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Colorado Daily – Oregon State Week
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November 4th – Game Day!
… CU in a few minutes …
… Noteworthy … Colorado-Oregon State game will be the 14th matchup between these teams. It’ll be the first time that either one of them comes in ranked (OSU is No. 16) … Prior to this year, Colorado and Oregon State had met 8 times during the Pac-12 era. All 8 games were broadcast on the Pac-12 Network. Tonight’s game will be on ESPN … Colorado had won every coin toss this season until last week. Oregon State had also won every coin toss this season until last week …
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Shilo Sanders: “If we just limit those little mistakes, we’re gonna be a great team”
From the Daily Camera … The dramatic roster overhaul in the offseason was unlike anything college football has seen. The hype surrounding the Buffs in September was remarkable. Yet, ultimately, Sanders and the Buffs are like just about every other losing program that goes through a coaching change. They have to learn how to win.
Even through the adversity, the players maintain their confidence.
“I don’t ever go out there thinking anyone is as good or even close to being as good as our team, our defense, because that’s just the mindset you gotta have,” safety Shilo Sanders said. “As y’all can see, none of these games are just so far out of reach. It’s not like, ‘Oh, man, you guys are just horrible.’ Every game is winnable that we play, but I feel like just as the game goes on, we just lose attention to detail. That’s what the game of football is all about: who messed up the most? If we just limit those little mistakes, we’re gonna be a great team.”
Asked this week if this season has been a success, safety Trevor Woods, one of the few players left from last year, said, “Obviously everyone knows it’s better than last year, but I don’t know if I’d say successful. You go in every game expecting to win. …It’s an upgrade, but it’s not where we want to be. So I guess not.”
Coach Prime would agree, but he also believes they are laying the foundation.
“We love the direction that we’re headed,” he said. “It could be tremendously the other way (where CU is getting blown out), but when you have an opportunity to beat ranked teams that’s tremendous for us. We just got to do it.”
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Neill Woelk’s Keys to the Oregon State game
From CUBuffs.com … Colorado’s Pac-12 stretch run doesn’t get any easier this week.
Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ Buffaloes face their second top 25 team in a row Saturday when they play host to No. 16 Oregon State in an 8 p.m. game at Folsom Field (ESPN).
The Buffs (4-4 overall, 1-4 Pac-12) need a win to halt a two-game losing streak while the Beavers (6-2, 3-2) are aiming to get back on the right track after dropping a 27-24 decision to Arizona last week.
Colorado’s recent slide — the Buffs have lost four of their last five — is the result of a variety of issues, but tops on the list is CU’s struggles on the offensive line. The Buffs have given up 42 sacks this year, the most of any Power Five team in the country, and they are averaging a mere 78.6 yards per game rushing, 128th in the nation.
Defensively, Colorado is coming off one of its best efforts of the season in a 28-16 loss to UCLA. The Buffs produced four first half turnovers and kept Colorado in the game into the fourth quarter.
But overall, CU’s defense is still giving up nearly 35 points and 475 yards per game.
The Beavers, meanwhile, boast a balanced squad on both sides of the ball. OSU is averaging 187 yards per game on the ground and 252 in the air while scoring more than 36 points per game. Defensively, Oregon State is giving up just 21 points and 346 yards per game.
So how do the Buffs get back on track and collect a Homecoming weekend win?
… Continue reading story here …
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November 3rd
… CU in a few minutes …
ESPN: Sean Lewis and Pat Shurmur to serve as co-offensive coordinators
From ESPN … Colorado has stripped offensive coordinator Sean Lewis of his offensive playcalling duties and is elevating analyst Pat Shurmur to an on-field role where he will take over as the team’s playcaller, sources told ESPN.
Shurmur and Lewis will serve as co-offensive coordinators, a source told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. An on-field assistant would need to be removed to make room for Shurmur, who will also assist with the offensive line.
A former NFL head coach with more than 20 years of experience in the pros, Shurmur came to Colorado this summer as part of coach Deion Sanders’ staff.
The change in playcallers follows a 28-16 loss to No. 19 UCLA — the Buffaloes’ second straight defeat and fourth in the team’s past five games.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was sacked seven times in the defeat and was hit 17 other times and knocked down 13 times. Colorado failed to score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, and the Buffaloes managed only 25 rushing yards and 242 total yards.
“It’s really frustrating because I just need to get feedback just knowing what’s open and what’s not,” Shedeur Sanders said, while taking responsibility for the offense not being on the same page. “I just got to make my mind up faster and get the ball out of my hands quicker.”
Colorado has been one of the most pressured teams in the nation. Going into last week’s game, the Buffaloes were allowing five sacks per game, ranking 132nd out of 133 teams in the country.
“Overall, we just don’t have the fight and the passion to do what we want to do,” Deion Sanders said of the offensive line, which has been depleted by injuries. “The line has to improve. We have to have enough depth to be able to accomplish the goals that we set out to accomplish.”
Saturday’s loss at the Rose Bowl was just the second time Colorado has been held under 24 points this season. The Buffaloes (4-4) have scored 36 or more points in five games.
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Report: Pat Shurmur taking over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Sean Lewis
Tweet from Brett McMurphy at ActionNetwork … Colorado quality control analyst Pat Shurmur will take over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Sean Lewis vs. Oregon State, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. Deion Sanders must elevate Shurmur from analyst to full-time coach to be eligible to coach. Lewis will still signal the plays in, a source said, but it’s unknown which assistant will be demoted to make room for Shurmur’s promotion. Shurmur was an NFL offensive coordinator with four teams, most recently the Broncos in 2020-21, and was former head coach of the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns
Shurmur was a guest on the Coaches Show with KOA’s Mark Johnson on Thursday. Shurmur had this to say about play-calling …
“So when you call a game, you obviously go into it playing a team and you know basically what they do,” he said. “Most teams do two or three things on the normal. You get the one-offs you gotta deal with. So we always say the rules at sea-level gotta work on the mountain top. So then you just apply your rules. But as a play-caller, you’re trying to get the ball number one to the people that matter. You’re trying to run the ball and throw the ball, you’re trying to protect your quarterback. You’re trying to do all these things and then do it in a way where you can be efficient and explosive. That may sound simple or complicated but that’s what you’re doing.
“Typically as a coordinator, I’ll script out a couple of series in the first half. And I’ll script out a couple series in the second half. And then you practice those plays so that the guys know what is coming. Then you gotta react. You script some plays and all of a sudden it is 3rd-and-6, so you gotta go to the 3rd-and-6 menu. Or you get an explosive play and now you are in the red zone. So it is a segmented game. You got first and second down, the free-wheeling downs. And then you get into what we call the Alumni Zone, which is between the 35s because that’s typically where the alumni sit. We refer to it as that. And then inside the 35 to the 20 is what we call the high red. Now 20-and-in is the red. And then goal line.
“What you do is you script plays or you practice plays for each one of those areas each week based on what the defense does and then you just try to dial them up. And you’ve seen on TV, coaches have their call sheets. Let’s say I have six or eight plays in the Alumni Zone, typically what I do because of the relationship with the quarterback is then you’d say, alright, in this case, ‘Shedeur, order these eight plays for me. Which ones do you like?’ This is another thing that shouldn’t sound crazy but a play that a player likes gets executed at a higher percentage. Trust me on that. If they like something, you’ll do it better. So you ask their opinion. Now, sometimes they are dead wrong. But most of the time that’s the way it works.”
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November 2nd
… CU in a few minutes …
*Coach Prime to team: “Losing is not an option”*
From WellOffMedia …
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Coach Prime: “It’s a struggle to run the ball, and we’ve got to figure that out”
From the Daily Camera … The Colorado Buffaloes have a problem with their run game. But, it’s the not the issue that it might appear to be.
Going into the final month of the regular season, the Buffs are the third-worst rushing team in the country, at 78.6 yards per game. Only Colorado State (74.0) and Hawaii (56.1) are worse.
In terms of yards per carry, CU is last in the country, at 2.51. Hawaii is just ahead of the Buffs, at 2.53.
On record, the Buffs have had just one season worse than this one in terms of average rushing yards per game: 59.7 in 1984.
“It’s a struggle to run the ball,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said after last weekend’s 28-16 loss to UCLA. “And we’ve got to figure that out because now you’re one dimensional and it’s easy to stop a team when they’re one dimensional and that’s who we are at this point of time.”
Sanders is absolutely correct about that. The Buffs are too one-dimensional on offense. CU finished with a season-low 38 rushing yards against UCLA. That’s already the sixth time in eight games that the Buffs have finished with 70 yards or less on the ground. Five times they’ve finished with less than 60 yards.
But, is it a struggle because the Buffs CAN’T run the ball, or because they WON’T run the ball?
CU’s 2.51 yards per carry is dismal, but that average is, of course, significantly impacted by the fact that quarterback sacks are accounted for in the rushing stats. CU has given up 42 sacks (nationally only Old Dominion, with 43, has given up more) and lost a whopping 381 yards on those sacks – 126 more than the next-worst team (FIU, at 255).
Those 42 sacks have accounted for 16.7% of CU’s “rushing” attempts.
Take out the sacks and the CU’s average vaults to a much-more respectable 4.83 yards per carry (1,010 yards on 209 attempts).
Against UCLA, the Buffs never really gave the run game a chance – despite some early success. Edwards had a 3-yard run for a first down on the second play of the game and an 8-yard run on second-and-10 on the Buffs’ second possession. Those were the only handoffs in 23 first-quarter plays for the Buffs.
In the third quarter, with the Buffs within one score, they ran 11 offensive plays and never handed off to a back. The first time the Buffs handed off to a running back in the second half was with 6:30 to play, down 28-9. Sy’veon Wilkerson had an 8-yard run to kickstart the only touchdown drive of the night. McCaskill added a 9-yard run late in that drive.
There’s no question that CU has a sensational quarterback in Shedeur Sanders. The head coach’s son is one of the top quarterbacks in the country. Shedeur is getting pummeled, however, in part because the Buffs are too one dimensional.
… Continue reading story here …
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November 1st
… CU in a few minutes …
*First look: CU’s 2024 Big 12 schedule*
Non-conference schedule: 2024 … North Dakota State; at CSU; at Nebraska
Big 12 teams missed in 2024: Arizona State … BYU … TCU … Houston … Iowa State … West Virginia …
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Big 12 schedule: 2024-27 … Every team will play each other home + away over the 4-year cycle. Four protected rivalries: Arizona-Arizona State, BYU-Utah, Baylor-TCU, Kansas-Kansas State.
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Alton McCaskill to sit the remainder of the year; apply for additional redshirt season
From the Daily Camera … Alton McCaskill IV came to Colorado with visions of being the lead running back for the Coach Prime-led Buffaloes.
He might get there, but his time in the spotlight will come at a later date.
On Tuesday, CU head coach Deion Sanders said that McCaskill will sit out the rest of this season as a redshirt.
“Alton came in my office yesterday and he wanted to be redshirted, which I think is very wise, which I’m all for,” Sanders said at his weekly press conference. “If he would have wanted to play, continue to play, I’d have been all for it.”
A transfer from Houston, McCaskill has played in four games this season. Players are allowed to compete in up to four games and still keep a redshirt.
McCaskill technically used his redshirt season in 2022, when he missed the entire campaign at Houston with a knee injury. By shutting down the rest of this season, however, he now has the option to apply for a medical redshirt later in his collegiate career. He still has two seasons of eligibility remaining and would get a third if he’s granted a medical redshirt.
… Continue reading story here …
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October 31st
… CU in a few minutes …
*Coach Prime’s Weekly Press Conference*
From BuffsTV.com …
Shilo Sanders talks about his targeting penalty …
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Ratings: CU at UCLA third-most watched game last Saturday
… Before you let anyone tell you that interest in CU is waning, remind that the 4.66 million viewers for the UCLA game is roughly equivalent to the number of viewers who watched all 12 of CU’s games last year, combined … and … was still almost two million more fans than watched the Game of the Day between Oregon and Utah …
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October 30th
… CU in a few minutes …
Pat Rooney: Running game – Where art thou?
From the Daily Camera … It didn’t take until game eight to realize the Buffs just aren’t going to have a dominant ground attack. Yet Saturday’s loss at UCLA was the first time this year CU simply waved the white flag on running the ball.
CU running backs totaled just 11 carries against the Bruins. Four of those were squarely within let’s-just-get-off-the field situations — a run by Dylan Edwards on third-and-18 while backed up at the 12-yard line late in the second quarter; two carries by Anthony Hankerson while running out the clock at the end of the half; and another run-out-the-clock carry for Alton McCaskill at the end of the game.
There have been times, like at Oregon, when the deficit dictated a more pass-happy approach. The game at UCLA, close for the bulk of the night, wasn’t one of those times. Afterward head coach Deion Sanders defended the play-calling imbalance by referencing how the Buffs had been committed to the run on a pair of first downs in the first half that went awry. But if that’s why the running backs essentially were non-existent from the middle of the second quarter through the final full drive of the game, then CU’s staff isn’t doing enough to help a struggling offensive line.
… Abandoning the run is a disservice to Shedeur Sanders, given the beating he is taking, and the line. One of the seven sacks endured by Shedeur occurred when he made a play-action run fake with the back, only to find two UCLA defenders already in his face. It’s on the line that defenders were that deep in the backfield that quickly, but when you don’t run the ball, those defenders can ignore play-fakes. Moreover, there isn’t an offensive lineman alive, past or present, who enjoys pass blocking more than run blocking. We know this line is poor at pass protection. We don’t really know how efficient they are at run blocking. Breaking just a few decent runs early can help linemen settle into a game in much the same way short, early throws can get a quarterback in rhythm.
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Kickoff time set for CU v. Arizona
Press release from CUBuffs.com … The Colorado Buffaloes football game against Arizona on Saturday, November 11, 2023, will kickoff at 12:00 p.m. MT and be televised by Pac-12 Network, the conference announced Monday morning.
The full schedule of Pac-12 games for that week is below:
Saturday, November 11, 2023
11:00am PT / 12:00pm MT – Arizona at Colorado (Pac-12 Network)
1:00pm PT – Washington State at Cal (ESPN2)
2:30pm PT – Stanford at Oregon State (Pac-12 Network)
6:00pm PT – Arizona State at UCLA (Pac-12 Network)
Games still to be selected (6-day window)
USC at Oregon
Utah at Washington
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October 29th
… CU in a few minutes …
Neill Woelk’s (Positive) Takeaways from the UCLA game
From CUBuffs.com … At the end of his press conference following Saturday evening’s 28-16 loss to UCLA, Colorado’s Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders had a simple message:
“I’m accustomed to winning and we will win,” Sanders said. “We will win. Just put your seatbelt on and hold on. We will win.”
Not that the 4-4 Buffs haven’t enjoyed some success this year already. This is, after all, the team that opened the season with a dramatic 45-42 win over then-No. 17 TCU, then followed it up with a victory over Nebraska (now 5-3 and tied for the Big Ten West lead) and another over Colorado State.
But while Sanders clearly believes in the potential of the CU program — and what the future could hold for the Buffs — he also isn’t blind to what transpired Saturday night in the Rose Bowl.
The Buffs played hard but were overmatched, particularly when the offense was on the field. Colorado’s defense forced four first half turnovers to keep CU within reach, but the offense never truly had a chance to stay in the game. Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders was sacked seven times, hit an additional 17 times and knocked down 13 times.
Meanwhile, Colorado finished with just 38 yards rushing and converted only four of 14 third down tries. As a result, the Buffs dropped their second in a row and fourth in their last five to fall to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the Pac-12.
Sanders was blunt when he said, “Big picture you go and get new linemen.”
But that’s not something that’s going to happen over the last four games. The Buffs have endured some injuries up front in what was already a thin group and now must play the hand they’ve been dealt.
The road down the stretch is by no means an easy one. Three of Colorado’s remaining four opponents have winning records while the fourth — 4-4 Washington State — was ranked in the nation’s top 25 just a few weeks ago (as were the Buffaloes in mid-September).
But as Coach Prime pointed out, the Buffs have been in nearly every game this year. Aside from a 42-6 loss at Oregon, a case can be made that every other loss was a winnable game.
“You could see how we could have won those,” Sanders said. “We could have done that. That’s called hope in our book.”
Indeed, despite the loss, there were still some promising moments in Saturday’s game. Our weekly takeaways:
1. Shedeur Sanders is a tough dude. We already mentioned the numbers from Saturday. Sanders took a beating, which has been the story for much of the season. He has been sacked 41 times — the most of any FBS quarterback — along with absorbing countless more hits.
But he keeps getting back up, keeps making plays — and refuses to point fingers. He backs his offensive line and instead says he has to improve his game.
Clearly, Sanders belongs on the short list of elite quarterbacks in the nation. The toughness and resilience he has shown only adds to his qualities.
… Continue reading story here …
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Buffs open as a 12.5-point home underdog to No. 16 Oregon State
Pac-12 schedule – November 4th
From DraftKings.com …
- Arizona State at No. 18 Utah … 12:00 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks … Utah is a 12.5-point home favorite …
- Cal at No. 6 Oregon … 3:30 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks … Oregon a 24.0-point home favorite …
- No. 5 Washington at No. 24 USC … 5:30 p.m., MT, ABC … Washington is a 3.0-point road favorite …
- Stanford at Washington State … 7:00 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks … Washington State is a 13.0-point home favorite …
- No. 16 Oregon State at Colorado … 8:00 p.m., MT, ESPN … Oregon State is a 12.5-point road favorite …
- No. 20 UCLA at Arizona … 8:30 p.m., MT, FS1 … UCLA a 1.5-point road favorite …
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Coach Prime: “We’ve only been blown out once. All the other games, you could see how we could have won those games”
From the Daily Camera … Following a 1-11 season in 2022, Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Famer with world class confidence, was hired to restore some glory to the CU program. He did that with an upset at then-No. 17 TCU, a blowout of rival Nebraska, and a thrilling double-overtime win against rival Colorado State in September.
The Pac-12 schedule, however, has been humbling, to say the least. Oregon smacked the Buffs, 42-6. That was followed by a close loss to USC (after rallying from a 34-7 deficit), a narrow win against Arizona State, an embarrassing double-overtime loss to last-place Stanford (after leading 29-0) and Saturday’s loss to the Bruins.
“I mean, shoot, we really only got our butts kicked once and that was in Oregon,” Sanders said. “We got our butts kicked. There wasn’t no winning that. All the other games, you could see how we could have won those games. We could have done that. So that’s called hope in our world. And I’m thankful and happy for that.”
CU certainly could have and should have beat Stanford, building a four-touchdown lead before collapsing. And, the Buffs’ defense played well enough to beat the Bruins on Saturday.
The Buffs haven’t learned how to win consistently, though. That’s a common trait for building programs and CU is clearly better than it was a year ago. But, the Buffs haven’t come close to matching their hype in the last five games.
“Every game teaches a tremendous lesson,” Sanders said. “Every day of life teaches a tremendous lesson. So I think they’re learning at a fast pace because unlike many other first year coach-led teams, there’s a tremendous expectation for us and we would love to meet those expectations.
“We were close. We were close. I mean, we did some wonderful things. You could see what we have and what we’re building and you can see the need. So just like recruits, you don’t think they’re watching TV and they see the needs that we have? It’s very easy to understand this is what we need and this is the type of quarterback that we have.”
… Continue reading story here …
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37 Replies to “Colorado Daily – Oregon State Week”
Its half time and I am sick to my stomach. the D is handing the game to the O and they are giving it away. Putrid. worse than ever. The body language I see from the O players looks like they have given up.
post script on the Michigan State/cobb game
Pundits during the game said Lewis was a candidate for their HC job. Do they know something we dont know?
They went into the future and saw that actually it was Lewis making the offense work.
In other games
Utah blows ASU out of the stadium. They dont look vulnerable anymore
Cobbs go down to Mich St. In of those games you hope both teams will lose but I will take cobbs
and whats up with Texas/
Seems like they started a freshman now a soph?), he got injured and some guy named Murphy isnt exactly burning up the box score. Where is Arch Manning? Was he another victim of media over hype? He was supposed to be the next Brady, Montana, Marino.
yeah O’Boyle has one foot on a banana peel whether anything is his fault or not.
Of course Sanders can recruit skill positions as one of the best in history and his kid is a gift from god. If Shurmur has a lot of experience with O lines thats probably the only thing of value he will bring. Maybe that will help recruiting.
So far we got one freshman who is committed with cred. Ranked as the number 10 interior lineman in the country he is projected to be a center. With Van Wells will that mean depth at that position or will they move Van Wells to guard?
The other guy is quite a mystery.
Buff staff better hit the portal quickly after it opens. I guess its illegal to contact players prior to that?
Saturday Prime rips the oline
Sunday Prime meets with the Oline and says the oline is fired up and will be better this game
Friday Prime announces Shurmer will be calling plays and focused on the Oline.
Hmmmmm. Must have made the Shurmer decision and told the oline on Sunday.
Oline is happy eh?
Go big Shurmer
Note: Last year oline coach was fired as well.
This is a really interesting and intriguing move. Can’t wait to see how it plays out. There are potential paths nobody seems to be considering.
In the meantime, is o’Boyle the odd man out?
Go Buffs
Could be or someone else. At first blush, I thought he was wholesale switching OCs, but I am not sure. After looking at Shurmer’s 10+ years of Oline and TE experience aside from OC, it makes perfect sense that you get him on the practice field, sideline, or very active in the box. He may spark the Oline. Probably there are combination of factors at play.
Yeah, just saw o’Boyle is no longer on field coach. Not sure if analyst or gone. So is pat in the booth or Sean?
Also read msu allegedly seriously interested in Jonathan smith. Could their team have an emotional letdown amid the rumors?
What the hell am I gonna do all day?
Projects, I guess.
Go Buffs
Hope for tomorrow’s game with Shurmur calling plays:
1. Our run game is not ineffective, it’s actually been quite good at times. We are just totally uncommitted to it. The run game requires commitment to be successful. Shurmur will run the ball more.
2. Oregon State has no tape on how Shurmur will call this offense. No tendencies what does he like on 1st down, what will he do on 3rd down. This is an advantage.
3. Shurmur believes in scripting plays. This goes beyond just having a set list of plays, this also means the team practices the crap out of those plays. A lot of the o line breakdowns that were real bad were becuase the o line were confused. Scripted plays, practiced a ton should help.
Reasons to be worried:
1. This is not Shurmers offense. Calling plays for someone else’s offense is rough.
2. Shurmur did not adjust well when he was with the broncos why should that change here?
3. Some of this is scheme. I worry that the scheme does not have answers.
4. The o line is still over matched. This looks like 2020 where the o line got steadily worse as the good coaching was replaced by bad coaching.
I am going to stay optimistic. Let’s see how it goes.
they wouldnt reveal it before the game but I’m hoping they show the ‘Beaves’ some new personnel packages, some new formation looks and most of all some new running plays that shouldn’t be new at all but growing mold in the original playbook..
Not expecting it
Rooney seems to think there is a possibility Sanders has been influencing play calling to a high degree and now maybe throwing Lewis under the bus. Not impressed with Shurmur’s dialogue above either. sounds like he is pretty rigid in his approach and may not have a lot of answers for unexpected developments. Hope I’m wrong.
I think Rooney is INcorrect. Sure a HC will dictate some calls during the game, but IMO Prime has been pretty hands-off for the most part–equal opportunity cheerleader, blamer, and accepts responsibility for the whole. IMO, Prime is taking a whole of team approach. Certainly, he does call out the deficiencies and even a few players (i.e. Mitchell, maybe McClain), accepts some responsibility/provides some cover to players and ACs; however mostly he motivates and tries to dictate the overall direction of the team.
If Prime had such influence over Lewis, why would he appoint Shurmur to call plays? Maybe he feels this is the best option at this juncture to play complementary football. IMO, that is what is lacking.
I sort of feel good in defending Charles Kelly to a degree… The fact is to be successful your HC, OC, DC and STC all need to be basically on the same page. During some games–the 2nd half of Stanford specifically that did not happen. This is an overall learning process for the entire Coaching Staff and team as a whole. Obviously, you are a better team with Stars/excellent players, however football perhaps more than any other major sport is a team game.
I think that your supposition that Prime had little influence on Lewis is off base whatever the case may be
I think Prime has tons of influence on Lewis and the entire team. He is the head coach tasked with bringing a winning program. I think one area is that they have played and featured so many players at different times. For example,
1. If you want to recruit/portal a top notch TE, you have to throw to them;
2. If you want to show that a Frosh Blue Chip RB can make waves you play them;
3. Same with the WRs, if you feature one then will others come?;
4. Same with playing a young CB, you give them a chance;
5. Same with the LB’s, you work toward something that works;
6. The DL is sort of the same way, they work into a rotation but things are not set in stone;
7. The RB’s… McCaskill seemed like the guy but was not healthy, thus you bring him back at 100%.
If a player plays his butt off in practice, you need to play him some–baptism by fire. Sometimes it works, other times you get caught. We have to remember this is a completely new roster with new coaches, not the 1-11 team from last year. In addition to playing for today, you have to also look to the future.
Does a HC, especially Prime have influence–absolutely. Can that HC look at his staff and players and switch it up, absolutely. We are still just 8 games in.
Never forget: Rooney = Pizzla same BS attitude, same BS writing style, same BS all around.
Agreed… The house is always burning down around them!
Interesting development. Pat Shurmur calling the plays….I’ll give Deion credit for making a change, hopefully we don’t see shotgun after shotgun pass play and he mixes it up a lot more.
This is going to be a disaster.
This is already a disaster.
I was not alone in hoping that Lewis would be the heir apparent at CU for when Deion inevitably jumped ship.
Also as someone that watched the broncos just a few years ago with Shurmur as the offensive coordinator… Yikes.
Put your bets on Oregon State to cover and gird your loins for a week of absurd drama… And for Lewis to take a job at a MWC school or something
Sheesh Stuart, your ” something” is showing based on the the 3 possible answers on your poll.
Expectations are tough to manage eh?
Go Prime Buffs.
Note: Its beginning to surface. No bowl and it will be a geyser. Yup!
I went to the Buffs offer sheet at rivals. Out if 30 offers for OTs there is not one four or five star that has not committed elsewhere. there are only three 3 stars undecided
Out of 11 offers to OGs there are 2 four stars uncommitted. One is Seaton who is the number one rated guy for his position who has offers from every school in the country and another guy who has Oklahoma and UCF as “high” interest. Only one 3 star uncommitted.
Available good O linemen dry up fast with freshmen recruits and in the portal.
Coach Prime: “It’s a struggle to run the ball, and we’ve got to figure that out”
If Lewis ran over 60 percent of the time at Kent he must have had some dominant linemen…..or….. If his linemen were more of an even match with the D I’m sure he had some things he could use as leverage.
Forget anything AF does at this point in the season. To much movement and timing to get down enough of it beyond the bye week.
During Shanahan’s days with the Broncos they had what I think was called a zone blocking scheme that turned at least 3 RBs no one paid much attention to into 1000 yard plus rushers.
Seems like all the O line would move in the same direction and the back could look for a developing seam or cut back against the grain. That would require a tight end type to seal off the containment guy.
I hate to say it but the cobbs used to have a great pulling and trapping blocking scheme that helped Crouch, as mostly a running QB, win Heisman. Probably one of the worst awards though.
All most all of any running game requires a blocking tight end. Do we have one of those, or at least another O lineman who could service as one.
Run out of the I formation, probably the best way to go. Put a fullback in front if Edwards for a pitch or even for Hankerson if you have to dive into the middle. or even 2 fullbacks for pass blocking……..and as might have already been discussed that would also be better for play action passing.
I have been watching a few more games this year than I usually do and I have noticed both college and pro teams, even the dominate ones, use a trick play or 2 during the game. The one that I have seen that is successful most of the time is the quick lateral out to a RB or WR who in turn throws down field to a receiver. I doubt if Shedeur would get ground into the ground on that one.
I aint a strategy genius, just a guy trying to be observant, but there have to be a whole lot of things you can try. Waiting with baited breath (whatever that means) for the OSU game to see what transpires. I’m sure OSU will line up, at least at first, like UCLA did with everyone either on the D line or the secondary. Dont need any stinkin linebackers for the pass only Offense.
Stu, not that it matters, but I don’t buy the premise of this poll question answer:
We’ll see. Prime & Co. knew the line was the weak link, but not only didn’t the line improve after the bye week, it digressed. That doesn’t give me warm fuzzies about the rest of the season.
Statistically? Terrible regression.
But, and correct me if I’m wrong, wasn’t the UCLA defense the best one they’ve faced all year? How many of that front seven are nfl dudes? How many of our front five ar nfl dudes?
Much like the uo game, the dominance slightly exaggerated the reality.
Unfortunately, the osu d has been pretty stout too. Here’s to hoping for a pleasant surprise for the offensive line’s performance Saturday and beyond. They aren’t as bad as UCLA made them look.
Go Buffs
Deion’s fired up about his sit down w/ the offensive line. So am I. Hope it works!
Go Buffs
I am gonna put this in a couple places.
Big 12 2024 team recruiting rankings.
Colorado ranked 13 out of 16 teams
Highest Average recruit ranking , Colorado is #1 out of 16>
Even with the oline guy who has zero stars.
Long way to go though.
Go big Buff oline recruits
Note: Ya know prior to the season the oline was predicted to not be good.
Note 2: Prime says he builds the team from the outside in. Okay then finish the job.
No ground game. Ok, but why?
Lewis ran the ball at Kent state.
Bartolone and Deion ran the ball at jackson state.
Conspiracy says Deion wants to pad shedeur’s stats. Why?
Wouldn’t half the yards, maintaining completion % and int ratio, with twice the wins look better? Not to mention Shedeur would be like “pops, what the fuck?!” If he thought the game plans were flawed every week.
So they believe they are doing what is likely to be more successful, right?
Are they wrong?
Could be. But we dont see them practice. They do. We haven’t played and won championships at every level. They have.
As Deion says, the deficiencies are obvious. To them, and to the recruits they want. That includes portaling.
I may be a fool, but I trust Deion’s knowledge and ability to paint the picture beautifully. Much more than any of ours.
Four to go. Can they get two? We’ll find out.
Go Buffs
“It didn’t take until game eight to realize the Buffs just aren’t going to have a dominant ground attack.”
Maybe not but it seems it took that long for rooney to parrot it. I wonder who he is writing for. Certainly not the average somewhat informed Buff fan. Maybe he has a column in the Husker extra or the Fort Collins Coloradoan where following the Buffs isnt all that high of a priority.
I’m drinking the Buffs hoop kool aid right now. Hopefully he will be a little more Johnny on the spot when the season starts. He is allowed to see practice but we dont hear much about that.
Can we get some beat writers who are a little more in depth and into it?
I wonder if other journalists have access to practice? Maybe tad says they can watch, but not get overly specific, so they honor that relationship?
Go Buffs
i agree,
after the fact Loony Roony
He has a right to write what he wants
but I don’t read him.
No reason to live or write about the past……..
Go Buffs.
Rooney has a right to write what he wants, but it’s hard to fathom why he would get paid for what he writes. There are so many more thoughtful and analytical sports writers out there hungry for a paycheck.
Not thrilled with Sanders throwing the lines under the bus and saying he’ll replace them.
You go into battle with the army you’ve got.. And if you don’t want your son to get killed the next few games you should probably work on coaching up the lines not telling them they suck and will be replaced as soon as they can
Well nothing else has worked.
Go Buffs
I have never seen them try anything else
wow
did not realize he did that
the O linemen are full aware of their deficiencies. They dont need the coach to pile on and destroy their morale even further. That aint gonna help recruiting more linemen either. They need help with some new play selection to neutralize the pass rush and that includes something in the run game besides trying to jam 160 lb Edwards straight into the middle of the line.
Sounds like Sander’s ego maybe getting the best of him.
I agree it sounds a bit harsh.
I agree the kent state genius ain’t!!
I agree on the running plays.
But, you call a pass play shedeur drops back and immediately rushers are in his face. A simple drop back pass. That is all over the lineman
Go Buffs.
Transfer portal in and out
He did also say he was proud of the team, and commended them for giving what they got, as did Shedeur. I think every coach, and every player knows, or should know, they’re always trying to find someone better to take your job. That’s the name of the game. So, you gotta focus, prepare, and play your butt off to the best of your ability. If you still get beat? You get beat. At least the penalties were way down.
Go Buffs
I agree. Any confidence they had was probably just depleted.