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Brooks: Day's Need Was
'D' But Buffs Didn't Deliver
TUCSON, Ariz. - Colorado
changed quarterbacks here Saturday in hopes of generating a little
more offense - and the Buffaloes got a little more than in five
previous Pac-12 Conference blowouts. Just a little 'D' was needed -
but the Buffs delivered even less than that.
There are plenty of horrific stats being
accumulated in CU's waning 2012 season, but what happened in
Arizona Stadium offers an ugly encapsulation: Arizona's 574 yards
in total offense was only the fourth-highest total by a CU
opponent this fall. And the Wildcats' 56 points were only the
third-most allowed by the Buffs. But it was the fifth time
a 2012 opponent has put up 50 or more points on them.
CU's carnage by yards: Fresno State, 665;
Oregon, 617; Arizona State, 593; Arizona, 574. The beatings by
points: Oregon, 70; Fresno State, 69; Arizona, 56; ASU, 51; USC,
50.
CU's defense has forgotten how to spell S-T-O-P.
And as for stopping the run, well, check with Arizona's Ka'Deem
Carey, who spent as much time in CU's secondary as the Buffs'
DBs.
Carey on, Ka'Deem - and he did, rushing for a
Pac-12 record 366 yards and five touchdowns. He turned in a
career-long 71 yarder, a 64-yarder, and accounted for 14 of the
Wildcats' 16 rushing first downs. When the Buffs closed their eyes
Saturday night, they might have still seen Carey running past
them.
And Arizona's numbers could have been uglier.
Backup quarterback B.J. Denker started instead of Pac-12 total
offense leader Matt Scott, who sat this one out with a concussion.
Scott accounts for 357.4 yards a game, and his expected absence,
according to CU defensive coordinator Greg Brown, had the Buffs
focused on dealing with Carey.
Brown called Scott a "tremendous player . . .
sure, you're looking at who might replace him. But we knew the
whole issue was going to be (Carey). There was no secret. That was
a big deal all week for us in our preparations. We had a certain
goal to keep (Carey) contained and obviously didn't happen."
Brown said his unit had seen hours of tape
demonstrating Carey's ability to "break-kick" out of tackles. "That
was no surprise," he said. "Our defenders knew that going in. Coach
(Rich) Rodriguez has implemented a great system and (Carey) fits
that to a 'T.' With all those cutback runs, if you're not in your
gap then he's going to hurt you. And he obviously hurt us to a huge
extent."
The Buffs couldn't have slowed Carey with a
restraining order, and the fact that they once again missed tackles
and blew gap assignments compounded their long day of being run
into the ground...more
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