“T.I.P.S.” For CU v. Arizona


2023 Season Archive

The Wildcats have a freshman quarterback leading them to wins over ranked teams … Arizona is ranked, and bowl-eligible, for the first time since 2017 … Will “Senior Day” provide the Buffs a much-needed spark? … Which stat favors the Buffs – and could play a role in CU’s upset bid? … Let’s find out …

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The Wildcats have played five straight ranked opponents, winning the last three, to join the Top 25 for the first time since 2017 … Can CU cobble together a complete team effort to post a rare November victory? … Or, will CU’s struggles on offense prevent the Buffs from an upset on Senior Day? … Let’s find out …

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Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei threw for one touchdown pass and ran for another, leading No. 16 Oregon State to a 26-19 victory over Colorado. The sold out Homecoming crowd of 52,725 watched the Buff offense continue to struggle, with CU only producing 238 yards of total offense – 52 in the first half. Buff quarterback Shedeur Sanders came into the game as the nation’s second-leading passer with a 337-yard average. But he was limited to 41 yards before halftime and finished with 245 after two late touchdown drives following an in-game painkiller injection for the second straight week in his sore hip.

Questionable play-calling at the end of the first half allowed the Beavers to post a touchdown in the final minute of the second quarter, giving Oregon State a 14-3 cushion at halftime. The Buff offense produced a pair of 75-yard touchdown drives in the second half, after the Buffs’ first 10 possessions resulted in just 78 yards of offense, with Sanders posting touchdown passes of 15 yards to Travis Hunter and 12 yards to Anthony Hankerson.

“The reason it’s so hard is because you know you’re capable of doing better, playing better, performing better, calling better games, coaching better on my behalf and you are coming up short when you have enough to get the job done,” Coach Prime said of his team, which fell below .500 (4-5) for the first time in his tenure at Boulder.

“It’s painful. It hurts myself, the team and all the coaches, the fans … Our kids fought hard. I love the fact that they didn’t have any quit in them. They rallied at the end and gave a heck of an effort. We just wish we could do that in the midst of the game — the first, second, third, and fourth quarters with consistency. And we haven’t found that level of consistency as of yet and that’s what’s truly disheartening.”

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Game 1,300 in CU history turned out to be like many of the other 108 conference games the Buffs have played as a member of the Pac-12 – a loss … A quick comparison of CU’s 2023 gauntlet, though, when compared to CU’s 2024 schedule, can give Buffs fans reason for optimism going forward …

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Game Day! … Shilo Sanders: “If we just limit those little mistakes, we’re gonna be a great team” … Neill Woelk’s Keys to the Oregon State game … ESPN: Sean Lewis and Pat Shurmur to serve as co-offensive coordinators … Shurmur quotes from Thursday Coaches’ Show …

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Legal filings: “Pac-2” trying to keep 2023-24 conference revenues for themselves? … Nebraska eyeing 7-0 start to 2024 season … No pods; only four “protected” rivalries in the new Big 12 … Six Pac-12 teams in first Playoff standings, but none in the Top Four …

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Shedeur already second on CU’s list of TD passes in a season …. Homecoming, 2021, also against Oregon State, was a double overtime win … CU’s defense continues to slide on the all-time lists … DYK: CU’s first-ever night game was against Oregon State? …

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What Dabo Swinney quote this week is a good one for the Buff Nation to hear? … Will OSU running back Damien Martinez have as much success against CU as last year (178 yards; three touchdowns)? … Anyone up for third Pac-12 After Dark double-overtime game at Folsom? …

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Can CU protect its most precious resource, Shedeur Sanders? … Will the Buffs find a way to stop OSU RB Damien Martinez, who went for 170 yards rushing and three scores against the Buffs last season? … Will CU’s sold out homecoming crowd cajole an upset win out of their Buffs? … Let’s find out …

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CU men ranked No. 27 in preseason Associated Press poll; only Arizona and USC ranked ahead of CU in final season of the Pac-12 … CU women ranked in preseason polls for the first time since 2013 … CU men picked 5th in preseason media poll – Boyle: “If we’re the fifth-best team in the Pac-12, the Pac-12’s pretty good this year” …

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No. 23 UCLA 28, Colorado 16

//posted 10.30.2023

The Colorado offense, last in the nation in sacks allowed, was exposed early and often as No. 23 UCLA slowly pulled away in the second half, posting a 28-16    win before a sold out Rose Bowl crowd. Buff quarterback Shedeur Sanders was harassed and hit all night, suffering seven sacks and numerous other hits. A strong early effort by the Buff defense, which generated four first half turnovers, was wasted as the CU offense netted all of three points off of those opportunities.

The UCLA offense, kept to a 7-6 lead at halftime, methodically pulled away in the second half, finishing with 487 yards of total offense. The Buff offense, meanwhile, posted only 255 yards of total offense … with 86 yards of that total coming in CU’s only touchdown drive of the contest late in the fourth quarter. Shedeur Sanders completed 27-of-43 passes for only 217 yards, with other totals – 24 pressures; 17 hits; 13 knockdowns; seven sacks – telling the true story of the game.

“Offensively, we’ve got to improve,” Coach Prime said. “Our quarterback is taking a beating. (Shedeur Sanders) got an injection at halftime just to block some of the pain… We have to do a better job of protecting him … Running the football, we’ve had a couple lineman go down (with injuries), but that’s no excuse.”

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“What Now?”

//posted 10.29.2023

Coach Prime this past week asked his team: “What you gonna with your now?” … After giving up seven sacks and not being able to generate a rushing attack (again), Buff fans are asking the same question as the calendar turns to November: “What now?” …

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