think just the attention to detail and the emphasis on leadership we've created," Lewis said. "It's made a really big difference. Just homing in on details and little things."

Lewis last year was coached by defensive coordinator Tyson Summers, who oversaw the safeties. This year, the safeties are coached by Brett Maxie. But Lewis said the entire defensive staff is having an impact on the secondary.

"Coach Meat (Demetrice Martin), Coach Maxie, Coach Summers — the whole defensive staff have made a really big effort to get everyone on the same page and make sure everyone's ready to perform," Lewis said. "They've made a big difference."

Lewis has been the textbook definition of patience and preparation for the Buffs. He came into the year with most of his experience coming from special teams, having just 29 defensive snaps to his credit in the previous two seasons.

But he never stopped preparing, never stopped studying the playbook and made the most of his special teams work.

"I follow the motto of, 'Trust the journey and stay true to the process,'" he said. "Some guys get on the field immediately and some guys have to work their way in. Just staying loyal to special teams, making sure I'm staying in the playbook and keying in details was a difference maker. Just continuing to follow details is what I stuck to and I think it worked out for the best."

STILL WAITING: While the Buffs are still preparing as if they might play a game this weekend — their originally scheduled game with Arizona State was canceled because of ASU's coronavirus outbreak — the chances of a game this weekend appear to be getting slimmer with each passing day.

Thus, Dorrell and his staff are taking advantage of the opportunity to work on some of the issues that need correcting.

"This week's a good week for us to kind of shore up some of the things that have been kind of plaguing us a little bit," Dorrell said after Wednesday morning's practice. " There's some things we can definitely work on on both sides of the ball that can help us be a little more efficient."

A weekend game is not out of the question. Last week, the Pac-12 matched up Cal and UCLA for a Sunday game on Friday, and such a scenario could ostensibly unfold again this week for Colorado. There is also the chance that CU could still find a non-conference opponent.

But if the Buffs don't get a game, the week will still offer them a chance to work on fundamentals and heal up some of the injuries that have occurred over the last couple of weeks.

OFFENSIVE NUMBERS: After two games, Colorado leads the Pac-12 in scoring (41.5 points per game) and is third in yards per game (478.5).

Colorado's balance — a Dorrell priority — is also evident in the numbers. CU is sixth in passing yards per game (258) and fourth in rushing (220.5).

But maybe the most impressive offensive number posted by Colorado thus far is red zone performance. The Buffs have not only scored on all 10 trips inside the 20, they have scored nine touchdowns in those 10 trips — a league-leading 90 percent.

DEFENSIVE NUMBERS: While the Buffs have given up 37 points per game, most in the Pac-12, they also lead the conference in fumbles recovered (four), along with one interception.

The defense has also paved the way for the offense's early success in both games, and has come up with critical stops when most needed as well.

The next step, Dorrell said, will be securing a few more of those takeaways. The Buffs had their hands on the ball on several occasions last week against Stanford, but couldn't quite come up with the turnover.

"We had hands on balls," Dorrell said. "If we had two or three turnovers from those situations, the score's a different score. But we're getting better. There's no question we're getting better."

Meanwhile, Dorrell said the CU staff is becoming more and more familiar with the strengths of each player on defense. That, he said, will allow the defensive staff to tailor its game plans and schemes to best fit what each player does well.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu