Buffs Take Aim At Opening Season On High Note Vs. Colorado State

BOULDER — A year ago, Colorado's 44-7 win over Colorado State in the season opener for both teams proved to be a springboard to a turnaround season for the Buffs.

The Buffs would love to take another dive into the same pool.

CU went on to post a 10-4 record, win the Pac-12 South and earn Colorado's first bowl bid in nearly a decade. CSU, meanwhile, rebounded from the early season shellacking to come back and post a 7-6 record, including a win over Mountain West champion San Diego State, and also earn a bowl bid.

Now, after the longest fall camp in CU history, the Buffs and Rams will take the field Friday night in one of the more highly anticipated Rocky Mountain Showdown matchups in years at Sports Authority Field in Denver (6 p.m. kickoff, Pac-12 Networks).

The Buffs, last year's national surprise, won't sneak up on anyone this year. While they aren't the pick to repeat as South Division champs, they nevertheless received votes in both the USA Today Coaches and Associated Press preseason top 25 polls.

The Rams, who opened the season last week with an impressive 58-27 win over Oregon State, were picked to finish second in the Mountain West Mountain Division, thanks in large part to an offense that averaged 47.8 points and 533.8 yards per game over its final six games last year.

"(The Oregon State game) just put a stamp on it that they are a good football team," CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "They can make plays and they're really powerful offensively. Defensively, it looks like they improved there also. Our guys understand how good they are."

But the Buffs also boast a high-powered offense. The team that last year put up the sixth-best mark in school history in yards per game returns almost everyone responsible for those numbers, including four starting wide receivers, a veteran offensive line and starting tailback Phillip Lindsay. The one "new" face is quarterback Steven Montez — but the Buffs sophomore is by no means an unknown. He recorded a 2-1 record as a starter last season and finished with 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns passing and was also CU's fourth-leading rusher in 2016.

The unknowns for Colorado are on the defensive side. CU lost eight defensive starters and three assistant coaches from last year's team, one that finished in the top 20 in the nation in team defense. Head coach Mike MacIntyre believes the Buffs have retooled and reloaded, but he is also anxious to see how the new players respond when the lights go on.

"We've got guys out there that I know can make plays," MacIntyre said. "(But) what happens when a guy comes back and makes a play on you? Are you going to compete or are you going to push back and not fight as hard? That's what I want to see out of those guys, because they're going to make some plays on us. ... When they get a play made on them, which everybody does, how are they going to respond? That's what I'm interested to see. I think I know what's going to happen, but they've got to go do it in the heat of the battle."

Defensively, the Buffs will have their eyes on CSU quarterback Nick Stevens, wide receiver Michael Gallup and a potent CSU running game. It will be a big test for the Buffs defensive line, beginning with newcomers Javier Edwards and Chris Mulumba; as well as a CU secondary that includes redshirt freshman Trey Udoffia at cornerback.

Offensively, the Buffs will take their best shots at a CSU defense that gave up more than 400 yards to OSU last week, but also forced five turnovers. Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo admitted it is an area the Rams must shore up this week; CU's Montez said it is an area the Buffs hope to exploit.

"I think every year you try to figure out as a head coach what's best way your team can win," MacIntyre said. "You always want to work on your strengths and make them positives, minimize your weaknesses, and attack the other team's weaknesses. … As we looked at this game, we have a strategy that we want to do and we'll go with that. Our main strength going in – I think everybody in the country would know – is our offense and our experience there. I think we have a good defense, but we'll see how that works out."

FOR OPENERS: Colorado is 78-44-5 in 127 season openers, with a 7-5-1 mark at neutral sites (7-5 in Denver, 0-0-1 in Anaheim, Calif.) … In the 78 seasons CU won its opener, the Buffs went on to post winning records 61 times, with 16 losing seasons and one even. … Since 1983, Colorado has a 9-2 record against the Rams when the game is not CSU's season opener.

MATCHUP TO WATCH: If you're looking for a pair of potential future NFLers, keep an eye on CU cornerback Isaiah Oliver and CSU receiver Michael Gallup. Both are outstanding players and they will likely see plenty of each other before the night is over. If Oliver can keep Gallup's explosive plays to a minimum, it will be a big edge for the CU defense.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Buffs OLB Derek McCartney. The CU senior is returning after missing most of last season with a knee injury. McCartney has big-play capability and had an excellent fall camp. If he can regain his form, he'll be a big part of CU's pass rush.

THE SERIES: Colorado leads the all-time series by a 64-22-2 count; the Buffaloes have won 10 of the last 14 and five of the last eight. The Buffs currently have a two-game win streak in the series, with an OT win in 2015 before last year's runaway victory.

NUTS AND BOLTS

Kickoff: 6:07 p.m., Sports Authority Field, Denver

Broadcast: The game will be televised nationally by the Pac-12 Network with Ted Robinson and Chad Brown in the booth and Cindy Brunson on the sidelines. The radio broadcast will be carried by KDSP 760 AM with Mark Johnson, Gary Barnett and Mike Pritchard.

In-game live blog, stats: A live in-game blog as well as continually updated statistics will be available on www.CUBuffs.com

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu