Oct. 5th – Arizona – The Big Picture

Buff killer Kahlil Tate did it one more time to the Buffs, passing for 404 yards and three touchdowns, leading Arizona to a 35-30 win over Colorado in Boulder.

The lead changed hands nine times on the afternoon, with a Nathan Tedford five-yard touchdown run with 6:51 remaining being the deciding score. The Buffs mounted one final drive, but a Steven Montez pass intended for Dimitri Stanley on a fourth-and-four at the Arizona 46-yard line with 2:29 remaining ended CU’s final threat.

Steven Montez completed 28-of-42 passes for 299 yards and a touchdown, while K.D. Nixon added a 38-yard touchdown pass to Dimtri Stanley. Tony Brown, taking over as CU’s lead receiver for the second game in a row in the absence of Laviska Shenault, had 10 receptions for a career-high 141 yards, while Alex Fontenot added 94 yards on 21 carries to lead CU’s ground attack.

“We have a very disappointed locker room”, said CU head coach Mel Tucker. “We have to give Arizona a lot of credit. They made more plays than we made. They executed more often than we did. We felt like in the first half that we left some plays on the field on both sides of the ball”.

The Buffs have struggled mightily since joining the Pac-12, and suffered yet another frustrating loss to Arizona and Kahlil Tate … but looking at the Big Picture, there’s no reason to see the Buffs’ glass as being “half empty” …

Washington falls to 4-2 after 23-13 loss to Stanford … Washington State defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys resigns … USA Today: The Pac-12 is better than you think …

Steven Montez: “If it’s a back and forth game, then we just have to score more touchdowns than they do” … “What the Buffaloes must do to win” … Arizona game approaching a sell-out … Nate Landman wants Kahlil Tate to play – “We want to prove ourselves as a defense” …

Neill Woelk’s Five Keys to CU/Arizona … Something’s Got To Give: Both teams in the top ten nationally in turnover margin; both dominate the fourth quarter … CU Injury Report … Arizona 100th or worse in a number of statistical categories …

Kahlil Tate may or may not play … Laviska Shenault may or may not play … Either way, Arizona is 5th in the nation in total offense, and is tied with CU for the most turnovers gained … Can the Buffs find a way to hold an opponent to less than 30 points? Can Steven Montez maintain the level of play from the Arizona State game? …

Added: Jon Wilner’s Pac-12 Power Rankings (CU No. 6) and ESPN Top 25 Power Rankings (CU in at No. 23) … The middle of the Pac-12 remains muddled at the end of September – will CU be able to create some separation this weekend? …

Buff fans are excited about the future of CU football, but are also (quite understandably) a little leery about whether the 2019 team will earn a bowl bid … Before worrying about how October and November will unfold, let’s take a look back at a September to Remember …

Bye Week Edition … CU 34, No. 24 Arizona State 31 revisited … A look back at 17 years worth of CU futility on the road … UCLA 67, Washington State 63 revisited … Pac-12 Notes of Note … Mel Tucker’s podcast …

There is still a weekend of play in September, yet the Pac-12 is already down to one undefeated team – Cal … Where to the Buffs fit on the Pac-12 Power rankings? Who is the new No. 1 … and the new No. 12? …