Woelk: 10 Takeaways From Buffs Game At Oregon State
October 15, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — How tough is playing on the road in the Pac-12?
Figure this: Of the six conference games played over the weekend, only one visiting team came away with a win.
That team, of course, was 4-3 Colorado, which slipped out of Corvallis with a harrowing 36-33 win over Oregon State, a game that wasn't decided until a 52-yard field goal try by OSU's Jordan Choukair fell short in the waning seconds of the game.
What the weekend proved is that no one is safe on the road. Unbeaten and eighth-ranked Washington State ran into a buzzsaw in Berkeley, falling 37-3 to Cal. Fourth-ranked Washington dropped a 13-7 decision to Arizona State in Tempe. Other losers on the Pac-12 road included Utah (at USC), Oregon (at Stanford) and UCLA (at Arizona).
The weekend also put on display just how balanced the Pac-12 is. Cal was 0-3 in conference play before administering the Washington State beatdown. ASU was 2-3 overall before stifling the Huskies.
It's been that kind of conference this year, where road teams are 8-15 this season — just one reason Colorado players were smiling after rallying to beat 1-6 Oregon State. The Buffs, who entered the weekend with a three-game losing streak, no doubt needed a win. But getting one on the road is always a little more satisfying.
Our weekly 10 Takeaways from the weekend:
1. Some Pac-12 tidbits. Remember Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate, who ran the Buffs ragged a couple of weeks ago, rushing for 327 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-42 win? That apparently wasn't an aberration. Tate ran for 230 yards and two touchdowns (45 and 71 yards) on 15 carries and was 9-for-13 passing for 148 yards and another score in a 47-30 win over UCLA.
Meanwhile, it would appear that defensive schemes go only so far. Former Buffs defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt's Oregon defense ran into a buzzsaw against Stanford, yielding 504 yards offense in a 49-7 Cardinal win. That dropped the Ducks to ninth in the league in scoring defense.
2. Pass rush will be a priority. For the second week in a row, the Buffs did not record a quarterback sack, despite OSU quarterback Darrell Garretson throwing 37 times.
But the Buffs did get some pressure on Garretson, recording five quarterback "hurries" — one of which led directly to an interception by safety Evan Worthington, a play that helped turn momentum in CU's favor early in the second half. Derek McCartney, Drew Lewis, Ryan Moeller, Leo Jackson III and Chris Mulumba all were credited with hurries, with Lewis' play forcing the interception by Worthington.
Still, the Buffs have now produced just two sacks in four Pac-12 games, a number they would no doubt like to improve — significantly — with Washington State quarterback Luke Falk now on the immediate horizon.
3. Takeaways vs. turnovers and red zone defense. Rather quietly, the Buffs have made vast improvement in the turnover department.
The Buffs did not have a turnover against OSU, the third straight game Colorado did not have an interception or lose a fumble, and it's now been 13 quarters since the Buffs had a turnover (stretching back to the third quarter of the Washington game). CU has now played four turnover-free games this year, matching the school record set in 1989 and equaled in 1993, 2006 and 2011.
Eliminating turnovers by no means guarantees a win — but it enhances the opportunity. CU is 2-2 in the games this year in which the Buffs didn't commit a turnover and 8-5 under MacIntyre overall in those situations.
Meanwhile, Colorado has produced at least one defensive takeaway in all seven games this year, including the big interception by Worthington on Saturday.
Overall, CU's defensive numbers didn't look good. OSU finished with 569 yards offense. But the key statistic may have been Colorado's red zone defense, as the Buffs held fast inside their 20 four times in seven opportunities, limiting the Beavers to four field goals. One more TD on any of those tries would have been a big difference.
4. Bobo and Montez are connecting again. Over the last couple of weeks, quarterback Steven Montez and Bryce Bobo have begun to click once more.
In the first three games this season, Bobo was one of Montez's favorite targets, catching 21 passes for a pair of scores in that stretch. But in the first two Pac-12 games, the two hooked up just four times and no scores.
Over the last two games, however, Bobo has hauled in 15 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns, including Saturday's 9-for-126, two TD effort that also included an important two-point conversion. (Bobo also had an 11-yard touchdown pass to Montez.)
With teams still playing lots of deep zone in order to take away the long pass, Bobo offers a big target on shorter routes and is tough for corners to cover one-on-one. It's clearly an option Montez has come to like and look for.
5. Run defense will continue to be challenged. Thus far, Colorado's rush defense has truly been a Jekyll and Hyde affair. The Buffs have held three opponents — Colorado State, Northern Colorado and UCLA — to under 100 yards on the ground. Three others, however — Washington, Arizona and Oregon State — have surpassed the 250-yard mark.
The Buffs no doubt missed big nose tackle Javier Edwards (out with an injury) against OSU. They also took a hit early in the season when Frank Umu, who figured to be a key contributor, was dismissed from the team.
But sophomore Lyle Tuiloma did have some solid moments Saturday (three tackles), and should improve. The Buffs also hope to get Edwards back — and they will need both to perform well down the stretch. CU will see several more teams intent upon seeing if they can pound Colorado up the middle.
6. Montez continues to improve. The CU quarterback's numbers Saturday — 14-for-24, 168 yards, two touchdowns — were by no means eye-popping. In fact, it was his lowest yardage total of the season.
But the CU sophomore continues to make significant improvement in the decision-making area, and he's also rediscovering his flair for making big plays in clutch moments. Saturday, that ability was particularly apparent in the fourth quarter.
Montez didn't play well the first three quarters. He missed some throws and hit just six of his first 14 passes for 100 yards in the first 45 minutes.
But down the stretch, he made plays when the Buffs needed them most. He completed eight of his 10 final attempts on CU's two final scoring drives, throwing for touchdowns on both, and also made an excellent play on the two-point conversion to Bobo.
Montez is still learning. He has just now reached double digits in career starts (Oregon State was his 10th). But over the last three games, he has played well enough to win — and there's no reason to believe he won't continue to improve.
7. Learning how to win matters. The Buffs' last three games have been decided by a total of 10 points — and they have a 1-2 record in those games.
The difference Saturday? They came up with plays that made the difference. The offense had two big fourth-quarter drives and the defense — in particular Nick Fisher, Leo Jackson III and Isaiah Oliver — came up with hugely important plays on OSU's last possession, forcing a long field goal try.
Those are the kind of plays that build confidence, the kind of plays CU made with regularity a year ago. If the Buffs find themselves in such positions again in the future, they at least know they have made those plays.
8. Special teams continue to play well. While other Pac-12 teams are having their fair share of special teams woes (Washington missed two field goals in a 13-7 loss to ASU), Colorado's special teams have been consistent.
The Buffs did not attempt a field goal Saturday, but James Stefanou is one of seven kickers in the Pac-12 who is still perfect on PAT attempts. Colorado is also third in the league in punt returns, fourth in kickoff coverage and seventh in punting. Those rankings might not be spectacular — but they are also not the kind that have produced dramatic negative momentum shifts.
9. O-line delivered when needed as Buffs begin controlling tempo on the ground. It took a while Saturday, but when the big fellas up front began cranking it up for the running game, they gave Phillip Lindsay room to run, particularly in the fourth quarter.
It's something we'll likely see more of as the season heads down the home stretch. Colorado — much to the surprise of many — is slowly morphing into a ball-control, clock-eating offense. CU had three scoring drives Saturday of at least nine plays, with four drives covering at least 73 yards.
The Buffs came into the season aiming for "Folsom Fast," figuring their offense would have to score plenty of points while a defense that replaced eight starters took time to gel. The offense is beginning to uphold that end of the bargain (78 points in the last two games), but just as importantly, they are doing it by wearing down defenses with the run game and using up clock in the process.
The Buffs are now fifth in the league in time of possession. CU had a big edge in TOP against Arizona, and while OSU had the overall edge Saturday, Colorado won the stat in the all-important fourth quarter, including an 18-play scoring drive that consumed 6:22.
10. Phillip Lindsay. Just a little more than halfway through the season, folks are already running out of adjectives to describe CU's senior running back.
He's tough, he's determined, he's a team player, he has a great work ethic and he has made himself into a terrific Division I football player against some long, long odds. Colorado has seen more than its share of great running backs in the past, and Lindsay certainly belongs in that pantheon.
But what separates him from most is his love for his team, his university and his state. He is truly proud to represent Colorado when he puts on the uniform, and he prepares for the opportunity as if it is a privilege.
The hope here is that CU fans take the time to fully appreciate what they are seeing this year from No. 23.
Enjoy it while you can.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
