Buff Nation –
Happy Friday! I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.
Week Thirteen Review
CU 20, Washington 14
Boom! Don’t change your socks, don’t change your shirt, don’t shave. Whatever winning streak superstition you hold on to out of belief or recreation, do it. The Buffs are rolling. Last Saturday’s win over Washington marked the fifth largest upset (CU was a 14.5-point underdog) in school history. In an age where Buff Nation has little to cheer about (outside of our annual beat down of NE (gotta love it)), the last two game Colorado have given Buff Nation hope (ah, there is that word again).
This win was big. For context the Huskies WON the Pac-12 last season and have pummeled the buffs the last NINE TIMES by a combined score of 340 to 128 (an average of 24 point (rounding up). While winning is certainly better than losing (reference link from two weeks ago for clip), it was the way CU won which instills confidence that this thing (return to dominance) is happening. From kickoff to victory formation, CU won with a stout defense, hard nose running game and disciplined special teams (including arguably the best punt you will ever see in college football)…and yes, Steven Montez, he of late-night Fortnight, showed up for the second game in a row and played like a legit Pac-12 QB. He gave Buff Nation all he had in the victory and kudos to him for doing so. Yet, at the end of the day, it was the defense that reigned supreme.
Week Fourteen Preview
CU (5-6) @ #6 Utah (10-1) – Saturday 4:30 PM (ABC)
Win and CU goes bowling. Lose, and the Buffs go home for the season to ponder what could have been (missed PAT vs Air Force, missed fumble recovery vs USC). Either way, the Buffs are back and on a trajectory any fan wants to see this time of year. The Buffs are playing their best ball of the season. A win at Utah tomorrow would represent the largest pre-game point spread win in CU history (the Buffs are a 28+ underdog).
Utah is legit across the board. They have several seniors on defense who will be nominated for Pac-12 honors. They also have the best QB / WR tandem in the conference and one of the best running backs. CU will have to play out of their minds to keep this game close. Inclement weather should help level the playing field. A win at Utah tomorrow would pop the top on this program. I don’t see that happening, but Tucker has this team dialed in and if CU holds Utah to similar 3rd down stats (see below) as they did Washington…oh boy oh boy oh boy…it will be an early Christmas for Buff Nation.
Final Thought
One stat from the Washington game which I had calculate by hand as I was in disbelief when I read it, the Huskies ran 17 plays on third down for a total of a negative 30 yards. Good things happen when that happens.
Go Buffs!
Doug