Buffs' Hope To Make Offensive Awakening A Trend
October 09, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — The Colorado Buffaloes knew their offense was close to a breakout game.
Saturday, "close" finally became reality in the Buffs' 45-42 loss to Arizona. Colorado finished with season highs in points (42), total yards (551), rushing yards (300) and time of possession (35:54) against the Wildcats, the type of performance many expected to be a regular occurrence when the season began.
Had Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate not put up previously unmatched numbers in the game, CU's offense — in particular the efforts of running back Phillip Lindsay — would have been the talk of the night.
Still, it was an optimistic sign for the 3-3 Buffs (0-3 Pac-12) as they head into the second half of the season, beginning with Saturday's matchup at 1-5 Oregon State (0-3) and new Beavers interim head coach Cory Hall.
"It was good to see," Buffs co-offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said. "We had seen signs of it in practice and at times during games this season. We just hadn't been able to stack them like that."
In terms of consistency, Saturday's performance might have been one of CU's best in recent years. In 10 possessions, the Buffs put together five touchdown drives covering 75 yards and another covering 85 yards, with a seventh possession ending in a missed field goal attempt.
"As a staff and offensive unit we knew we were capable of doing that and stringing together some drives and finishing some drives," Lindgren said. "It was good to see us be able to put them together, in particular the second half and be able to score some more points."
While Colorado quarterback Steven Montez finished with more than respectable numbers — 19-for-32 for 251 yards and three touchdowns — Lindsay was no doubt the key. The CU senior's 41 carries were a CU record and his 281 yards were the fourth-most in Buffs history. Lindsay also got stronger as the game progressed: in the second half, he had 169 yards on 19 carries.
"That just shows you just how much of a warrior Phil is," Montez said. "Forty-one carries isn't easy. I know there was some times out there that he was tired and he was dying, but he definitely got it done for us."
Lindsay's performance, particularly in the second half, opened the door for the entire offense. CU scored 28 points on 316 yards offense after intermission, with Montez throwing all three of his touchdowns in the second half.
"That definitely helps when you get Phil going and get the run game going," Lindgren said. "It simplifies things for your quarterback. It creates some easier throws for him and I thought that helped (Montez) in the passing game."
Paving the way for Lindsay's effort was a CU offensive line that seemed to gel as the game progressed. The Buffs gave up four sacks in the first half and none in the second; and also began to dominate the Arizona defensive line in the second half.
"Coach (Klayton) Adams really did a nice job at halftime with some of the adjustments," Lindgren said. "We got to some of the things we had success with in the first half, and we got a few more wrinkles in. Their defense was tired, our guys were tired, and it was really good to see our offensive line battle through and be able to finish some drives."
But even CU's best offensive performance of the season had a curious twist: the Buffs' longest play of the night was a 45-yard Lindsay run. Halfway through the season, CU's longest pass play is still just 44 yards, with the longest touchdown pass a 39-yard throw to tight end Chris Bounds in Saturday's game against the Wildcats.
"It's very frustrating," Montez said of CU's inability to connect on the deep ball thus far. "We work on it and work on it … We need to start completing it if we want to be a top-tier offense. We need to complete a deep ball and have a deep threat."
Saturday, Montez threw deep to Shay Fields on multiple occasions, but each pass fell incomplete.
"We've overshot a couple and then a couple times we've been open and not been able to get it off," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "Just kind of hit and miss. They'll connect."
LONG DRIVES: Not only did CU's scoring drives cover plenty of yards, they also ate up clock and snaps. Of the Buffs' six touchdown drives, four had double-digit snap counts, including a 19-play drive and a 15-play drive.
The two 15-plus drives in the same game marked the first such occurrence since the Nov. 9, 2002, overtime win at Missouri (those drive were 16 plays for 78 yards over 7:17 and 16 plays over 85 yards in 8:24; the first resulting in a field goal and the second in a touchdown).
CU's 19-play drive covered 85 yards and used 9:34 off the clock. It was tied for the third-longest scoring drive in terms of number of plays used in school history and the fourth longest in time used. The 19-play scoring drive is tied for the longest among Power 5 schools this year while the time used is the second longest.
Colorado now has three scoring drives this season that have used 15 or more plays (two against Arizona, the other two weeks ago at UCLA). The Buffs, Duke, Georgia Tech and Minnesota are the only Power 5 programs that have three scoring drives that spanned 15 or more plays this year.
PENALTY TROUBLES: One big downside to Saturday's game was yellow flags — the Buffs were called for 12 penalties for 110 yards. The Buffs managed to overcome a handful of those, but in the end, they handed Arizona four first downs by penalty, and also stifled some of their own drives via yellow flags.
Colorado is now 111th in the nation in fewest penalties per game and penalty yards. CU is averaging 7.83 penalties per contest and has been penalized a total of 406 yards.
TIGHT END IN PICTURE: In one game, Colorado had twice as many touchdown passes to a tight end as the Buffs had in all of 2016, as CU's Bounds finished with a pair of scoring receptions.
The first came from 2 yards out; the second from 39.
"It was good to see some tight ends get some love," Montez said. "I can't remember the last time a tight end caught a pass here at Colorado. It was good for them to get two touchdowns."
The Buffs used two tight ends on multiple occasions in the game, lining Bounds and George Frazier up in a variety of formations as added punch in blocking for the run game. That, of course, allowed Bounds to also get in some pass routes.
"My job is to throw to the open man," Montez said. "It doesn't matter if it's a receiver, running back or tight end. If you're open, I'll get you the ball."
MORE TIME FOR BISHARAT: CU sophomore Beau Bisharat tied his career high in carries with eight against the Wildcats for a career-high 32 yards.
Some of Bisharat's carries came simply because the Buffs needed to give Lindsay a rest. On one drive, Lindsay carried 14 times for 80 yards, with Bisharat picking up three carries on the march.
But Bisharat also showed the ability to pick up some tough yards, and it won't be a surprise if the Buffs use him more in the future — especially if it means a little more rest for Lindsay.
"I don't know if we want to have Phil carrying the ball 41 times a game," Montez said. "I think he can do that every once in a while and obviously carry the team like he did the other night, but I think we need to keep him healthy for the remainder of the season."
ANDERSEN LEAVES OSU: Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre has faced off against Gary Andersen on multiple occasions, stretching back to their days in the Mountain West, when MacIntyre was at San Jose State and Andersen at Utah State.
But they won't have a third meeting as Pac-12 head coaches, as Andersen and Oregon State announced Monday that Andersen was stepping down.
Cornerbacks coach Cory Hall was named OSU's interim coach.
"I thank Gary for his many contributions to our student-athletes, OSU Athletics and Oregon State University," Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said in a statement. "OSU football has advanced significantly in many ways during Gary's tenure here, including in our facilities and student-athlete academic performance. This program is poised for success on and off the field."
Andersen had a 7-23 overall record at Oregon State, but was just 1-5 this year (0-3 Pac-12). He was under contract through the 2021 season, but he and the university agreed to release each other from "all future contract obligations and payments," the school said.
"After many discussions with Scott, waiving my contract is the correct decision and enables the young men and the program to move forward and concentrate on the rest of this season," Andersen said in a statement from OSU. "Coaching is not about the mighty dollar. It is about teaching and putting young men in a position to succeed on and off the field. Success comes when all parties involved are moving in the same direction."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
