Colorado Daily – USC Week

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Colorado Daily – USC Week

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November 11th – Game Day!

… CU in a few minutes … 

Daily Camera: Five USC Players to Watch (All transfers)

From the Daily Camera …

5 Players to Watch

• CB Mekhi Blackmon: A former Buff, he’s had perhaps his best season in college. He’s got 39 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass breakups for the Trojans.

• RB Travis Dye: The Oregon transfer has racked up 864 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. He’s also caught 20 passes for 194 yards.

• LB Shane Lee: A transfer from Alabama, he leads the Trojans with 55 tackles, while also racking up 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception.

• WR Brenden Rice: Although he’s been a starter all year, the Colorado transfer hasn’t been a focal point of the offense. USC might look to get him more involved against his former team. He’s got 23 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown.

• QB Caleb Williams: One of the top players in the country this season, he has completed 64.6% of his passes for 2,742 yards, 28 touchdowns and only one interception. He’s also second on the team in rushing (287 yards), while running for four scores.

USC defense

Although USC is at No. 8 this week, some believe they’re overrated because of their defense. There is a lot of talent on defense, but the group has not been very good, especially in recent weeks. The Trojans don’t give up a ton of points (25.2, 60th), but they are 95th in yards allowed (409.2) and have given up 267.0 passing yards per game (109th). They’ve also struggled on third downs, ranking 106th (42.4%). In the last three games, USC has given up 114 points (38.0 per game)

How Colorado can win

It would be a monumental upset for CU to win this game, and it will take a series of fortunate events to make it happen. For starters, the Buffs have to avoid turnovers and costly penalties — and they have to take advantage of opportunities. They also need JT Shrout to play his best game, the run game to get going and for the defense to do something no other team has done to USC by forcing multiple turnovers.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 10th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Mike Sanford: “We’re gonna go in there with belief”

From the Daily Camera … For Mike Sanford, his coaches and all the players, the number one priority is to play their best possible football game and try to get a victory. However, there is no question that this isn’t just another game for Sanford and many of the Buffs who are from the Los Angeles area.

“I grew up on that sideline, I truly did, really starting in 1989 all the way until ’96,” Sanford said. “I have a lot of great memories in the Coliseum and then even at Stanford, I created some great memories coaching there at the Coliseum. Certainly the 2007 game was one that stands out to me for sure.”

From 1989-96, Sanford’s father, also Mike Sanford, was the USC receivers coach, working for Larry Smith and then John Robinson. The elder Sanford was also a backup quarterback for the Trojans, from 1973-76, helping them win a national title. Sanford’s mother and aunts are also USC alums.

… Playing in front of family and friends, and recalling memories of the past will certainly make Friday special for many of the Buffs. But winning the game is the main objective.

With USC leaving for the Big Ten in 2024, this is likely CU’s last trip to Coliseum for a while. And, the Buffs are running out of chances to snap their losing streak to the Trojans. CU is 0-15 all-time against them.

“Obviously, USC has been at the top of the class in this conference for a long time — at or near (the top),” Sanford said. “It’s gonna be a tremendous challenge, but the key for us is our preparation. … I think (practices) showed that we’re going to be ready for this challenge, physically, mentally, going into this game.

“I’m excited for us to be able to take our team and go and play against a top-10 team in the country. Everybody’s not gonna give us a chance and we’re gonna go in there with belief. That’s what this week in our preparation has been about.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Neill Woelk’s Keys to the USC Game

From CUBuffs.com … Everybody in the Colorado locker room knows the numbers, as do most — if not all — Buffaloes fans.

In 15 meetings on the football field, Colorado has never beaten Southern California. There have been close games and routs, games in good weather and bad, high-scoring affairs and low-scoring outcomes — but in the end, the Trojans have always walked away with the win.

The Buffs don’t have many opportunities remaining to end the skid. The two teams meet Friday night at the Coliseum (7:30 p.m., FS1), with the Trojan scheduled to play in Boulder in 2023. After that, the two teams won’t be in the same conference. USC is headed to the Big Ten in 2024, meaning unless the two programs schedule a non-conference matchup down the line, the series is likely over for the foreseeable future.

But for now, all that matters to the Buffaloes is Friday night’s opportunity.

The oddsmakers don’t give Colorado (1-8 overall, 1-5 Pac-12) a chance against the eighth-ranked Trojans (8-1, 6-1). The Buffs have struggled all season to put together consistency on both sides of the ball while the Trojans have one of the nation’s most-productive offenses, led by quarterback Caleb Williams, a Heisman Trophy candidate.

So what do the Buffs have to do to keep this one competitive and be in the game down the stretch?

Our weekly Fast Five:

1. Take care of the ball. It is very difficult to win the turnover battle against the Trojans — in fact nobody has done it this year. In nine games, USC has turned the ball over just twice (an interception against Arizona State and a fumble against Cal), a mind-boggling number.

But if the Buffs can’t force a turnover, they can at least take care of the ball and not give USC any extra possessions. That means running backs practicing great ball security and quarterback J.T. Shrout not forcing the ball into windows that aren’t open.

Simply, if the Buffs want to be in the game late, they can’t give the ball away early.

… Continue reading story here …

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Defensive coordinator Gerald Chatman learning on the fly (against the nation’s best offenses)

From the Daily Camera … When Colorado defensive line coach Gerald Chatman showed up to work on Oct. 2, he was presented with an unexpected opportunity.

That day, CU fired head coach Karl Dorrell and defensive coordinator Chris Wilson, and offered Chatman the opportunity to take Wilson’s spot.

Although the results haven’t always been pretty in the four games since, Chatman is enjoying his opportunity to grow as a coach and help the Buffs (1-8, 1-5 Pac-12), who visit No. 8 USC (8-1, 6-1) on Friday (7:35 p.m., FS1).

“I’m loving it. I think I learn something new each week,” he said.

The 34-year-old, who came to CU just eight months ago, has been learning on the fly. Although he’s been in coaching since 2010, Chatman had never been a coordinator and had never called plays before his debut on Oct. 15 against California.

His impact has been felt within the building, however, if not always on the stat sheet.

“I love him. I’ve got the utmost confidence in him,” senior linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo said. “The stuff he calls, I’m rocking with it, whether it’s right or wrong, just because him as a person, him as a man. I respect him as a man.”

That respect is part of why Chatman got this opportunity in the first place. Since the change, several players have expressed their confidence in Chatman and their appreciation for the changes made.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 9th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Injury update: Deion Smith; Trevor Woods back at practice – should play Friday

From CUBuffs.com …

INJURY UPDATE: Sanford said both safety Trevor Woods and running back Deion Smith practiced Tuesday and should be ready for Friday’s game.

Smith was injured early in the Oregon game and was held out the rest of the day mostly as a precautionary measure. Woods played most of the game — 46 snaps — and still finished as CU’s leading tackler with 10 stops.

“I think both will be ready for Friday night’s game and I’m excited to see them respond,” Sanford said.

Woods, a sophomore, has emerged as one of CU’s top young defenders. He has a team-leading 77 tackles this year, has forced two fumbles and has one interception. He is quickly earning a reputation around the conference as a fierce hitter with great instincts for the game.

“He really has an all-conference type of future here,” Sanford said. “Just how he continues to grow and his confidence and also as his body continues to get bigger You’re going to see a really good player in him for years to come.”

HONORARY CAPTAIN: Sanford said wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig, who grew up just a few miles from the Coliseum, has been named an honorary captain for Friday’s game.

The Buffs have a number of players from California on the roster, including several from the southern part of the state.

Lemonious-Craig has been a steady performer for the Buffs this season, and he delivered what is without doubt the biggest catch of the year this far, a 22-yard touchdown in overtime that lifted Colorado over Cal, 20-13. For the season, he has 19 catches for 258 yards and two touchdowns.

His role will quite likely grow over the final three games as CU plays without leading receiver Jordyn Tyson, who suffered a season-ending injury late in the Oregon game.

Also expected to pick up some time in Tyson’s absence is Daniel Arias (19 catches, 309 yards, one score).

And, it’s possible the Buffs could see Chase Penry make a return. The sophomore has played in just three games this year as he has been battling injuries, and has just one reception. Players who appear in four or fewer games are allowed a redshirt for that season once in their college careers.

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November 8th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Montana Lemonious-Craig looking forward to USC game: “I’ll be playing 15 minutes from my house”

From the Daily Camera … Montana Lemonious-Craig didn’t grow up as a USC fan and didn’t go to games at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

The Colorado receiver is well aware of the venue’s history, however, and he can’t wait to play there when the Buffaloes (1-8, 1-5 Pac-12) visit No. 8 USC (8-1, 6-1) on Friday (7:30 p.m. MT, FS1).

“I’ve been waiting to go play in the Coliseum,” said Lemonious-Craig, a native of Inglewood, Calif. “Not necessarily that I was a USC fan as a kid, but I grew up seeing the Coliseum and I know the great history that it has, so I’m excited to go in and play there.

“I’ll be playing 20 minutes or 15 minutes from my house. I’m excited to go home, play in front of my family and friends and go out there with a potential chance to get a W. … At the end of the day, it’s another game and I’m going to treat it like every game with my preparation and everything. But it’ll be interesting. It’ll be fun.”

… Tyson had emerged as CU’s top playmaker the past few weeks and leads CU in receiving, with 22 catches for 470 yards and four touchdowns. Without him in the last three games, the Buffs will look to Lemonious-Craig and others to step up.

“That’s like my little brother, so it really hurt me seeing him go down,” Lemonious-Craig said. “Me and him have been a 1-2 punch as the season has being ongoing, so we’ve been playing off each other, getting each other open.”

… Continue reading story here …

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*Video – J.T. Shrout: “Next man up” for receiving corps without Jordyn Tyson”

From YouTube, courtesy of 247 Sports …

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November 7th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Kickoff time set for Colorado at Washington next weekend

From CUBuffs.com …

The Colorado at Washington football game on Saturday, Nov. 19, will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. MST (6 Pacific) and will be televised nationally on the Pac-12 Network.

Other games that day (all times mountain):

12:00 pm – Washington State at Arizona (Pac-12 Network)
12:15 pm – Oregon State at Arizona State (ESPN2)
3:30 pm – Stanford at Cal (Pac-12 Network)

Six-day selections for 6:00pm MT (FOX) or 8:30pm MT (ESPN):

Utah at Oregon

USC at UCLA

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November 6th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Jordyn Tyson lost for the season – “We were just starting to have some fun”

From the Daily Camera … Colorado’s most dynamic player is done for the season.

On Sunday night, interim head coach Mike Sanford said that true freshman receiver Jordyn Tyson suffered a “lower leg injury” in the fourth quarter of the Buffs’ 49-10 loss to Oregon at Folsom Field.

“It’s confirmed that it’s going to be a season-ending injury for Jordyn,” Sanford said. “Obviously really disappointed. He played some fantastic football in that game.

“(Receivers coach Phil) McGeoghan had a quote, ‘We were just starting to have some fun.’ I think that the future is very bright for him and we expect him to make a full recovery.”

Tyson caught five passes for 137 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown, in the loss to the Ducks. With 10 minutes, 7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, quarterback JT Shrout tried to connect with Tyson across the middle of the field, but as the ball got there, so did Oregon safety Bryan Addison, who hit Tyson low. Tyson’s left leg buckled and he was later helped off the field.

“Certainly nothing out of the norm with regards to football,” Sanford said of the injury, “but at this point we’re putting everything in place just to make sure that he and his family, the travel logistics of all of it, are taken care of. It’s great his family was here to support him and we, as a staff and a medical staff, I think we’re here to really put everything in place to make sure that he has the best possible care.”

… Continue reading story here …

Jordyn Tyson notes … 

Tyson finished the Oregon game with five catches for 117 yards. For the season, Tyson had a team-leading 22 catches for 450 yards and four touchdowns.

Tyson averaged 51.6 yards for his five touchdowns (258 yards: four receiving have covered 170, or 42.5 per; one punt return went for 88 yards).

Tyson finished his season with two of the top seven receiving games by a true freshman in CU history, including the second-best yards-wise:

141 (11 receptions), Paul Richardson vs. Kansas at Lawrence, Nov. 6, 2010.
137 (5 receptions), Jordyn Tyson vs. Oregon in Boulder, Nov. 5, 2022.
121 (5 receptions), Paul Richardson vs. Iowa State in Boulder, Nov. 13, 2010.
103 (2 receptions), Josh Smith vs. Baylor at Waco, Oct. 6, 2007.
94 (1 reception), Jeremy Bloom vs. Kansas State in Boulder, Oct. 5, 2002.
94 (5 receptions), Shay Fields vs. Arizona at Tucson, Nov. 8, 2014.
  92 (3 receptions), Jordyn Tyson vs. Oregon State at Corvallis, Oct. 22, 2022.

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Neill Woelk’s Takeaways

From CUBuffs.com … With a 1-8 record and three games remaining — all against teams ranked in the nation’s top 25 — it’s not easy to identify many bright spots for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Saturday’s latest defeat, a 49-10 loss at the hands of No. 8 Oregon, even added injury to insult. Colorado freshman wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who has emerged as one of the best young players in the Pac-12, suffered a “significant” injury in the fourth quarter and the immediate prognosis was not good.

But Tyson isn’t the only Colorado player who has shown promise over the last few weeks. CU has a number of other young players who are receiving their baptism under fire and will benefit from that experience in the next few years.

Thus, our takeaways from Saturday’s game:

1. Player development will be key down the stretch. Not to suggest coach Mike Sanford and his staff will sacrifice the playing time of older players in favor of simply getting younger players some valuable snaps.

But CU coaches have done a good job over the last four weeks in developing players who could be impact contributors in the future. Along with Tyson, the group includes defensive back Simeon Harris, linebacker Aubrey Smith and offensive lineman Van Wells — all freshmen — as well as  sophomore O-lineman Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, redshirt freshman receiver Jack Hestera and sophomore linebacker Mister Williams.

These are just a handful of the players who could be significant contributors next year if all goes well. Which brings us to …

2. Player retention. Sanford has made it clear that a critical component of CU’s future will be convincing those young players to stick with the program.

Sanford and his staff have done a good job in making sure CU players are aware of the benefits of playing in Boulder, and they are also doing what they can to actively improve those prospects. Colorado coaches are still actively recruiting — both newcomers and current players — and their influence will be important over this last month of the season.

… Continue reading story here …

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Transcript of Mike Sanford’s Post-game Press Conference

Opening statement

Well, hats off to Oregon. Really good football team coming in. I thought at halftime we were competing at a fairly high level. You come out and put together a drive, put three on the board. But, just having answers consistently, both scoring after scores for our offense proved to be a challenge. I think where the game got away from us was really the two interceptions and that’s on all of us. That’s all me, it starts out with the head coach. We got to make sure that we put our guys in the best position. We started running the ball fairly well. I was pleased with Alex Fontenot’s return.

I was pleased with Anthony Hankerson’s return. Deion [Smith] was a little dinged up, and really, I thought our defense second half settled in fairly well. Obviously Oregon has an extremely dynamic offense and for the most part, we took away the chunk plays down the field, but as per usual with Oregon’s offense, a lot of those check downs turn into chuck plays because everybody respects the speed so much. The most important thing for us right now is our thoughts and prayers are with Jordan Tyson. Looks like a lower leg injury. He’s with our medical team right now, obviously, he’s put together as impressive of a true freshman campaign that I’ve personally been a part of at the receiver position. And so proud of his continued growth. So, our thoughts are going to continue to be with him.

Does it look like it could be season ending for Jordyn Tyson?

We’ll find out more information as we get that information. I think that we haven’t had our imaging yet on it. But certainly from it was a significant injury and we’ll, hope and pray for the best and we’ll communicate that when we meet again.

The decision to bring Tyson back into the game?

No, I mean, I think that any time there’s a targeting shot that happens at all in the game football, our medical team’s gonna always tend to the student athlete, go through our protocol, which is very thorough and vet it out very well. He was clear to return and Jordan Tyson loves football. That’s probably the number one trait about Jordan, that I personally love, is just how much he wants to be out there playing game with football. He obviously has turned into our most dynamic playmaker. When he wants to find a way to get back out the field that he’s been cleared medically, obviously we feel like we’re always in the fight. We’re gonna continue a fight no matter what happens. We know we have a gotlet that started today, but I think Jordan’s, his love for the game of football is what separates him. It just happens to be meshed with incredible physical attributes. There really wasn’t a decision, you know, like to try to put him back in the game. Jordan was cleared medically and then put him in, he wanted to go back and play and that’s who Jordyn Tyson is.

Anthony Hankerson using his redshirt this year?

Hank wants to play too. I think that’s who he is. He’s been banged up. There really weren’t a lot of discussions and thoughts about him wanting to redshirt. I think he’s gonna be a player that is gonna maximize his four years of football. As we all know, if you ever played in a season and you do have some type of sustained injury, you can still have that redshirt year available to you. So that it’s just because you don’t quote, unquote redshirt that first year, it doesn’t mean by any stretch imagination, that you can’t at some point in your career utilize that. He wants to play and as we saw today, 11 carries 54 yards against a really good football team.

He’s gonna be a big part of being a playmaker for us. Once again, I just love the way he continued to just strive down the stretch and into the fourth quarter.

Using Oregon as a model for the future?

I think every program has its unique aspects to it. I mean, it’s obviously very clear that the Nike part of Oregon is real. But we have what we believe are really significant positives of Boulder. Our support of our fan base, visiting, we have surrounding businesses that I believe are gonna be coming into a position to jump behind our players and support them.

Obviously they’ve had a very singular focus in terms of backing a program financially that’s a reality. That is the one of the largest companies in the industry of sports. They have certainly a commitment from Nike to Oregon. That’s not something really anything that’s new. They’re a good football team. They’re well coached. I think that the thing that’s always interesting about Oregon…I was brought up myself by a lot of coaches that came from Oregon, to Boise State who stayed from some of those really early [Mike] Bellotti staff and then Chris Peterson, Dirk Koetter, Mark Helfrich. Those are all people that directly impacted me as a young player. It’s interesting that they’re, certainly kind of going outside of, what was the traditional Oregon model. I think it’s gonna be interesting to see what happens going forward.

On the Buffs’ defense

Well, I thought, the biggest downside of our defensive effort today was the three scores in three drives. I thought our offense did, answer a score with the score, give us a chance to make it a ball game. I was proud with the second half effort. We did it against a highly dynamic, offense, one of the most dynamic offenses in college football. They’re averaging in the forties as we know. They’re averaging 450 to 550 depending on the day. I thought we settled in and fought and I thought we did have some answers in the second half. But the turnovers, I think playing on the short fields, really in the second half, that’s where the score, I think kind of got out of, a little bit out of line for us.

But proud of our defensive effort, in terms of the fight to finish even getting forth down stop and finding ways to get stops in the second half. But as we know, they’re a tough team to slow down. Bo Nix has played a lot of football. He had obviously a very efficient day, 20 or 24, there’s four incompletions in there. He just takes, what the defense, gives him, and everybody’s still mortified of the speed going down the field that a lot of those underneath routes, they become check downs for them that they get 15, 20 yards. It’s nothing that’s really new for Oregon, it’s what they’ve been and if the team ever really truly wants to challenge them, then it’s gonna be one of those type down the field throwing games and they have the ability to do that as well.

Retaining young talent

Well, I think it’s just everything that we put forward as an athletic department and really more than that. It’s just the communication that we’re having with our families and with our supporters. I think obviously Jordan’s a phenomenal talent. He’s a freshman. I think not only the NIL space, but also just as a community to wrap our arms around a guy like him, because he really is with this program. He’s going to trend towards just players like that that we identified early. Jordan didn’t have one other Power Five offer. I don’t know if anybody knows that he had zero. He had, it was Texas State, Texas Southern, something along those lines was really the only other offer. I think that is a niche for us both as a program and then certainly wrapping our arms around him as a football community, as a CU community, but I think that goes even further than just one player. I think we do have some good young players that are growing up. I think there’s a lot of players that the retention of those players can be really important for our program. You just look out there where we are young and that’s, that’s nothing that, that is foreign to anybody. We’re young, we’re developing, we’re growing. The margin for error is small cause of that youth. When you’re a true freshman or a redshirt freshman playing 70 snaps a game in different positions there are some things from a developmental standpoint and maturity standpoint and the game football at this level that you need to, I think you need to continue to keep those types of players around that have gone through the hard times. But the thing that I’m most proud of this team is not once have I seen since, I’ve had a chance to look them in the eyes and on the sideline, I’ve never seen one person quit on the field. I think we’re fighting for four quarters, and that’s gonna be our calling card because, you just never know when it does all click and all of a sudden here we are well against one of the top teams in the country.

Fumbling the shotgun snaps?

It was honestly one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen, especially in the late third, early fourth quarter. I was watching the snaps come back and, and they looked like right on the money and they were getting blown, like literally blown down, blown to the left, blown to the right. I mean, you saw when the ball was placed down on the field and maybe less, you know, the umpire was putting his foot on the walls, it was doing the same exact thing. So, um, yeah, I mean certainly the weather had an impact on the game. It did happen kind of later where those gusts really picked up. That’s a hard thing to truly prepare for other than just going on your center every play, which we did obviously in that the true final drive, I just, you saw in Oregon too, there were some balls that were getting battered around by the in the air that it happened a little bit later in the game. Some of it too is just communication. There’s times where we’ve had different centers playing, we’ve had different quarterbacks playing just the communication of the various tempos that we run and those are similar mistakes that I’m talking about that you have to, you have to grow up in those situations. If we do change tempo, just at the communications on a very high level. And that’s something that we’re gonna continue to harp this week in particular as we go and play in a hostile road environment.

J.T. Shrout’s performance and Owen McCown

I think there were some throws that he made that I thought were really good. I thought he continues to see it better. I do see that, obviously we’re in a position, with Owen, to give an update on Owen. He’s, he’s fully participating in practice. He’s running scout team, but there are some limitations that he still does have so clearly we’re gonna not put him in a position where we think we should just roll him out there and you don’t know what’s gonna happen. The quarterback position in particular I think is very different, particularly when you are a somewhat of an underdeveloped player as a true freshman. I think we’re trending that direction to make sure that we make the best decision for Owen. With him not being like fully cleared and there’s certainly movements that he does. He’s clear to play football, but in terms of like throwing on the run, to the left, but he does have some limitations. I don’t want to put him in those situations that either he can further aggravate an injury, or he’s not just fully 100% healthy. So he’s been fantastic in terms his commitment to the team. His preparation, our scout team is getting a really good look with a guy who’s a Pac-12 starting quarterback, we’re really running the scout team right now. He’s trying in a get a good direction health wise, but we’re making some decisions for the best his future.

Thoughts on Alex Fontenot’s performance

I was pleased with it. I think one of the runs, 27-yard run, was spectacular. I thought he did a good job and you worry about just ball security coming back, not having really, any live licks in practice and not getting in full, full contact. I thought he ran well, ran fearlessly a couple times on our outside zone player. We took a negative on one that he ran. That’s more for us kind of sorting through the different movements of Oregon’s front and impressions that they were bringing. I think that gives us a lot of confidence in him, A lot of confidence going forward for these next three weeks. But I thought he he put on like eight, 10 pounds in his time. I thought he looked bigger, looked more physical, was running out of some tackles. And I think that is what we’re talking about, about that maturity that season kind of veteran player. I think that’s gonna help us as we play this last three games.

Adjusting defensively to the trick plays?

I think that’s been a staple when you have really good players. You have to commit to the run fit. A lot of times in a run, once you commit to the run fit a quarterback is, can be challenging to peel off of. A lot of times that’s a just almost like you have to smell a rat as a player. We worked a variety of trick plays because of how they do run the football and sometimes the tempo and obviously the timing, the call, that was a good call, particularly the throwback to Bo. And then, you know, they run a basically tackle eligible, an eligible jersey number. We’re selling out to, to stop a run. They haven’t released him on the season, but we did, from a coverage perspective, we did have somebody for him, it’s just executing in that moment I think becomes, you know, something that, that is challenging when you’re putting ears back and trying to stop yourself.

Thoughts on Bo Nix

Really good offensive line play. If you think about it, the way they throw the football balls out it balls out quickly. I don’t think there’s either they’re moving the pocket or the balls out and some of their anti-quit game, some of the check downs that you see. I think there are challenges. I thought our pass rush got better as the game went on. Chance Main started to show up being in position to apply pressure chances. A guy that I expect to see his best ball out of him, in really, these last three weeks, I think he’s eager to apply some pressure. Good offensive line play, the ball was getting out, They moved the pocket pretty well, pretty consistent with all their games this year, probably minus the Georgia game. Obviously Georgia is playing the NFL front, they have a good scheme and they have good pressure.

Retaining players such as former Buff Christian Gonzalez

Well, I mean, I think that’s a great example of just the modern space of college football is just gonna become commonplace. What I know that we as a department are doing, and I know that this fan base wants to win and wants to win next season. That’s gotta be our, our goal. We wanna win next week. But, certainly retention is multifaceted. We’re gonna see, I think two more players, you know, that were on this team last year next week. That’s the modern space that we live in. And certainly I think this is a reminder to all of us coaches, players, everybody that, we gotta make this the best place to be at in every way possible.

This has to be a place that, we know it’s beautiful. We know it’s a great academic institution, um, but there, our players experience here in every single way has gotta be the best experience. I think that’s been something that I’ve taken to heart, personally in just leading this program through troubled times, is how can we continue to make this a great experience for our players. Um, and that’s some of the stuff that I, I think I’ve been fairly proactive with, with regards to our current roster. And I think that there is greatness in that roster as they get older, as they continue to develop, there is greatness in that roster. We gotta make sure that, that those players know how much this institution, this coaching staff, and, and really this community that loves to do football is gonna care.

Wind playing a factor in Cole Becker’s first kick?

It was interesting. Obviously Cameron Warchuck wasn’t snapping. I think it’s important for us to just, there’s always moving parts, right? So snapper, you know, obviously the holder from the beginning of the season, Cole’s been so good this year. I think the wind plays some bit of a factor. I think the laces were facing out, which myself as a former 4-year starting holder, I know that the value and the importance of us putting the ball down and presenting laces at the pipes. I think that was something that played factor in that sometimes it’s the depth of the snap, if you’re set up at seven yards instead of eight yards, that might just change the rotation by just a half spin.

Those types of things do all play a factor in, I always as a holder, and then I know my long snapper Clayton Adams and Clayton was our short snapper. We took great pride in making sure that we presented laces, and that’s something I know we’ll do going forward. It’s football, it’s the wind’s blowing there’s different factors. We got to make sure we continue to put him in the best position to be successful. He had plenty of leg as we know. I think the ball just pushed right over.

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This post, about the USC game, from the 2022 Season, is filed under Article.
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