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

BOULDER — Colorado coach Karl Dorrell summed up what has been a frustrating season so far for the Buffaloes earlier this week in one simple sentence:

"We're getting bits and pieces of some really good performances and we just have to put it all together."

Indeed, for myriad reasons, the Buffs have seldom — twice, actually — managed to meld together solid efforts from their offense, defense and special teams in the same game.

Those two instances, of course, resulted in victories — an opening 35-7 win over Northern Colorado and a 34-0 win over Arizona in mid-October.

Otherwise, the Buffs haven't been able to put together complete games. They had good defensive efforts against Texas A&M, Minnesota and Arizona State (before wearing down against the latter two); and their offense has shown flashes of both big-play capability and the ability to put together long, sustained drives (most notably four touchdown marches of 65 yards or longer last week in a loss to Oregon).

But the only week-to-week, consistent efforts have been turned in by CU's special teams. Colorado's punting, kicking, return and coverage teams have been well above average all season.

Now, with a 2-6 record (1-4 Pac-12), the Buffs have four more opportunities to put together a string of games in which they play complementary football.

"It's a critical month that we end up this season playing our best football in all three phases," Dorrell said.

CU's next chance at playing that kind of football comes Saturday against Oregon State (5-3, 3-2) in a 5 p.m. matchup at Folsom Field (Pac-12 Network).

The Beavers have thus far this season been a good example of what a patient rebuilding effort can produce. Now in their fourth year under head coach Jonathan Smith, they are on the cusp of ending a streak of losing seasons that reached seven last year and qualifying for their first bowl game since 2013. They already own wins over USC, Washington and Utah, and are still in contention for a Pac-12 North title.

"It will be a good challenge this week for us," Dorrell said. "They're a good team."

Our weekly Fast Five:

1. Stop Oregon State's run game. Beavers running back B.J. Baylor is quietly putting together one of the best seasons in the nation this year. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound junior leads the Pac-12 with 10 rushing touchdowns and has surpassed the 100-yard mark five times this year, including 158 yards against USC and 152 against Utah.

The Buffs, meanwhile, have struggled against the run recently, especially with linebacker Nate Landman sidelined (he likely won't be available this week). Three of CU's last four opponents have rushed for more than 200 yards.

But Colorado has to figure out a way to shore up its run defense without Landman. If the Buffs can contain Baylor and prevent OSU from putting together long, sustained drives, it will force the Beavers to the air.

2. Make QB Chance Nolan uncomfortable in the pocket. Nolan took over the starting job in the second week of the season after former Buffs QB Sam Noyer struggled in the opener. Since then, he's had some terrific performances, including some big numbers in wins over USC and Utah.

But he'd also had some rough outings, including a two-interception game last week in a loss to Cal and an 11-for-25 day with two interceptions in a loss to Washington State.

The Buffs have to get to Nolan early, disrupt him in the pocket and produce a turnover or two.

3. Continue to find the offensive balance that began to show up last week. While Colorado rushed for just 117 yards last week against Oregon, a big chunk of those yards came on the Buffs' four scoring drives. Meanwhile, the passing game was as efficient and effective as it has been all season, with QB Brendon Lewis and WR Brenden Rice connecting for some big plays.

Much of that is due to an offensive line that seems to have discovered some rhythm and continuity after a coaching change. Dorrell credited the line's improvement to "new energy."

CU needs to channel more of that energy into a consistent effort Saturday. If Colorado can control the rhythm early and force the Beavers to play catchup, the Buffs will have an opportunity to be in the game down the stretch.

4. Win the explosive play battle. The Beavers have been excellent in this category this year, with 44 plays of 20 yards or more. Interestingly, OSU's three longest plays of the season are all rushes — 68, 66 and 50 yards by Baylor.

Colorado, meanwhile, has just 18 plays of 20 yards or longer, but 10 of those have come in the last three weeks.

If the Buffs can produce a handful of those momentum plays, and prevent Baylor from busting loose, they can keep the tempo in their favor.

5. Start fast. This hasn't been a CU trait this year. The Buffs have scored just one first-quarter touchdown this season (against Texas A&M).

But they need to put the Beavers behind the 8-ball early Saturday. OSU is 4-1 when leading at the half this year and 1-2 when trailing at intermission. When trailing or tied after three quarters, the Beavers are 0-3.

Colorado can't afford to wait to get its offense cranked up this week and the defense has to produce some early stops. CU's last two opponents have scored on their first five possessions of the game (Oregon actually pushed the number to seven).

That's a trend that has to change. The Buffs have to get on the board early and combine that with some defensive stops.

If they can make the Beavers play from behind (we'll pretend 2018 never happened), they will have confidence on their side in crunch time.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu