Colorado University Athletics
Takeaways From Buffs' Win Over TCU
September 03, 2023 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — In the span of barely 24 hours, seats on the Colorado Buffaloes' bandwagon have become much, much more popular.
The number of folks who believe in Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders' team has grown substantially, and for good reason. The Buffs opened their season Saturday by claiming a thrilling 45-42 win at No. 17 TCU, a game in which they were 20-point underdogs.
Now, it seems, everyone believes — even the national "experts" who had little faith in Sanders' plan.
That's OK with Coach Prime. After taking some of the doubters to task in his post-game press conference Saturday, he also added that there is plenty of room on the Colorado success express.
"Now everybody wants to believe," Sanders said with a grin. "I'm good with that. We got room."
Saturday's win proved to be an eye-opener for a variety of reasons, the biggest of which is the Buffs accomplished just about everything people said they couldn't against last year's national title runner-up.
Colorado moved the ball at will on offense, made enough plays on defense and when push came to shove in crunch time — when the Buffs could have been melting in the Texas heat — CU had the juice and the Frogs came up empty.
Now, the Buffs begin preparation for next Saturday' home opener against old rival Nebraska (10 a.m., Fox), a game that kicks off CU's celebration of 100 years at Folsom Field and one that might provide the most frenzied Folsom setting in a couple of decades.
But before we start focusing completely on the Huskers, let's take one more look at the Buffs' win in Fort Worth with our weekly takeaways:
1. Coordinator Sean Lewis' offense is a beast. Yes, Captain Obvious checking in here. But, the Buffs' offensive effort is worth mentioning again because of what Lewis and the other offensive assistants have done in such a short period of time.
Lewis' up-tempo attack is the perfect match for quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Colorado's fleet corps of receivers. The game plan put Sanders in position to make plays and he responded with a sparkling 38-for-47, 510-yard, four-touchdown effort — the most yards by any quarterback making his FBS debut since 1996. For his efforts, he was named Sunday as the Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the week.
The game plan had the Horned Frogs on their heels all day. They couldn't concentrate on stopping one receiver because the Buffs have a bevy of talented wideouts, as well as speedy running back Dylan Edwards. The Buffs threw downfield with success, they spread the ball around — and then put Edwards in space with the ball in his hands, resulting in short throws that produced touchdowns of 75 and 46 yards.
Now that defenses have had a chance to see the Buffs in action, it will be interesting to see how opponents choose to defend CU's offense. But if Saturday is any indication, the task won't be an easy one.
2. Kudos to CU's offensive line. Speaking of masterful jobs, you have to tip your hat to O-line boss Bill O'Boyle, who followed Lewis from Kent State to Colorado. Lewis took a group that had never played together and turned them into a solid, cohesive unit.
From a pure statistical standpoint, the line didn't have a dominating performance. Colorado gave up four sacks and the Buffs finished with just 55 yards rushing.
But, they did give Sanders a clean pocket for most of the day and when the Buffs absolutely had to run the ball, they were successful. The Buffs scored two red zone rushing touchdowns, converted two key third-and-short situations on the ground and were successful just often enough with the run game to keep the Horned Frogs honest.
3. Travis Hunter is a generational talent. If Colorado's wide receiver/cornerback isn't at least mentioned in the Heisman Trophy chatter this week (along with Shedeur Sanders), voters might want to rethink their duties.
Hunter proved he can be an impact player on both sides of the ball with a yeoman effort that saw him play an almost unthinkable 144 snaps (80 on defense; 64 on offense), shattering the previous CU record of 114 for most snaps in a game.
Hunter led CU in receiving yards, catching 11 passes for 119 yards, including a leaping 43-yard grab on third-and-16 late in the game to keep a Colorado drive alive. Defensively, he recorded a critical interception deep in CU territory to end a Frogs drive, and he also added a touchdown-saving tackle and three pass breakups.
The only question now is how much more Hunter can do — and how long it takes for the national media to take full notice.
4. Dylan Edwards is electric. We'll stick with the obvious here because you can't look back at a game and not mention a guy that scored four touchdowns.
CU's freshman RB isn't big (5-9, 170). But as Coach Prime said, when Edwards looks in the mirror he sees "a 215-pound man that's probably about 6-4." But what everyone else sees is a player with game-breaking speed, terrific instincts and the God-given ability to make people miss.
Edwards ran just six times for 24 yards, but he also caught five passes for 135 yards and three scores and had a very impressive 142 yards after catch.
His presence in the backfield presents a huge problem for defenses because he's such a dynamic receiver. If they cover him with a linebacker, he'll take short passes and go the distance. If they cover him with a DB, it means another one of CU's receivers is open.
And, he is a capable running back who can hit a hole up the middle in a hurry or get outside and pick up big yards. Edwards is a perfect fit for Lewis' offensive arsenal who will continue to give D-coordinators headaches.
5. Role players stepped up. Three names you probably weren't counting on having a big impact on Saturday's game? Try Sy'veon Wilkerson, Deeve Harris and Bishop Thomas.
Wilkerson is the 5-9, 210-pound running back listed fifth on CU's depth chart. But he led Colorado in rushing Saturday (13 carries, 45 yards, one touchdown) and he gave the Buffs a power presence from the position. Along with his touchdown run, Wilkerson had several other bursts when he literally bulled defenders over for extra yards in critical situations.
Thomas is Colorado's 6-2, 305-pound transfer defensive lineman who played nine snaps on defense Saturday and was credited with one tackle assist. But he's also the guy who lined up at fullback on the goal line once for the Buffs and delivered a punishing block that allowed Wilkerson to waltz into the end zone.
Harris is the grad student transfer linebacker (Minnesota and Old Dominion) who wasn't even listed on CU's depth chart this week. He played just six defensive snaps Saturday, uut he was in on a couple of key stops on TCU's last possession — a testament to Colorado's effort to build depth.
6. Special teams work ahead. OK, the Buffs weren't perfect. They had one field goal blocked and also gave up an 86-yard kickoff return that set up a TCU touchdown.
Those mistakes very nearly cost Colorado the game on Saturday. Coach Prime called the special teams effort "horrendous."
You can bet there will be some special time devoted to special teams this week.
7. Tip of the cap to Trevor Woods. CU's junior safety is one of the few holdovers from last season and he had a big impact in Saturday's game.
Woods finished with nine tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. That interception, coming on TCU's second possession of the game, was huge.
The Horned Frogs were in position to match CU's first touchdown, regain some momentum and build some confidence.mInstead, Woods read the play perfectly and stepped in front of the receiver in the end zone to end the drive.
Woods, by the way, was the Buffs' highest-rated defender, according to Pro Football Focus. Woods checked in with an 84.7 grade, just ahead of Hunter's 84.8.
8. Defensive pressure needed. The Buffs will need to step up their pressure on the quarterback over the coming weeks. Colorado did not have a sack or a tackle for loss, and the Buffs were credited with just two quarterback hurries.
Those numbers will have to improve as September continues to unfold, particularly when they square off with the likes of Oregon and USC.
9. But give D-coordinator Charles Kelly some props. Kelly put the Buffs in the right position to make plays just often enough to make the difference. The Buffs aren't huge up front, which means he has to compensate with a variety of stunts, blitzes and other coverages to keep the offense guessing.
Saturday, the defense came up with the game-saving stop. Kelly's acumen will no doubt continue to be tested, but what he and his unit accomplished against the Frogs was impressive.
10. Calm under fire. The Buffs led for most of three quarters, bumping their edge to 10 early in the third period. But what was perhaps most impressive was their poise when adversity hit.
More than a few teams might have checked it in after the Frogs finally took the lead. A few more teams might have called it a day after TCU regained the lead two more times in the fourth quarter.
But the Buffs didn't settle and they didn't panic. They never flinched under pressure and they never blinked. They made plays when they had to and forced the Frogs to try to do the same.
That calm in the face of adversity is a special trait that will serve the Buffs again before this season is over.
