Fast Five: Keys For Buffaloes Vs. Oregon State
November 03, 2023 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado's Pac-12 stretch run doesn't get any easier this week.
Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders' Buffaloes face their second top 25 team in a row Saturday when they play host to No. 16 Oregon State in an 8 p.m. game at Folsom Field (ESPN).
The Buffs (4-4 overall, 1-4 Pac-12) need a win to halt a two-game losing streak while the Beavers (6-2, 3-2) are aiming to get back on the right track after dropping a 27-24 decision to Arizona last week.
Colorado's recent slide — the Buffs have lost four of their last five — is the result of a variety of issues, but tops on the list is CU's struggles on the offensive line. The Buffs have given up 42 sacks this year, the most of any Power Five team in the country, and they are averaging a mere 78.6 yards per game rushing, 128th in the nation.
Defensively, Colorado is coming off one of its best efforts of the season in a 28-16 loss to UCLA. The Buffs produced four first half turnovers and kept Colorado in the game into the fourth quarter.
But overall, CU's defense is still giving up nearly 35 points and 475 yards per game.
The Beavers, meanwhile, boast a balanced squad on both sides of the ball. OSU is averaging 187 yards per game on the ground and 252 in the air while scoring more than 36 points per game. Defensively, Oregon State is giving up just 21 points and 346 yards per game.
So how do the Buffs get back on track and collect a Homecoming weekend win?
Our Fast Five:
1. Protect the quarterback. We'll start with the obvious here, but an issue that has to be addressed. Colorado has to find a way to keep QB Shedeur Sanders upright in the pocket.
The seven sacks CU yielded against UCLA are only part of the story. Sanders was hit an additional 17 times in the game and knocked down 13 times. By game's end, he was noticeably limping and Coach Prime admitted that his son took a pain-killing shot at halftime.
OSU has a solid pass rush, with 26 sacks thus far this season. There's no doubt the Beavers will do their best to get to Sanders early and often and the Buffs have to find a way to negate that rush.
One way will be to get the ball out of Sanders' hands more quickly via fast developing routes to the outside. But another key component will be …
2. Establish a run game threat. The Buffaloes have surpassed 100 yards in rushing only twice this season — 193 against USC and 132 against Stanford.
While both were losses, both were also close games. Colorado has to find a way to at least make the Beavers respect the run game.
While freshman Dylan Edwards leads CU in rushing with 262 yards on 58 carries, sophomore Anthony Hankerson might be the Buffs' overall best bet in the backfield. He's rushed for 247 yards, is a bigger and more powerful runner inside and also brings more to the game in pass protection than the smaller Edwards.
Somehow, the Buffs have to at least establish the threat of a run game early. If they can do that, Sanders will have more time in the pocket and more opportunities to make plays.
3. Stop Oregon's run game. Oregon State's DJ Uiagalelei is an above-average quarterback in a league stocked with elite QBs. He's thrown for 1,791 yards and 17 touchdowns this year.
But the Beavers' bread and butter is a punishing run game, led by Damien Martinez (763 yards, 6.4 yards per carry). OSU likes to hammer opponents with the run game, then give Uiagalelei a chance to make plays in short yardage situations.
The Buffs have to keep OSU behind the sticks, which means bottling up the run game on first and second down. If CU can force the Beavers into obvious passing situations, it will be to the Buffs' benefit.
4. Win the turnover battle. Colorado's loss to UCLA produced a very rare statistical anomaly — CU had a 4-0 edge in the turnover battle but still lost the game.
Guaranteed, the Buffs would love to take their chances again with a 4-0 edge, and stopping the OSU run game will be a big step in that direction.
Uiagalelei has thrown just four interceptions this year. But if the Buffs can force him into some uncomfortable situations — and if Colorado DB Travis Hunter is anywhere in the vicinity — they will have the chance for a couple of those momentum-changing moments.
Those are the kind of moments that will have the Buffs in the game down the stretch.
5. Embrace the underdog role. Early in the week, the Beavers were favored by nearly two touchdowns, a situation the Buffs should love.
Truth is, the Buffs are slipping back into the environment they faced when the season began — a team not many expected to succeed.
Colorado thrived in that environment. They upset No. 17 TCU in the season opener as heavy underdogs, then beat Nebraska in what was basically a pick'em game.
They also came close to knocking off USC as heavy underdogs and last week had themselves in position to beat big favorite UCLA headed into the fourth quarter.
Coach Prime needs to get his players back into that "us against the world" mode. If the Buffs can regain that edge, they'll have a chance to collect their second win over a ranked team this season.
