Fast Five: Keys For Buffs At USC
November 10, 2022 | Football, Neill Woelk
LOS ANGELES — Everybody in the Colorado locker room knows the numbers, as do most — if not all — Buffaloes fans.
In 15 meetings on the football field, Colorado has never beaten Southern California. There have been close games and routs, games in good weather and bad, high-scoring affairs and low-scoring outcomes — but in the end, the Trojans have always walked away with the win.
The Buffs don't have many opportunities remaining to end the skid. The two teams meet Friday night at the Coliseum (7:30 p.m., FS1), with the Trojan scheduled to play in Boulder in 2023. After that, the two teams won't be in the same conference. USC is headed to the Big Ten in 2024, meaning unless the two programs schedule a non-conference matchup down the line, the series is likely over for the foreseeable future.
But for now, all that matters to the Buffaloes is Friday night's opportunity.
The oddsmakers don't give Colorado (1-8 overall, 1-5 Pac-12) a chance against the eighth-ranked Trojans (8-1, 6-1). The Buffs have struggled all season to put together consistency on both sides of the ball while the Trojans have one of the nation's most-productive offenses, led by quarterback Caleb Williams, a Heisman Trophy candidate.
So what do the Buffs have to do to keep this one competitive and be in the game down the stretch?
Our weekly Fast Five:
1. Take care of the ball. It is very difficult to win the turnover battle against the Trojans — in fact nobody has done it this year. In nine games, USC has turned the ball over just twice (an interception against Arizona State and a fumble against Cal), a mind-boggling number.
But if the Buffs can't force a turnover, they can at least take care of the ball and not give USC any extra possessions. That means running backs practicing great ball security and quarterback J.T. Shrout not forcing the ball into windows that aren't open.
Simply, if the Buffs want to be in the game late, they can't give the ball away early.
2. Give the Trojans some looks they haven't seen on film. Normally, making major schematic changes at this point of the season is ill-advised.
But the Buffs have nothing to lose in this case. If CU can show USC something for which the Trojans aren't prepared on both sides of the ball, they can cause some confusion, build a little momentum and perhaps swing the confidence pendulum in their direction.
Big plays can put opponents on their heels. The Buffs could use a few of those Saturday.
3. Be creative and take chances. This doesn't mean the Buffs have to throw flea-flickers on every offensive series or blitz non-stop on defense.
But they can open up the playbook on both sides of the ball, create some big-play moments and allow their playmakers to operate in space.
4. Force USC's secondary to make plays. The key here is making sure Trojans DL Tuli Tuipulotu doesn't have free access to the Colorado backfield all night. Tuipulotu leads the nation this year with nine sacks and is averaging 1.7 tackles for loss per game.
But if CU's offensive linemen — in particular tackles Jake Wiley and Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan — can keep Tuipulotu relatively in check, it will give Colorado a chance to pick at USC's secondary.
The Trojans have an opportunistic back end, but they've also given up some big plays and lots of yards on occasion. Cal's Jack Plummer threw for 406 yards last weekend in a 42-35 USC win.
Colorado needs to replicate that kind of effort.
5. Have fun. Nobody expects the Buffs to be competitive. They should play with that chip on their shoulder.
But the Buffs should also fully embrace the opportunity. Every play will be a chance to earn some respect.
Those are opportunities the Buffs should relish.
