Coach Prime's Buffs Gear Up For Crucial Test Vs. Cincinnati
October 22, 2024 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes know very well what's at stake over the last five games of the season.
The Buffs, 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play, currently sit in a four-way tie for third place in the conference standings, just one game behind co-leaders BYU and Iowa State. That puts Colorado squarely in contention for a Big 12 championship game berth and the College Football Playoff bid that goes to the winner.
Thus, every game has the feel of an elimination game, beginning with Saturday's nationally televised 8:15 p.m. matchup with Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1) at Folsom Field (ESPN).
"We could be in a much better place, but we control our own destiny, and we like that," Coach Prime said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. "So we're going to apply pressure not only to our own team, not only to the coaches, but we're going to apply pressure to the opposing teams, because we want to win out, and we cannot do that without winning Saturday."
The Bearcats, one of the surprising teams thus far in the Big 12, have been playing solid football. They boast a balanced offense (172 yards rushing, 279 yards passing per game) and a stingy defense that has been yielding less than 20 points per game. Their only losses came by one point, 28-27, to unbeaten Pitt and by three to Texas Tech in a wild 44-41 shootout.
"They're playing really good football," Coach Prime said. "If you match up statistically, we're kind of right there with one another. Our defense may have the edge a little bit, but offensively, they have a lot more balance with running and passing the football. I like what they're doing. They're not flashy and it's not a sexy thing, but they get the job done, and I love the way they attack."
But the Buffs have been crafting their own attack style in recent weeks on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, CU is averaging 31 points and almost 400 yards per game. The Buffs are second in the Big 12 in passing with 324 yards per game, with quarterback Shedeur Sanders leading the league in touchdown passes (19), completion percentage (72.2) and passing efficiency (161.6).
But the big story for the Buffs in recent weeks has been the emergence of an opportunistic, attacking defense. Colorado has recorded 16 sacks in the last three games and now leads the conference in total sacks for the season with 21. CU also leads the league in red zone defense with just 17 opponent scores in 25 opportunities and the Buffs have now forced 13 turnovers, which they've converted into 38 points.
CU is now just six sacks away from matching last year's season total.
That progress from defensive coordinator Robert Livingston's group, Coach Prime said, has been the result of a multitude of things.
"Practice, habits, film, study, preparation, them receiving the coaching that administers to them each and every day," he said. "Them understanding what we want. Them really just throwing their hands up and saying, 'I give. I'm going to do it your way. Our way ain't working. I'm gonna do it your way.' And it's working when you have a skilled defensive play caller, when you have two defensive line coaches that have come out of the NFL, and one is a Hall of Famer, when you have guys that actually want it."
Indeed, Colorado defensive line coaches Damione Lewis and Warren Sapp have had a huge impact. Both played in the NFL, with Sapp a Hall of Famer. Throw in the NFL coaching experience of Livingston and it's a pro outlook on a college team.
Of course, they aren't the only CU coaches with NFL backgrounds. Among the others are offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who spent two decades in the league, including two stints as a head coach, and offensive line coach Phil Loadholt, who played for a decade in the league.
" I love pro football coaches," Coach Prime said. "I mean college football coaches, I adore them, but I'm a pro guy. I really like those guys that came from that level because we kind of connect a little better. They understand what I want, what I desire, how I think, a lot better than at the collegiate level. A lot of college coaches, they're wonderful coaches … but some of them rely on scheme. Pros rely on men to consummate the scheme … You gotta place them in those responsibilities that they can handle. And sometimes the collegiate level coaches don't do that."
CU's defense will no doubt be tested by the Bearcats. Bearcats QB Brendan Sorsby is second in the league behind Sanders in passer rating (152.08) and completion percentage (67.2) while throwing for 1,928 yards, 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Sorsby is also a threat with his legs, with six rushing touchdowns.
On the ground, the Bearcats have a solid one-two punch in Corey Kiner and Evan Pryor. Kiner has run for 598 yards while Pryor has run for 318 yards on just 31 carries, with five rushes of at least 30 yards this season and three touchdown runs of at least 55 yards.
Defensively, UC has given up 169 yards per game on the ground, but just four rushing touchdowns. The Bearcats use just three defensive linemen in their base scheme, leaving eight to cover the passing lanes.
That will be an opportunity for Colorado's run game, which is coming off a season-best 148 yards in last weekend's 34-7 win over Arizona. Coach Prime said the Buffs will likely go with Isaiah Augustave as the starting back again after his 53-yard effort against UA.
Augustave leads CU with 180 yards on the ground this season.
"He hits it," Coach Prime said. "He's physical. He runs downhill. He's not second guessing, trying to bounce to the outside. And at times we need that."
