2-0, two and oh, TWO WINS AND ZERO Ls

It feels very strange to write that the Buffs are TWO-and-OH!  They are undefeated after two games for the first time since (seems much longer though) 2008.  They were able to pull out a 38-24 victory over the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears, who put up quite a fight.  Once again, Paul Richardson had a monster night with over 200 yards and 2 big TDs.  Once again the Buffs offense got CU on the board early with a long Connor Wood to P-Rich.  Once again, the Buffs got some big plays from their defense, scoring not one but two defensive TDs this week.  So, there were a lot of positives. However, once again they had a chance to blow the game wide open early, having taken the ball and driven deep, only to sputter and let the opposition back into the game.  Then, once again, special teams did their best to piss the game away, by opening the second half with a kickoff return back to almost the 10 (with the defense holding them to a FG) and again later a big punt return to help Central Arkansas take the lead 24-17.  In the end though, this team showed some great heart and dug the win out, winning the fourth quarter handily (it didn’t hurt that the Sugar Bears were running out of gas with the altitude finally catching up to them late).  Here are some more first impressions the morning after:

§  P-Rich is unbelievable and we should enjoy these next ten games because they will be his last in a Buff uniform before he heads to the NFL.  He owns three of the five 200 yard receiving games in CU history and is the first with consecutive games.  Without him, I am not sure the Buffs are not 0-2. Probably a little premature and unrealistic (especially for a two or three win team) but he is already, on Twitter at least, being mentioned with some word that rhymes with pies-man.

§  Connor Wood came back down to Earth a little last night (did he eat some cheese?).While he still had good overall stats, he looked uncomfortable at times and threw his first 2 INTs of the year and fumbled twice, turnovers that led to 21 UCA points.  I am still super pleased with his play, but he showed how vulnerable he can be, and not yet against Pac12 competition.

§  The defense, outside of a couple of drives where the mobile Wynrick Smothers made some plays (he was fun to watch but not D1 for a reason) held the Sugar Bears to some pretty limited offense, especially their run game.  The defense created four turnovers and did not give up too many big plays.

§  Oh, and did I mention that they scored TWO TDS?!  Greg Henderson grabbed the first Buffs INT in 9 games and took it to the house to take a 14-0 lead, and Jered Bell grabbed another late and barely outran the QB to tie the game. 

§  After Bell’s TD, true frosh star in the making Chido Awuzie wrapped a receiver up near the sideline and literally ripped the ball out when help arrived and scooped it up to give the Buffs the ball and after a 31-yard P-Rich TD, the game.  Kenneth Crawley even got an INT in the end zone late to seal the victory.

§  The Buffs rotated a lot of guys on the defensive line, with Lowell Williams playing some more and Samson Kafovalu getting his first action of the year.  True frosh Jimmie Gilbert got his first sack.

§  LB Addison Gillam was not quite the presence as last week, but came within inches of a safety in the first quarter when he just stopped the Bear RB at the goal line with a big hit.

§  However, I think Parker Orms will keep the Sledgehammer this week for his hit on the sidelines early in the game.  He has been hitting very hard, but cleanly and could keep this award all season if he doesn’t cross the line (one blogger wrote the over/under on Orms ejections would be 3, and only that because he would miss some time and therefore opportunities.

§  At least two more redshirts were burned (I think): WR Devin Ross came in for I think only one play in the first half and made good with it by picking up 8 or 9 yards on his first career catch.  Then, late in the fourth, although it is not listed anywhere, with the Buffs trying to put the game away, with Christian Powell sidelined again with his bruised thigh, and Donta Abron (18) and Tony Jones also on the bench, I am pretty sure RB Michael Adkins (19) came in and did a great job blocking and saving Connor Wood’s hide.  I think we will see more of both next week.

§  Injuries: Powell re-injured his thigh.  McCulloch played and showed no signs of the boot he wore all week. Chider and Nate Bonsu (ankle) left the game but returned to play.  No other injuries reported.

§  P Darragh O’Neill is a stud, booming the ball or directionally kicking the ball wherever needed…

§  …based on how the inept Special Teams coach wanted to protect his inept and clueless special teams coverage units, which were once again ABSOLUTELY AWFUL!

§  Even though they appeared to be playing a lot more veterans, including starters like Greg Henderson and Derrick Webb, they were still not able to cover kicks and had to adjust their kicking, especially kickoffs, which gave the Bears starting field position near the 40 every time CU scored and kicked off.  It is pathetic and inexcusable. 

§  Toby Neinas is getting paid ONLY to coach this unit, and his only bright spots are the actual kickers, who we knew were experienced and would be solid at worst.  MUST BE FIXED YESTREDAY!  Every team from here on out is way faster than either team they have faced.  When does Neinas’ employment come into question?

§  There are other worries as well, against a decent, but FCS team.  Both lines were beaten for most of the day on both sides of the ball, until the fourth quarter anyway.  The offensive line struggled again to open up many holes until the Bears got tired, and Nembot and Harris both let Wood get crushed more than once (see turnovers above).  The defensive line had its moments, but there were a few drives where they seemed to be pushed around at the end of the first half and in the third quarter.  Pac12, and even Fresno’s lines will be bigger, faster and much harder to deal with.

§  There were a lot more penalties this week, including 12-men on the second play of the game, then an ensuing timeout which was almost a delay on the SAME play.  C Gus Handler had at least two holding penalties. There were some timing issues pre-game that kept Ralphie from doing her run, and everything seemed off-kilter at first, with two stalled drives on offense.

§  When the going got tough late, the Buff again got going and got tough and made some amazing plays to vault them from waning, on the verge of being two touchdowns behind, to surging past the hapless Bears sucking air in the cool Boulder night and making it almost feel easy down the stretch.  The team has heart, grit, and now some huge confidence from two (can’t really say big) wins.

§  Although the defense made some killer huge plays, they definitely showed some weaknesses and I am left very concerned about Fresno St. and future Pac12 opponents and their offenses.  I think we should be prepared for some big shootouts. 

§  But I am especially worried about future kick returners we will face.  The Bulldogs’ punt returner is licking his chops for next week as he got two TDs this week and is surely hungry for more.  Can you even imagine what Oregon would have done these last two games on kick returns alone?

§  There were only about 35,000 fans, the fewest since 1988, but the student section was 2/3 full and the crowd was pretty good all things considered.  P-Rich even said the crowd seemed very loud.  Let’s keep the enthusiasm and noise going for a noon kickoff next week!

§  So, while 2-0 is absolutely fabulous, and the attitude and culture indeed seems to have changed, the team has shown resilience and perseverance, I am still very hesitant to drink the kool aid just yet-have you ever accidentally put salt instead of sugar in your kool-aid?

§  More later in the week.  Go Buffs!  Let’s find a way to beat Fresno St. and I’ll chug.