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

TUCSON, Ariz. — While the exterior landscape might be changing for Karl Dorrell's Colorado Buffaloes, the interior view is still the same.

The 3-0 Buffs (2-0 Pac-12) are focused on taking care of the business directly ahead and tuning out the rest.

That means all eyes and attention on Saturday's 5 p.m. game at 0-3 Arizona (FS1), while leaving the chatter about polls and bowls and other outside noise to those who have time to worry about such things.

"I like where we're heading," Dorrell said earlier this week. "These next few games are really important. All of them are important as we know, but we're sitting in a pretty good position in the conference. We have to start taking care of our own business and part of that business is taking care of what's in front of us right now. It's an important game and our players understand that. We're just trying to keep our winning ways going in our favor."

The Buffs are indeed in good position in the Pac-12, sitting a half-game behind USC (3-0 Pac-12) in the South standings. If Colorado can indeed continue its winning ways, it will be in the hunt for a conference title game berth.

The next step is getting a win over the Wildcats, a program that has given the Buffs fits in recent years. UA has won three straight over Colorado, averaging more than 40 points per game in that stretch. Last year's win (35-30 in Boulder) is the last time Arizona tasted victory, with UA having since lost 10 in a row.

But while the Wildcats are struggling with everything from injuries to defections to just plain bad luck, the Buffs aren't taking anything for granted. They know an Arizona team that had a lead over USC with under two minutes to play this year has the potential to have a breakout game at any time, and Colorado wants to make sure that doesn't happen this weekend at Arizona Stadium.

So what must the Buffs do to make their next step in this 2020 season a successful one?

1. Stop Arizona's run game. Traditionally one of the league's better rushing teams, the Wildcats are struggling in that area this year. They are 11th in the league in rushing yards per game (125.7) and their 3.6-yard-per-carry average is last in the conference.

But they do have the potential to move the ball on the ground, as evidenced by their 158 rushing yards against USC. Since then, though, they have struggled to produce any run game consistency, which has left their offense behind the sticks in too many third-and-long situations.

The Buffs need to make sure that trend continues Saturday, which brings us to …

2. Get plenty of pressure on the quarterback. The Buffs don't know if they'll see regular starter Grant Gunnell this week or freshman Will Plummer. Gunnell was injured on the first play of last week's 27-10 loss at UCLA, thrusting Plummer into the fire at a moment's notice.

Either way, the Buffs need to get pressure on UA's quarterback — and make sure they shut down the perimeter in the process. Arizona offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone loves to go sideline to sideline with his offense, and last week, Plummer kept the Wildcats in the game by making plays with his legs.

But the Wildcats have also allowed 11 sacks this year, tied for most in the Pac-12, and Plummer had a pair of interceptions last week against UCLA. If Colorado can put UA in third-and-long situations, they'll have their opportunities to get to the quarterback and end possessions early.

That will fit in nicely to …

3. Continue to control the tempo with a strong run game. For the first time in three contests this year, CU's offense struggled last week. After putting up two long touchdown drives in the first half, the Buffs managed just a pair of field goals after intermission in a 20-10 win over San Diego State.

But the Buffs still managed to control the tempo with a solid rushing attack, something that will be a key against the Wildcats. UA gave up 281 yards rushing in the loss to UCLA, as the Bruins dictated the pace of the game.

This will likely mean a heavy dose of Jarek Broussard, at least early. CU's sophomore running back has been a workhorse, averaging 30 attempts and 144 yards per game thus far. He's shown the ability to get tough yards inside while also making defenders miss once he hits the second level. If the Buffs can get Broussard rolling early, it will not only keep the pace in their favor, it will also open up the passing game.

4. Get QB Sam Noyer back on track. Not that Noyer had a particularly bad game last week. He threw for 139 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for a score, making it three straight games in which he has thrown for a touchdown and run for a touchdown.

But he also had a season-low 58% completion rate, his longest throw of the day was just 18 yards, he threw a critical interception and he was sacked twice — the first time he's been taken down more than once in a game.

The Buffs need to get Noyer back in a groove by giving him time in the pocket, a solid run game to keep the defense honest and maybe a deep ball or two to stretch the defense. If they can do that, they'll be in good shape.

5. Win third down and turnover battles. The Buffs have had a third down edge in every game this year and have won the turnover battle twice (both teams had one in the San Diego State game).

Arizona, meanwhile, has yet to produce a defensive takeaway this season — zero interceptions and zero fumble recoveries — and has converted just 32 percent of its third down tries (15-for-47).

These are trends the Buffs need to continue Saturday. If the Buffs offense takes care of the ball and the defense gives the offense a handful of extra opportunities, CU's chances of ending that three-game skid against Arizona should be very good.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

Players Mentioned

Jarek Broussard

Sam Noyer

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