Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Prepare To Return To Action, Prep For UCLA
October 24, 2023 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — With five regular season games remaining, the Colorado Buffaloes need at least two more victories to become bowl eligible.
No doubt, the road to the postseason for Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders' Buffs (4-3 overall, 1-3 Pac-12) got a little tougher two weekends ago when Colorado let a 29-0 halftime lead transform into a 46-43 double overtime loss to Stanford.
But the Buffs, with a bye week of rest and preparation under their belts, have a chance to add another mark on the "W" side of the ledger Saturday when they travel to California for a 5:30 p.m. (MT) meeting with No. 23 UCLA (5-2, 2-2) at the Rose Bowl (ABC).
Chip Kelly's Bruins, coming off a 42-7 dismantling of Stanford, are solid double-digit favorites. UCLA switched starting quarterbacks last week, going back to junior Ethan Garbers in place of true freshman Dante Moore, who had thrown pick-six interceptions in each of UCLA's previous three games.
Garbers, who hadn't started since the season opener, was a workmanlike 20-for-28 for 240 yards and two touchdowns as the Bruins dominated the Cardinal.
But Sanders said the Buffs aren't as concerned about who will start at quarterback as they are with preparing for a Kelly-coached team. Sanders had a chance to visit with Kelly several years ago when he took his son Shedeur to a camp at UCLA.
"You're not preparing for the individual," Sanders said. "With them, you prepare more for their coach and their coach is phenomenal. I'm a Chip Kelly fan. I really am. I love what he's brought to college football."
But this is not a "typical" Kelly team. While most of his previous squads have earned attention because of their offense, this year's Bruins are making noise with their defense. Coordinator D'Anton Lynn's group is 11th in the nation in yards allowed (282.6 per game) and 10th in scoring defense (14.86 per game) and they have forced 16 opponent turnovers (7 fumbles and 9 interceptions), tied for fourth-most in the nation.
The Buffs, meanwhile, are still searching for answers on defense, as they are giving up nearly 36 points per game this year — 124th in the nation.
But there have been no issues with Colorado's offense, led by quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The Buffs are scoring more than 34 points per game and Sanders is second in the country in passing yards per game (345.7) and third in touchdown passes (21).
If Coach Prime had been given his druthers, CU wouldn't have had a bye week in the aftermath of the Stanford loss.
"We need to maintain and keep on going," Sanders said. "I want to keep on going, I want to keep on moving. I want to keep on progressing."
But the bye week did give some banged-up Buffs some extra time to heal. Sanders said tackle Savion Washington was back at practice this week and could be ready Saturday, which would be a big boost for CU's struggling offensive line.
ADDRESSING THE LINEN: One area that has been a big focal point for the Buffs since the Stanford game has been penalties. Colorado was flagged 17 times for 127 yards in the game, with the majority of those being unforced errors: false starts, too many players on the field and unsportsmanlike conduct fouls.
This season, CU has been flagged 69 times, tied for most in the nation.
"We did a synopsis for the whole season, a game-by-game breakdown," Sanders said. "What are the most penalized groups? What are the least penalized groups? What are the penalties? What did they consist of? Are they before the whistle, after the whistle type of penalty? We have addressed all of that and adjusted. You should see a tremendous improvement this Saturday."
ANOTHER SELLOUT: With UCLA announcing that Saturday's game is a sellout, the Buffs will be playing their eighth straight game this season in front of a sellout crowd — a program record ... Saturday's game, to be televised by ABC, will be the Buffs' fifth game this season on a national network, also a program record.
PAC-12 LEADERS: Shedeur Sanders is second in the Pac-12 in yards per game passing (345.7) and touchdown passes (21) … WR Xavier Weaver is fourth in receiving yards per game (90.1) and third in receptions per game (7.1) … Safety Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig is tied for the league lead in interceptions with three and Trevor Woods is tied for fifth on the list with two.
FIRST LOOK UCLA: After winning their first three, the Bruins have lost two of their last four — but both losses came against ranked teams (No. 11 Oregon State and No. 13 Utah).
As mentioned earlier, UCLA's defense has been outstanding. The Bruins have given up more than 17 points just once — a 36-24 loss to Oregon State — and they have held five opponents to 14 points or less. Those numbers are even more impressive when you figure those defensive numbers are inflated by three opponent touchdowns on interception returns (including one by Utah in a 14-7 Utes victory).
Along with forcing 16 opponent turnovers this year, the Bruins' defense has also recorded 24 sacks. That's a number that will no doubt be of concern to Colorado, as CU has yielded 35 sacks this year, among the most in the nation.
UCLA leads the Pac-12 in rush and pass defense, allowing just 214 yards per game in the air and 68.6 on the ground.
Linebacker Darius Muasau has been a one-man wrecking crew for UCLA this year with 38 tackles — including four sacks — as well as an interception and two pass breakups. Defensive lineman Laiatu Latu has 6.5 sacks and DB Alex Johnson has a team-high three interceptions.
Offensively, the Bruins are averaging 249 yards per game in the air and 216 on the ground. Garbers brought some stability to the air attack last week at quarterback, but UCLA's bread and butter has been running backs Carson Steele and T.J. Harden. The two have combined for 987 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
DAY OFF: The Buffs returned from their short bye week break on Sunday and practiced Sunday and Monday before taking a day off Tuesday. They will practice again Wednesday and Thursday before flying to California on Friday for Saturday's game.
