Buff Nation –
Week Five Review
CU 24, Arizona 13
As expected, the winless Wildcats came out swinging last Saturday vs the Buffs. A victory over the upstart, undefeated Buffaloes would have been the perfect cure to an otherwise ailing Arizona season. To their credit, Arizona came out with an offensive scheme CU was not expecting and held a 13-0 lead entering the second quarter before the Buffs coaching staff could make the necessary adjustments.
The Buffs, for their part, have quickly taken on the calm, cool and collected resilience of their coach. No need to panic when Coach KD is at the helm. After taking the initial body blow, the Buffs went about their methodic dismantling of Arizona scoring 24 unanswered points led by Jarek Broussard 301 yards rushing, becoming the first player in CU history to rush for 100+ yards in the first four games of the season. Your Buffs remain undefeated on the season at 4-0, and yes, are now ranked #21 in the country. Can you dig it?
Week Six Preview
CU (4-0) vs Utah (1-2) – Saturday 10:05 am, Folsom Field (Fox)
When CU joined the Pac-12 in 2011, Utah was designated as our manufactured rival (thus playing Utah last game of every season). Few liked the idea, as it seemed forced. It is also hard to be a rival if it is not equitable. Utah has outscored the Buffs 109-35 in the last three beat downs and have won 9 of 11 games. Do not let their record fool you, Utah is legit and extremely interested in another Buff beatdown.
This game will come down to physics. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? We will find out when the Buffs #1 rushing offense squares off against the Utah Utes #1 Rushing Defense. This game very well may come down to the last possession of the game. The Buffs have a better passing attack than Utah, Noyer is going to need to return to early season form in order for the Buffs to win. At the end of the day, the Buffs will be victorious and remain undefeated on the season. Buff Nation will then quickly turn their eyes to the UCLA vs USC game. With a Buff win over Utah and a USC loss to UCLA, the Buffs would find themselves playing in the Pac-12 championship game.
Final Thought
This season will most assuredly have an asterisk next to it. What CU does this year is less about this season (although they sure are making it fun to watch), and more about establishing a foundation for this program to be competitive over an extended period. To do that CU needs top ranked recruits to commit. Polls and Bowls are what matter to recruits. Yes, cool Nike/ Under Armour jerseys, awe-inspiring venues, and competitive schedules matter, but it is the polls and bowls a recruit will brag to their high-school teammates about when they commit to CU. It’s all in front of us, and a win against Utah raises all ships in the proverbial Buff Nation harbor. Let’s not get caught watching the paint dry.
Go Buffs!
Doug