NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
With the sting and shock of losing a 29-0 lead and the game still in their heads, the Colorado Buffaloes hit the road to face UCLA. Having a bye after could not have come at a better time and the goal of reaching a bowl game is still very much alive. The Bruins are coming off a big win with a new QB in Ethan Garbers who tossed two touchdowns and showed he can move a little if he has to as well. But, one of the goals of the rebuild in year one for Coach Prime, was to win now a bowl game appearance would be MAJOR. So how do the Buffs get it done in Hollywood?
Offense:
I have some bad news for Shaduer Sanders and the rest of the offense, Saturday they face one of the top defenses in the PAC-12. The top spot as the most sacked QB in college football will still be his to hold on to, unfortunately. The offensive line will have to put on one of its best performances to give Sanders time to get the ball to his playmakers. As has been the case all season CU has dudes but they don’t give Shaduer time to get them the ball in space to make magic happen. We won’t even get into the “running game” This will be a shot to break the streak and win at UCLA for the first time since 2002. With a lack of a run game, Colorado should hit the Bruins with screen passes and quick slants to slow down the pass rush. By no means am I saying give up on the run the threat would at least help in moving the ball downfield? This is still an explosive team with ballers like Xaview Wevear and Jimmy Horn. Travis Horn had another week to heal up. Even with its solid front, the Bruins have not seen a passing attack like the one Colorado will bring. How those DBs hold up will be something to watch.
Defense:
Without a doubt, this unit spent the bye week watching film and working on everything that led to that horrible Stanford loss. Blown coverages and missed assignments along with a lot of bad luck all came together to find the Buffs on the losing end and the haters came out in full force as they should. You have to believe even on the road this unit will come with a much better performance. With the issues UCLA has had on the offensive line, CU defenders should rent out sometime in the backfield.
Conclusion:
Limit the bonehead plays 17 penalties against Stanford was the gas that lit the Cardinal comeback. You won’t beat a high school team doing stuff like that. And it appeared like Travis Hunter was out of gas towards the end so perhaps we limit his snaps? Like most of the teams that have played Colorado this season, UCLA will want to get their pound of flesh and see if they found the answer at QB. With a great defense against the run facing a Buffs squad who struggles with it this will come down to how much magic can come from the arm of number 2 Shaduer Sanders can he get enough time to make plays? With the games we have watched this season, plus the last game makes perfect sense Colorado is underdogs by a wide margin. With that being said UCLA should win this one by at least 2 touchdowns. The effort from Colorado won’t be questioned but as coach Prime said he needs a few more dogs to continue this rebuild. Enjoy the game and #GoBuffs
