Woelk: Buffs Defense Makes Statement In Opening Win Over Rams

DENVER — They waited all spring, all summer and throughout fall camp to have their say.

They waited patiently while the chatter from the outside said they would take a step back. They shrugged their shoulders when people wondered if they could even slow down what was supposed to be a high-powered Colorado State offense — then they made their statement Friday night.

The final score at Sports Authority Field was not a misprint: Colorado 17, Colorado State 3. A Colorado defense that was supposed to be in rebuilding mode instead showed every sign that it has reloaded. New defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot's crew had an answer for everything the Rams threw their way — and the offense that opened the season with a 58-point effort against Oregon State left Denver with a field goal.

How does that compare in CU annals? Figure this: Friday night's effort tied the best-ever performance by a defense under a new coordinator in CU history. The only other first-year coordinator to hold an opponent to three points in his debut was Mike Hankwitz, whose 1988 Buffs beat Fresno State 45-3.

"All that was on our mind was, 'See ball, get ball,' and the defense definitely did that tonight," CU safety Ryan Moeller said. "We kept it simple and just tried to fly around and make plays.There was a lot of speculation in the outside world all summer, but but we knew what we had going on on the inside."

Not that the Buffs didn't give up some yards. Colorado State finished with 397 yards offense, including 309 in the air. But CSU quarterback Nick Stevens completed just 24 of his 47 attempts, threw a pair of interceptions, and was under pressure for much of the evening. Nearly half of Stevens' passing total — 145 yards — came in the fourth quarter, when the Buffs dropped into prevent mode and forced the Rams to play against the clock.

More telling was how CSU's last three possessions ended: incompletion on fourth down, fumble and interception. Every time the CU defense needed a big play, it delivered.

"None of us every worry about the outside noise," said defensive end Leo Jackson III, who had five tackles, including one for loss, and was responsible for keeping Stevens off his "spot" for much of the evening. "We worry about our jobs and what we have to do. When you hold someone to three points, I'd say that's a decent performance — but we can get better. We can always get better."

The Buffs no doubt were the beneficiaries of some crucial calls against the Colorado State offense. The Rams were flagged three times for offensive pass interference, and another time for illegal hands to the face, each of which nullified big gains by the Rams.

But even CSU head coach Mike Bobo refused to point fingers in that direction.

"It's like I just told our football team," Bobo said. "Our standard is 'EDGE' and that last 'E' in that is excuse free. We don't make excuses or let other people make 'em for us. We didn't win the ballgame."

The Buffs received big plays from everywhere on the field. Veteran cornerback Isaiah Oliver's battle with CSU star receiver Michael Gallup was, as head coach Mike MacIntyre said, "worth the price of admission." Gallup was targeted 11 times and caught five balls, but his longest gain went for just 19 yards while Oliver had four pass breakups, including a beautiful leaping knockdown at the goal line to prevent a touchdown.

At the other corner, redshirt freshman Trey Udoffia grew up in the span of a game. Targeted early — as he knew he would be — he improved steadily as the game went on and finished by having a big hand in the Rams' fourth-quarter fumble, then ending CSU's last possession with an interception.

"I hadn't played that play well all week, and tonight, it just came to me," said Udoffia, who finished with six tackles and a pair of pass breakups. "I saw it developing and I just put myself in position to make the play."

Also in the secondary, Afolabi Laguda had nine tackles and a fumble recovery while the Buffs also got solid performances from the front seven. Inside 'backer Rick Gamboa had 10 tackles, including a sack. Jackson had five tackles, including one for a loss; and linebacker Drew Lewis had five tackles, including one for loss, and a pair of quarterback hurries.

After rushing for nearly 200 yards a week ago, the Rams finished with just 88 yards on the ground, averaging only 2.7 yards per carry.

"We wanted to hold them scoreless, to be honest," Lewis said. "It was an impressive start, but we have things we need to improve on. We came out to play Colorado defense and that's what we want to do every week. Be as sound as we can be. Now we just have to get better."

MacIntyre, who had to hire three new defensive assistants in the offseason, wasn't surprised.

"We've developed a culture of defense, we've recruited well for it … we know what we want," MacIntyre said. "We coach them, but when they step out there they have to go make plays. I don't think anybody expected us to be able to tackle anybody, but those kids played hard and I'm proud of them."

Contact: Neill.Woel@Colorado.edu