Buffs Prepare For Friday Night Matchup Vs. Stanford
October 10, 2023 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — As Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes hit the second half of the season, a primary concern is still the first half — of games.
Friday, CU fans will have the chance to see if the Buffs have successfully addressed that issue when Colorado plays host to Stanford in a nationally televised 8 p.m. game at Folsom Field (ESPN).
The 4-2 Buffs (1-2 Pac-12) have clearly been a second-half team thus far this year.
In six games, Colorado has been outscored 121-72 in the opening half. But after the break — especially in the fourth quarter — Colorado has been a different team. The Buffs have outscored the opposition 74-35 in the fourth quarter this year, while the defense has yielded just 77 points in the third and fourth quarters combined.
At some point, the Buffaloes want to be able to deliver a strong 60-minute performance, something that hasn't happened since their opening 45-42 win at TCU.
"It's not a challenge, it's something that we have to do," Coach Prime said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. "Something we have to do much better. We're better than that. We're better than what we're showing and we're going to prove it."
The 1-4 Cardinal, coming off a bye week, will present an interesting test in that regard. Stanford's defense has been solid early this year, giving up just 24 points in the first quarter. But opponents have feasted on the Cardinal in the second period, putting up 73 points, creating deficits Stanford's offense has been unable to overcome. The Cardinal is averaging just 19.2 points per game this year (119th in the nation) while playing two quarterbacks, Ashton Daniels and Justin Lamson.
CU's slow starts have almost — but not quite — been costly. Colorado had to stage fourth quarter rallies against Colorado State and Arizona State to come away with wins.
That's not a trend they want to continue as they embark on a six-game home stretch that includes four contests against nationally ranked teams.
"We know it's the problem so we just got to find a solution," quarterback Shedeur Sanders said after last weekend's victory over ASU. "We gotta get together and put a stop to the badness that's going on, the slow starts … We just can't afford to keep doing that. (Against) good teams come it's gonna catch up."
Coach Prime made it clear he has addressed the issue with his team and coaching staff.
"Everybody inside our locker room, coaches included, I got their attention," he said. "This ain't a mind game I'm playing, this is real. So I say what I say and I mean what I mean. I don't stutter nor do I stumble. I make it plain. They know who I'm talking to."
HUNTER COULD PLAY: Two-way standout Travis Hunter is back at practice this week, having been cleared to participate after suffering a lacerated liver in the Sept. 16 win over Colorado State.
Last week, Coach Prime said he hoped that Hunter might sit out this week, giving him an extra two weeks to recover (CU has a bye week next week).
But after watching him practice this week, Coach Prime said, "There's a tremendous chance he could play. It goes by how he looks, how he performs in practice. How his wind is. He has to be in shape. I don't want him to be a liability. I want him to always be a tremendous asset. And Travis came to me yesterday morning saying, 'What more can I do to help us get to the point that we need to get to?' I love the team aspect of Travis 100 percent. But I hope he can play."
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Colorado has six players with at least 14 receptions this season, led by Xavier Weaver (43 receptions for 507 yards). Others in double digits are Jimmy Horn Jr. (39-376), tight end Michael Harrison (26-215), running back Dylan Edwards (20-193), Hunter (16-213 in three games) and Tar'Varish Dawson (14-124).
RB DEPTH: Sanders called his running backs group "probably the best collective group on our team."
Edwards leads the Buffs with 217 yards on 47 carries while Anthony Hankerson is right behind with 214 yards on 48 carries.
But, CU is still waiting for a breakout game from Alton McCaskill, who has been fighting injury issues.
"We have a plethora of running backs that can all be that guy based on opportunity," Coach Prime said. "He's been banged up, he's been injured. He's just getting back to really gaining speed at his expectations."
The Buffs have surpassed 100 yards in rushing just once this year, a 193-yard effort against USC. Colorado is averaging less than 79 yards per game on the ground, 129th nationally.
But Sanders hinted that could change Friday.
"It's a daunting task to get these guys touches," he said. "We got to do a better job … You're gonna see (McCaskill) this week. You're definitely gonna see him this week."
DEFENSIVE LEADERS: Cornerback Omarion Cooper and safety Shilo Sanders lead the Buffs in tackles with 32 ... Colorado has 14 sacks this year, with Amari McNeill (2.5) and Jordan Domineck (2) leading the way ... CU still has a plus-7 ratio in turnovers, with the offense having given the ball up just five times and the defense having recorded 12 takeaways ... CU did not have a takeaway in last weekend's win at Arizona State, the first time this year the Buffs haven't forced at least one turnover.
BOWL ELIGIBILITY: Colorado is just two wins away from becoming bowl eligible, something that would be a huge step forward for a program that won just one game last season.
But Coach Prime said a bowl game isn't a concern at the moment.
"We want to win," he said. "I don't give a darn about no bowl right now. We want to win. If that's part of the package at the conclusion of the season, I'm all for it. Thank God when I was in college, we had an opportunity to go to four straight bowl games, which was a true gift that was wonderful … It was a great time. But that's the that's one of my least concerns right now is a bowl."
EYE ON THE PORTAL: While Colorado has received some recent commitments from some highly ranked prep standouts, Sanders said he's not concerned with recruiting rankings.
"I'm not in it for the best recruiting class," he said. "We got to recruit what we want and what we need. I don't give a darn what type of star they have besides their names because once they get here that star is gone, right? … I don't really care about that process. But you know how important the portal is for us. All the guys who are going to be in the portal are not in the portal yet. So I love it that we're very attractive right now. We're very attractive right now to recruits and they're contacting us by the dozens .., We're right where we want to be."
FIRST LOOK STANFORD: The Cardinal have struggled under first-year head coach Troy Taylor. After collecting a 37-24 win at Hawaii in the season opener, the Cardinal has dropped four in a row, including a 42-6 loss to Oregon in its most recent outing.
Stanford is still rotating its quarterbacks and Taylor said this week that strategy won't change until one of them creates some separation in a game.
Daniels started the first four games for Stanford before the Cardinal turned to Lamson against Oregon. Daniels has slightly better passing numbers (48-for-80, 561 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions) but Lamson is a more mobile quarterback and has rushed for 128 yards, a number significantly reduced by four sacks against Oregon.
The Cardinal have given up 18 sacks and 42 tackles for loss this year, a situation that has put the offense behind the sticks in far too many situations.
Stanford does have a pair of solid running backs in Casey Filkins (197 yards rushing) and E.J. Smith (160), both of whom are averaging more than 6 yards per carry.
But the Cardinal have struggled in the red zone, scoring just seven touchdowns in 13 trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Defensively, the Cardinal has been getting outstanding production from outside linebacker David Bailey, who has 19 tackles, including four sacks.
But the Cardinal has not been productive in forcing turnovers. Stanford has recorded just two interceptions this year and has not recovered a fumble.
