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Colorado Daily – Arizona Week
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October 19th – Game Day!
… CU in a few minutes …
Daily Camera: Five Wildcats to Watch
From the Daily Camera …
5 Wildcats to Watch
CB Tacario Davis: He’s posted 23 tackles and five pass breakups, which is tied for second in the Big 12. A year ago, he was second-team All-Pac-12 with 25 tackles, 15 pass breakups (second in the Pac-12) and one interception. (Side note: Davis left the BYU game with an undisclosed injury, and was considered “questionable” for the CU game)
QB Noah Fifita: This season, he’s completed 58.9% of his passes for 1,636 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. In 2023, he was the Pac-12 offensive freshman of the year, completing 72.4% of his passes (school record) for 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
LB Jacob Manu: Leads Arizona with 43 tackles and also has three tackles for loss. In 2023, he was first-team All-Pac-12, leading the conference with 116 tackles. He also had 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hurries.
WR Tetairoa McMillan: Ranks third nationally in receiving yards per game (123.7), while catching 42 passes and scoring four touchdowns. He was an Associated Press third-team All-American in 2023, and in three seasons at Arizona he’s caught 171 passes for 2,846 yards and 22 touchdowns.
DE Tre Smith: A transfer from San Jose State, he’s posted 28 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He earned first-team All-Mountain West honors last season as a redshirt sophomore.
When Arizona has the ball …
Like CU, the Wildcats have an elite quarterback-receiver tandem with Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan, who were high school teammates in California before coming to Arizona together. Arizona also has a talented group of running backs, led by Quali Conley (458 yards, 6 TD, 5.6 yards per carry). The offense has been a disappointment, however. After averaging 34.6 points per game last year (18th nationally), the Wildcats are putting up just 25.7 (87th this year). Take out the 61 points they scored in the opener against New Mexico and the Wildcats have averaged just 18.6 points in the last five games. Fifita hasn’t been nearly as sharp as he was a year ago and although he’s been sacked just six times, the Wildcats are hoping to make life easier for him. “We’re focused on trying to get the ball out of his hand, because he has taken too many hits and we need to protect him,” Brennan told local media this week. “He’s a great player, he’s the leader of our team and we need to take better care of him.”
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October 18th
… CU in a few minutes …
Neill Woelk’s Keys to the Arizona game
From CUBuffs.com … The Buffs are coming off a narrow 31-28 loss to then-No. 18 Kansas State that ended a three-game CU winning streak. Led by quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Colorado’s offense continues to operate at a prolific pace while an opportunistic defense has produced 12 sacks and 10 turnovers in the last four games.
The Buffs will need that pass rush against the Wildcats, as Arizona has given up just six sacks this season. Meanwhile, CU must also shore up its run defense, which yielded a season-high 185 yards last week against Kansas State. While UA is by no means a power running team, the Wildcats are still averaging a respectable 141 yards per game on the ground.
Earlier in the week, Coach Prime made it clear that the Buffs are no longer content to play close games against good opponents. They expect to win those close games — CU is 2-1 in one-score affairs this year — and after what he termed a “wake-up call” against Kansas State, he expects the Buffaloes to deliver a win on Saturday.
To accomplish that, the Buffs will have to be solid on both sides of the ball. Our weekly Fast Five keys for CU:
1. Create opportunities on defense. The Buffs have been outstanding in this area over the last four games, producing five interceptions and five fumble recoveries in that stretch.
They need to come up with a couple more of those momentum-shifting plays against the Wildcats.
Turnovers have been a big problem for Arizona this season. UA has turned the ball over 12 times — nine interceptions and three fumbles — and opponents have turned those takeaways into 56 points.
This is where CU’s pass rush will be critical. While Arizona quarterback Fifita can create big plays, he’s also thrown nine interceptions and just eight touchdown passes. If the Buffs can get to Fifita and force a mistake or two, CU’s secondary will be ready to take advantage — and it will give their offense some extra opportunities. BJ Green II had a couple sacks last week and Taje McCoy has a team-best three this season. Expect both to apply some pressure and push Fifiita into some poor decisions.
The Buffs have been very good this year in converting turnovers into points, turning their 10 takeaways into 35 points. A couple of those moments Saturday will go a long way in helping CU to a victory.
2. Establish the threat of a run game. After a solid outing two weeks ago in a win over UCF, the Buffs took a step back against Kansas State, finishing with minus-29 yards on the ground. The Buffs’ leading rusher was QB Sanders, who had 24 yards on the ground — but he also lost 74 yards on sacks. Otherwise, CU got a combined 21 yards on 10 carries from Dallan Hayden and Isaiah Augustave.
The Buffs don’t have to overpower UA with their rushing attack. But they do have to prove they can move the sticks on the ground and they have to be better on first downs. Colorado last weekend averaged just 1.3 yards per carry on first down rushes, which opened the door for the Kansas State pass rush.
If CU can make the Wildcats at least respect the threat of a run game, it will open up opportunities in the secondary and give Sanders a little more time in the pocket. If he gets that time, he can do damage while also reducing the kind of big sacks that put CU in too many unmanageable down-and-distance situations against K-State.
… Continue reading story here …
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October 17th
… CU in a few minutes …
BJ Green getting back to his standards: “I didn’t play like myself in the first five games”
From the Daily Camera … In his three seasons with the Arizona State Sun Devils, BJ Green set a high standard for himself.
In Green’s mind, it took him a bit to hit that standard as a Colorado Buffalo, but he got there last Saturday. During the Buffs’ 31-28 loss to No. 18 Kansas State, Green recorded his first two sacks of the season.
“That’s my standard of football,” the senior defensive end said. “I had to get back to who BJ Green is, and that’s who I am. That’s what I do, and that’s what I’ll be doing going forward.”
Green earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors at ASU last year after posting 39 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. He had 21 TFLs and 13.5 sacks in his three seasons with the Sun Devils.
Six games into this season, Green has notched 11 tackles, six TFLs, two sacks and a fumble recovery.
“I didn’t play like myself the first five games,” he said. “I had to go on the bye week and look at what I needed to do, and get back to who BJ Green is. The Kansas State game is just a standard of what I do. That’s not special to me. That’s what I am expected to do, and that’s what I’ll be doing going forward: causing havoc, like I set out to do.”
… Continue reading story here …
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October 16th
… CU in a few minutes …
Coach Prime: “Saturday was a wake-up call for a multitude of us”
From the Daily Camera … Coach Prime has shaken up the usual practice routine. Typically on Sundays, those who played at least 60% of the snaps the day before in the game wouldn’t practice. But that wasn’t necessarily the case this week.
“When you’re coaching, you’re always trying to up the level,” he said. “You’re always trying to take your team to the next level, take your business to the next level, take your life, your relationships, anything to the next level.
“When you sit, when you step out of it for a moment, and you think about it, you say, ‘OK, I know I’m trying to take care of the guys that played 60% of the snaps and give them a day rest,’ and you try to really develop some of the other guys that didn’t get the opportunity to play. … But if you give up several sacks and you see the guys over there (resting), what does that say to the team? If we’re giving up deep balls and you over there chilling and your teammates looking at you like, ‘Hey, shoot, why aren’t out there? You need to be working on your game.’”
CU’s coaches wanted to challenge the players this week, knowing the expectations are higher this year.
“Work on their game, to take it to the next level, if they want to be pros,” Coach Prime said. “If you don’t, I understand. But when you came in, you said you do (want to go pro); we’re going to hold you accountable to that.”
The response has been positive, he said. After a day off on Monday, the Buffs “came out there with certainly a different attitude” on Tuesday, he said.
“Sometimes you get intoxicated a little bit with winning and start thinking that you’re really like that,” Coach Prime added, “and this Saturday was a wake-up call for a multitude of us.”
… Continue reading story here …
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*Wide receivers coach Jason Phillips*
From BuffsTV …
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WR Drelon Miller
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3.26 million watch CU/Kansas State
CU viewership so far this season:
- vs. North Dakota State – 4.8M (ESPN)
- at Nebraska – 6.3M (NBC)
- at Colorado State – 3.2M (CBS)
- vs Baylor – 3.6M (FOX)
- at UCF – 4.1M (FOX)
- vs Kansas State – 3.3M (ESPN)
- Average of 4.2 million viewers per game.
Noteworthy from Week Seven … CU had more viewers than the ESPN primetime game between Florida and Tennessee, which went into overtime (it was also the lead-in game for Buff game).
Also … the Colorado State/San Jose State game (1:30 p.m., MT, kickoff) had 75,000 viewers, the same number of viewers as the Big Sky Conference tilt between Montana State and Idaho, which didn’t start until 8:15 p.m., MT … Just sayin’ …
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October 15th
… CU in a few minutes …
*Coach Prime’s Weekly Press Conference*
Also … DL BJ Green … WR LaJohntay Wester … DB Shilo Sanders … Coach Prime’s press conference starts at 15:50 …
From the Daily Camera … Buff Nation can breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Colorado star Travis Hunter, as well as fellow standout receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., are expected to play when the Buffs (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) visit Arizona (3-3, 1-2) on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz. (2 p.m. MDT, Fox).
“Travis should play for certain on Saturday; Jimmy as well,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday.
Both players were injured during the second quarter – within three plays of each other – of Saturday’s 31-28 loss to Kansas State at Folsom Field and did not return.
Sanders has never revealed the specifics of their injuries, but both appear to be ready to go.
The news was not as good for receivers Omarion Miller and Terrell Timmons, who were also injured against K-State.
Miller, a sophomore, suffered an undisclosed leg injury. Coach Prime said Miller had surgery on Monday.
“I don’t think he’ll be back this season,” Coach Prime said.
Miller hasn’t been one of the four starting receivers, but has been exceptional when getting opportunities to shine. He had eight catches for 145 yards and was injured while hauling in a pass for 51 yards.
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October 14th
… CU in a few minutes …
Another late night for Buff fans – CU/Cincinnati kickoff time set
Press release from CUBuffs.com … The Colorado Buffaloes Family Weekend game against Cincinnati on Saturday, October 26, 2024, will kickoff at 8:15 p.m. MDT and be televised nationally by ESPN.
Saturday 10/26/24
Oklahoma State at Baylor, 3:30 pm ET on ESPN+
Cincinnati at Colorado, 10:15 pm ET on ESPN
6-day selections
West Virginia at Arizona
BYU at UCF
Utah at Houston
Kansas at Kansas State
Texas Tech at TCU
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October 13th
… CU in a few minutes …
Buffs moving on: “The goal is to get Miss Peggy to a bowl, but we’re one game at a time. That’s the target”
From the Daily Camera … CU lost four receivers to injuries on Saturday, including starters Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. Both were on the sideline in uniform throughout the second half, but there has been no update on their specific injuries or their status moving forward.
While the Buffs hope for the speedy recovery of their receivers, they’ll also look for a swift bounce-back from Saturday’s defeat. The Buffs didn’t play their best, especially in the trenches, yet still had Kansas State – which moved up to No. 17 in Sunday’s Associated Press poll – on the ropes late in the fourth quarter.
“We’re better collectively than what we showed tonight,” Coach Prime said.
That’s why the Buffs certainly aren’t out of the Big 12 race after Saturday’s loss.
It’s already been a wild season in the Big 12, with BYU (projected to finish 13th), Texas Tech (ninth) and Iowa State (sixth) as the only teams without a conference loss. Arizona State (projected 16th), Cincinnati (14th) and CU (11th) are among a group of five teams at 2-1.
As for the preseason favorites, Utah (projected to win the title) is 1-2 with a two-game losing streak; K-State (second) is 2-1; Oklahoma State (third) and Kansas (fourth) are 0-3; and Arizona (fifth) is 1-2 and on a two-game skid.
CU is in a good position at the halfway point of the season, but Coach Prime certainly isn’t looking ahead to a conference race or even bowl eligibility.
“That’s not in our thought process whatsoever,” he said. “We’re one game at a time. Really, one game at a time. You know the goal is to get Miss Peggy (Coppom) to a bowl, you know that, but we’re one game at a time. That’s the target.
“You hate dropping those games (such as Saturday against K-State), but you can see that we’re trending in the right direction. You can see that we have some capable players. You can see that we have some people that can flat out play this game. We just gotta all show up together.”
… Continue reading story here …
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Neill Woelk’s Takeaways from the Kansas State game
From CUBuffs.com … Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes don’t have time to wallow in the “what ifs” of Saturday’s 31-28 loss to Kansas State.
No doubt CU let a golden opportunity slip through its fingers. The Buffs had a chance to knock off a nationally ranked team, remain unbeaten in Big 12 play and insert themselves squarely into the conversation as a conference title game contender.
But with six games remaining, the most important part of that equation is still on the table. If the Buffs want to remain in the hunt for a title game berth and possible playoff bid, next Saturday’s 2 p.m. (MT) game at Arizona becomes the latest “most important game of the season.”
Colorado no doubt has some areas to address in the wake of Saturday’s defeat. CU battled back from a two-touchdown deficit to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, only to see Kansas State answer with a three-play, 84-yard scoring drive for what proved to be the winning touchdown with just 2:14 remaining in the game.
But instead of wasting time thinking about what could have been Saturday, the Buffs need to make sure they are prepared to make those things happen at Arizona.
Our weekly takeaways:
1. The Big 12 is still a wonderful hot mess of parity. Of the three teams still unbeaten in conference play with 3-0 records, two of them — Texas Tech and BYU — were picked to finish ninth and 13th in the preseason media poll. The third, Iowa State, was picked sixth.
Meanwhile, four of the teams picked to finish in the top five have losing conference records — Utah (1-2), Arizona (1-2), Oklahoma State (0-3) and Kansas (0-3).
The moral of the story is that anything can happen in the conference — and probably will. If the Buffs can bounce back and take care of business at Arizona, they will still be squarely in the picture.
2. But the margin for error has shrunk. The Buffs certainly can’t afford to continue to make the mistakes that cost them Saturday. That includes letting a running back get wide open for a 34-yard pass play to help set up the winning score, a host of missed tackles, and another big kick return that helped set up a K-State field goal late in the third quarter (which proved to be the margin of victory).
… Continue reading story here …
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4 Replies to “Colorado Daily”
Hmmm,
Sitting here about 12:30 watching 4 games on the big screen (youtubetv is great)
In the bottom left watching Kornkobs get there butts handed to them by Indiana
Watching the holer coach reminds me of a that famous beach boy song “Listen to him whine, whine, whine.
And I gotta say riaola walks with the gait of a woman. No offense now.
Go Buffs
Today has to be a w
2. Establish the threat of a run game.
zzzzzzz
anyone want to bet against schurmur trying to modify the running game for AZ? Even with all the injuries to WR? It was kind of bizarre when the Buffs were lauded for their 130 plus yards on the ground against UCF and at the same time lauding the D for holding UCF to 170 plus. Wake me up when those figures get reversed. In the meantime the bowl is still at risk along with Shedeur’s health.
Agree with this. As an old school guy, I enjoyed, and still do, the running game. It brings balance to the game. Yes, the games are exciting and Shedeur is great but the Buffs are one dimensional and several key players down. If Buffs lose at AZ, things will certainly start to tighten up in regards to becoming bowl eligible. KU may be down but still a road game. Now is a great time to commit more to the run game. Would I bet on it? No but I hope so.