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October Grades – Offense
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A quirk in the 2024 calendar allowed FBS teams to schedule two bye weeks this season.
While CU’s bye weeks didn’t exactly divide the schedule into thirds, there is a reasonable division of games for the Buffs, with five games in August/September, three in October, and four in November.
It also gives us a chance to take a step back during the bye weeks and review how your Buffs are doing.
CU went 4-1 before the first bye, with the unit-by-unit grades for the offense posted here.
CU went 2-1 in the month of October, with a 31-28 loss to Kansas State, followed by wins over Arizona (34-7) and Cincinnati (34-23).
The Buffs are now 6-2, with a 4-1 record in Big 12 play. How would you rate how your Buffs are doing?
Let’s find out …
Colorado offense – October, 2024 …
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Quarterback
Shedeur Sanders finished September ranked 6th in the nation in passing yards (1,630), 4th in the nation in passing touchdowns (14), and 8th in the nation in total offense (1,655 yards).
As the season takes a turn towards the home stretch, Sanders is still ranked 6th in the nation in passing yards (2,591), is 3rd in passing touchdowns (21), and 9th in the nation in total offense (2,573).
Sanders sets new school records almost every weekend. He is completing over 70% of his passes, has completed over 80% the last two games (setting program records), including hitting 15 consecutive passes to open the Cincinnati game (also a new CU record).
After the Cincinnati game, Coach Prime discussed Shedeur’s performance with the media, saying, “He’s so darn good that we don’t give him the credit he deserves for some of the things he does.” A reporter mentioned to Prime that Shedeur started out 15 of 15, making program history, and he responded with, “Wow. You don’t even notice that kind of stuff because you’re so caught up in the game and coaching. You don’t even think about it. I remember him doing something like that once at Jackson, and he was phenomenal. But wow. Just wow. And they don’t even mention him for the Heisman?…Oh my bad, he’s my son.”
So, Shedeur is a quarterback ranked in the Top Ten nationally in almost every passing category, is CU’s first quarterback to be a legitimate Heisman trophy candidate since Kordell Stewart 30 years ago, and will be CU’s first-ever quarterback to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft next April.
Pretty easy to grade …
October Grade … A
September Grade … A
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Running backs
In the first five games of the season, Colorado posted a grand total of 403 rushing yards, with five touchdowns and only a 3.0 yards per carry average. Yes, the 18 sacks the CU offense endured in September, counting against the rushing totals, didn’t help, but the fact remained that the Buffs were continuing its legacy from last fall of not being able to establish a running game.
It took until Game Five for CU to have two running backs with over 100 yards rushing for the season, with Isaiah Augustave (117 yards) just ahead of Micah Welch (113 yards).
Last season, Colorado was 130th in the country in rushing, at 68.9 yards per game.
In September? 124th, with 80.6 yards per game.
Things are looking up for the CU running backs, however, as a new focus on the running game is paying dividends. After another struggle against Kansas State (seven sacks didn’t help), the Buffs went for 155 rushing yards against Arizona, then posted 123 rushing yards against Cincinnati, with Isaiah Augustave going for CU season highs, with 22 carries for 91 yards.
Colorado is not going to climb out of the Bottom Ten nationally in rushing yards this season, and most members of the Buff Nation have come to grips with that stat.
But … if the Buffs can show even a modicum of a rushing attack, just enough to keep defenses honest and make the CU aerial attack unstoppable?
We’ll call that a win.
October Grade … B-
September Grade … C-
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Wide Receivers
Last season, which seemed like a great year for the CU receiving corps, Jimmy Horn led the team with six touchdowns; with Travis Hunter finishing the season with five.
This season, with four regular season games still left to be played, Travis Hunter has eight receiving touchdowns; LaJohntay Wester has seven.
Wester was honored by Coach Prime after the Cincinnati game, given jersey No. 1 (Wester had been wearing No. 10), as a reward for his efforts both on and off the field. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur also has nothing but praise for Wester: “When you can throw the ball on third and medium and count on the guy getting a first down, it’s like being able to call a run and knowing you can get five yards.”
Travis Hunter is, well, Travis Hunter, the No. 1 wide receiver in the nation. True enough, Hunter is “only” 11th in receiving yards nationally, and sixth in receiving touchdowns. But, if you had your choice of all of the receivers in the country to have on your team … wouldn’t you take Hunter?
And that’s before we talk about Jimmy Horn (33 catches for 434 yards and one touchdown – should be two, but, you know) or Will Sheppard (27 catches for 390 yards and three touchdowns).
No wonder four-star wide receiver prospect Adrian Wilson flipped his commitment from Arizona State to Colorado this past weekend.
October Grade … A
September Grade … A
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Tight ends
Tight end Sav’ell Smalls has actually been on the field for more plays than many of CU’s wide receivers, but, if he gets one catch in a game, it’s news. For the season, Smalls has five catches for 41 yards.
Okay, so CU still isn’t using the tight end position in the passing game. But … Smalls has actually been on the field for more plays than some of the receivers. Smalls has been used to improve the rushing attack, and when coaches determined that Smalls wasn’t as effective stationary before a play, they put him in motion so he could get a running start on his blocks.
Not a great source of pride for the offense, but the tight end position is at least as much of a liability as it has in the past. That in and of itself is an improvement.
October Grade … C-
September Grade … D+
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Offensive Line
Let’s get two harsh realities out of the way.
Colorado is going to finish the 2024 season ranked in the 100s nationally in rushing, and in the 100s nationally in sacks allowed.
Even with consecutive games over 100+ yards rushing against Arizona (148) and Cincinnati (123), the Buffs are currently 129th in the nation in rushing, at 80.6 yards/game.
Hypothetical No. 1 … Let’s say in CU’s next two games, the Buffs post a total of 355 yards rushing, or 177.5 yards per game (not likely, but work with me). Those numbers would raise Colorado’s average rushing yards/game to an even 100 yards a game, which would rank CU … 124th nationally.
Even with only surrendering one sack each to Arizona and Cincinnati, CU has allowed 26 sacks on the season, 124th nationally.
Hypothetical No. 2 … Let’s say in CU’s next two games, the offensive line again only gives up one sack per game. That would give CU 28 sacks allowed on the season, which would rank CU … 108th nationally.
So …. It won’t matter how well the Buff offensive line does the rest of the season, those looking for fault will be able to point to CU’s poor numbers in rushing and allowed sacks.
That being said, it’s undeniable that CU’s offensive line play has improved. If you take the stats of the first two games of the second half of the season, CU’s rushing average would rank the Buffs a much more respectable 87th nationally.
Sacks allowed? If you give up only one sack per game, you would be ranked … um … 13th nationally.
CU’s rough start to the 2024 season, with a total of 22 sacks allowed in games against Nebraska, Baylor and Kansas State, have doomed CU’s stat sheet to national rankings in triple digits.
But that doesn’t mean the Colorado offensive line isn’t playing better. Consecutive games with over 100 yards rushing, and consecutive games with only one sack allowed, give the Buff Nation hope for the final month.
Is it the rotation of guards which is making the Buffs better? More time together? The maturation of freshman left tackle Jordan Seaton?
Some of all of the above.
Ignore the first half of the season numbers – focus on how well the line continues to progress.
October Grade … B
September Grade … C+
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Overall
The improvement in production by the Colorado offense has been significant. Yes, the rushing numbers continue to lag in the 100s, but the offense as a whole is clicking, and is fun to watch.
If you have blotted out the memories of what we have been through lately, here are some rankings …
Rushing offense …
- 2022 (1-11) … 108.3 ypg., 114th in the nation
- 2023 (4-8) … 68.9 ypg., 130th
- 2024 (6-2) … 80.6 ypg., 129th
Passing offense …
- 2022 … 172,9 ypg., 117th in the nation
- 2023 … 294.7 ypg., 16th
- 2024 … 323.9 ypg., 8th
Total offense …
- 2022 … 281.2 ypg., 127th in the nation
- 2023 … 363.6 ypg., 80th
- 2024 … 404.5 ypg., 59th
Scoring offense …
- 2022 … 15.4 ppg., 126th in the nation
- 2023 … 28.2 ppg., 58th
- 2024 … 31.4 ppg., 45th
By almost every metric, the Colorado offense has improved over last season, and is a world away from what Buff fans endured in the 2022 season.
The rushing attack needs to continue to improve, keeping defenses honest.
The sack totals need to continue to be minimized, keeping Shedeur upright (and healthy).
If the Colorado offense can accomplish both of these goals, while continuing to have a passing attack which is one of the best in the country, Buff fans are going to be treated to a fun November.
October Grade … B+
September Grade … B+
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2 Replies to “October Grades – Offense”
Question Stuart, all of the Oct. grades except for QB & WR (already A’s) are higher than the Sept. grades, so how is the overall grade for Sept. & Oct. the same?
With the O-line & RBs improving as the season goes on, the Buffs are on the rise with three of the four remaining games against teams that are losing. And, while TT at TT will be a tough contest, if the Buffs defense keeps playing well and continue to improve, the Buffs should win… And win out too!
I know don’t count your chickens before their hatched & one game at a time, but the records of the other teams make us believe the Buffs can do it… I know there are others who are thinking the same, while all the haters are too… Their hating the thought of the Buffs winning out and how they will be proven wrong!
Short of injuries or a complete melt down, I don’t see that happening and I don’t see the staff & the team leaders allowing that to happen. Even if they only won half of their remaining games that’ll put them at 8 wins!
TEN WINS WOULD JUST BE AN AMAZING TURN AROUND!
The Buffs went 4-1 in September; 2-1 in October.
Apples and oranges … both grades are good.
Buffs were two minutes and one stop away from beating K-State, but it didn’t work out.
Good grades overall … What will November bring?