Takeaways From CU's Win At Arizona
October 20, 2024 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Without a doubt, Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes opened some eyes Saturday with their 34-7 thumping of Arizona on the Wildcats' home field.
(Surprisingly, the nation's AP voters evidently weren't among that group, as Colorado didn't get a mention in the weekly voting.)
But as for the folks who actually matter, this much is guaranteed: the coach of every team remaining on CU's schedule is paying very, very close attention to the Buffaloes.
What those coaches will see when they watch film of Saturday's game is a complete team. The Buffs have a potent offense, a solid defense and consistent special teams. They are making game-changing plays on both sides of the ball, they are limiting self-inflicted wounds and they are taking advantage of opportunities they create.
Now, they are solidly among the contenders for a Big 12 championship game appearance and the College Football Playoff bid that goes to the winner.
That brings us to our weekly takeaways:
1. The Big 12 is still a wonderful jumble of parity. Yes, there is slowly some separation being created, but there are still at least a half-dozen teams — maybe more — who are legitimate contenders for a title game berth.
Saturday saw one more conference unbeaten take a tumble as Texas Tech was walloped by Baylor, 59-35.
That leaves two teams — BYU and Iowa State — with 4-0 league marks, followed by Kansas State, Cincinnati, Colorado and Texas Tech with 3-1 records. Right behind are ASU, TCU and West Virginia at 2-2.
And those teams who were preseason favorites? Of the five teams that received at least one first place vote in the preseason media poll, four of them — Utah, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Arizona — have combined to post a 3-13 league mark thus far.
Since BYU and Iowa State don't meet in the regular season, those two teams could ostensibly run the table and meet in the conference title game. But it's rather difficult to see anyone in the league not having at least one stumble before the season's end.
Iowa State almost had that stumble Saturday, needing a last-minute touchdown to beat UCF — the same UCF squad that Colorado demolished, 48-21, just three weeks ago. BYU also needed a last-minute touchdown to squeak by Oklahoma State on Friday.
The simple truth is that nobody in the league is immune to a slip-up — and whoever continues to improve down the home stretch has a very good chance of advancing to the championship game.
The Buffs are certainly a strong candidate for that group.
2. Colorado's defense continues to improve. Coordinator Robert Livingston's defense is becoming the kind of unit that gives opposing coaches nightmares. They attack from all angles, they force mistakes and they capitalize on those errors.
CU has 16 sacks in the last three games, including seven against Arizona, with 12 different Buffs with at least one sack. They have forced eight turnovers in the last three games, with seven different Buffs with either an interception or fumble recovery. Colorado is tied for 19th in the nation in tackles for loss, averaging 7.0 per game.
And perhaps most importantly, the Buffs are terrific in the second half. Colorado has outscored opponents 107-43 after halftime this year. The defense is giving up just a shade over six points per game after the break, meaning if the contest is close, the Buffs love their chances in the second half.
3. CU's run game is improving. Not that Colorado's ground game is going to grind anyone into submission.
But the Buffs are steadily building a rushing attack that at least forces opposing defenses to respect the run — and that creates more opportunities for the passing game.
Colorado ran for a season-high 148 yards against Arizona, a respectable number. Isaiah Augustave and Charlie Offerdahl each finished with 53 yards rushing, with Offerdahl recording the longest run from scrimmage this year by a Buff, a 39-yarder late in the game.
But maybe the most important number from the rushing attack came on first down. Colorado ran the ball 17 times on first down and averaged a very healthy 5.1 yards per carry on those attempts. That meant manageable down-and-distance situations on second and third down for much of the game, which gave offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur plenty of options.
4. Colorado's depth is making a difference. A year ago, CU hit the midpoint of the season with a 4-2 record and a growing list of injuries. The Buffs simply didn't have the depth to fill the gaps created by those injuries and that was a big contributor to CU's 0-6 finish.
But the narrative is much different this year. Injuries — simply a part of the equation for every football team — aren't creating near as much of a toll. The Buffs are plugging in new players and they are producing.
Just look at Saturday's game. Seldom-used defensive lineman Keaten Wade was pushed into action and he responded with a pair of sacks. Backup defensive back Colton Hood, getting time for the second week in a row because of Travis Hunter's shoulder problem, recorded his second interception and long return in as many games.
Meanwhile, CU's incredibly deep receiving corps continues to produce (five players with at least 16 catches), the defensive line rotation is keeping fresh legs in the game from beginning to end, and the Buffs are developing solid backups on the offensive line.
That kind of depth will continue to be a factor down the stretch.
5. The Buffs are winning the third-down battle. Offensively, the Buffs are 34th in the nation in third-down conversions, successfully moving the sticks on 42 of 94 attempts (45 percent).
Defensively, CU is 38th in the nation on third down, limiting opponents to a 34 percent success rate (34-for-99).
Those numbers are critical on both sides of the ball. CU is keeping potential scoring drives going at a good rate — and limiting opponents' chances at the same time.
6. Big differential in points off turnovers. For starters, Colorado is doing a good job in taking care of the ball (nine turnovers) and in forcing those turnovers (13 takeaways).
But the difference is even more stark in the points off those turnovers. Colorado has given up just seven points off turnovers this year while converting those 13 takeaways into 38 points.
That's a difference-maker in close games and the Buffs are taking advantage of those opportunities at an excellent clip.
7. Pass blocking took a big step forward. The Buffs gave up just one sack against Arizona.
Shurmur's game plan had a role in that improvement as he called plenty of quick-developing plays that allowed Shedeur Sanders to find open receivers in a hurry without having to hold the ball for too long.
But CU's offensive line also had a very solid day in pass protection. Jordan Seaton, Kahlil Benson and Justin Mayers all had grades of 84 or higher from Pro Football Focus in pass protection — a significant improvement overall.
8. CU's front seven rotation is solid. Colorado's inside 'backers, LaVonta Bentley and Nikhai Hill-Green, continue to produce. Bentley had three tackles, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry Saturday while finishing with a 70.5 overall PFF grade. Hill-Green had a team-best eight tackles, including a sack, and a 74.7 PFF grade.
But the Buffs' are also getting production from their interior line and edge rushers. Arden Walker played 21 snaps and finished with three tackles, a sack and an 86.5 PFF grade. Samuel Okunlola had a pair of sacks, Wade had two and BJ Green II had one.
Overall, 10 different Buffs had double-digit snaps up front — the kind of depth that keeps a defense fresh from beginning to end.
9. Confidence continues to grow. As Coach Prime has mentioned more than once, the Buffs no longer hope to play well.
They expect to play well, and it shows in the big plays they are producing. Whether it's a big offensive play, a sack or turnover or simply a critical third-down conversion, Colorado's success rate in all areas continues to grow.
The situation has been like that since halftime of the Nebraska game. Even the recent loss to nationally ranked Kansas State gave the Buffs a little boost of confidence because they know they had a chance to win that game.
Now they expect to win. They expect to make plays that make a difference and that feeling continues to grow within the locker room.
10. Coach Prime's rebuilding plan is working. Maybe no program in America has been under as much scrutiny as Colorado when it comes to utilizing the transfer portal.
But less than two years into the Coach Prime era, Colorado is showing that good use of the portal while also developing young recruits (and young transfers) can produce success.
While the top of CU's depth chart is loaded with upper classmen, there are plenty of youngsters right behind who are making contributions — and will be ready to be even bigger contributors a year from now. They are providing quality depth, making plays and putting themselves in position to be factors down the stretch.
Meanwhile, those older transfers who arrived in Colorado with plenty of experience are giving CU maturity. That's showing up in critical situations. They've been in those situations before and they are delivering.
That's a good sign not only for this season, but in years to come for the CU program.
