Game Day is finally freakin’ here!
There is a lot of excitement for this game across the state, some of it
is even in favor of the northern little brother lambies. Both programs believe they can get the
requisite six wins to earn bowl game eligibility (although there is no guarantee
a 6-6 mwc team automatically gets an invite), even though most of the rest of
the country does not. The winner will be
on the right track and the loser will have to find another week to squeeze out
another possible win. The Buffs remain a
6+ point favorite which I still find a little low-bet it baby!
Here are a few more tidbits
for to keep you going until kickoff (I am off to Denver for the game!):
§ CU will
suit up 77 players for this game, 26 of them freshmen (16 true, 10 redshirt) in
addition to the 24 sophomores that litter much of the roster (that is 65 %
underclassmen!), plus 19 juniors and only eight seniors. It is a little scary but it should pay off
late in the season and especially next year.
§ This
game is the first step toward the team goal of a bowl game, which comes with the
often overlooked but most important aspect of a bowl game: the fifteen extra
practices the team and the young players get.
The playing of the actual game and the general experience (not to
mention the accompanying goody bag) are a great reward and incentive for the
players, but the practices are the most valuable reward.
§ There
are a lot of new player numbers and I don’t even know them since no one
could observe practices. (i.e. S Ray
Polk is 7, his backup T-Fr. Marques Moseley wears 17- that’s my favorite jersey
I will be wearing today!)
I asked SID Dave Plati if there was a way to get
a roster on my iphone so he emailed a PDF I could open. Sweet!
Plati is awesome if you ever have a question about CU, 80’s music,
Seinfeld or obscure sports trivia.
§ The
pressure is on CU to win, not just for the rivalry, the first game, the bowl
game aspirations, but because USA Today published the Worst 25 NCAA football
teams, according to Jeff Sagarin’s computer rankings, and it included the lowly
lambs at number 18 (that’s 18th worst team in the country!). So, the Buffs had better represent!
§ The
more I look at the matchup between the CU offensive line and the csu defensive
line (only one guy over 265), I have trouble envisioning Tony Jones(26) not getting 100 yards and a couple of
touchdowns. DD Goodson(21) is the listed
#2 but I am sure we will see at least one more of Malcolm Creer(10), Josh Ford(42)
and T-Fr Donta Abron(18) or Terrence Crowder(34-still wondering if he might
actually end up redshirting as it appears they have some depth here).
§ I would
really like to see them run some “no-huddle” type of approach similar to
Oregon. Maybe the closed practice time
has allowed them to develop this to roll out Saturday. If not that, what other tricks will EB have
up his sleeve, and will he even pull them out (he rarely did much trickery last
year).
§ There
has been a lot of web talk, maybe just wild speculation, that they will employ true
frosh FB Christian Powell(46) in some one-back formations. Rumblin’ Buff (see below) went off in an
earlier blogpost about the comparison of Powell to Buff great Lawrence Vickers
(another classic 17), but the freshmen has the size and supposed temperament to
be a punishing FB who can carry the ball as well.
§ The TE
position should be a more integral part of the offense this year. I am curious to see if Sr. Nick Kasa(44) is
really ready to do something, if Kyle Slavin(88) can live up to his physical
potential, and most of all, if T-Fr.Vincent Hobbs(15), who is way down on the
depth chart, but raved about by everyone for his speed in summer workouts, can
get on the field. The combination of
Hobbs and fellow true frosh WR Gerald Thomas(25) is exciting for the future,
but I am ready for that to be now!
§ There
are four other wide receivers who will play and Webb will likely spread the
ball around to starters Nelson Spruce(22) and Tyler McCulloch(87), but also
Keenan Canty(12), Sr. possession guy Dustin Ebner(83) and the speedster Thomas
(look for a deep shot to him early). Do
everything athlete (PAT/FG holder, special teams coverage player, and former
QB/RB/DB) Justin Gorman(14) has moved to wide receiver to provide depth as the
6th wideout since Jeffrey Thomas is greyshirting, but I am not sure
how much he will actually play on offense.
§ I am
really looking forward to watching the frosh on D, specifically massive DT Josh
Topou(57) who will be rotating with veterans Wil Pericak(83) and Nate
Bonsu(99). I am not sure how much we will see of the other frosh DTs, Tyler
Henington(94) and Justin Solis(57).
§ Likewise
I am really keen to see how stud corner Kenneth Crawley(2) reacts on the
field. He will also return punts -when
was the last time a freshmen anywhere won a starting position job and return
slot from the get go?. I also expect to
see Yuri Wright(5) get his first action fairly quickly as well. Not sure CB Jeff Hall(16) yet, but he is
probably active on special teams. I do
expect to see Moseley who is also listed as the second nickel back (which is
probably also the “dime”, sixth DB who comes in on longer passing situations).
§ DEs Chidera
Uzo-Diribe (96-3rd # in 3 years) and Juda Parker(56) should wreak some
havoc from the outside, but will have to spelled by someone and the first two
up are T-Fr. John Stuart(82) and So. Kirk Poston(91), who held on to some of
his spring foothold on the depth chart.
I don’t know if we will see Samson Kafovalu(93) play yet without a
blowout.
§ I count
six true frosh that will definitely play today: Powell, Thomas, Topou, Crawley,
Moseley, Wright. A couple of more will
play just special teams, even if they don’t get into the game at their
position, possibly including FB Clay Norgard, CB Hall, and maybe one of the
TEs, Hobbs or maybe Austin Ray.
§ Cabral
has made it clear that he will play his backup LBs-Brady Daigh(43), Woodson
Greer III(37) and Kyle Washington(4)-to spell his starters and because they are so good.
Coaches have also talked highly of Paul Vigo(32) since his switch from
the secondary. This position group is solid!
§ csu TE
Crockett Gillmore (that name cracks me up, especially when paired with Garret Grayson-it’s so hillbilly!) is their biggest
receiving threat and I am curious as to who will draw that assignment-either
safety Polk or Terrell Smith(41), nickel Parker Orms(13), or the outside
backers, Jon Major(31) or Derrick Webb(1).
Of course, these same guys must be able to help support the run defense.
If the Buffs can slow down RB Chris Nwoke (I think the other LB Doug Rippy(3)
will key on him a lot in the middle) and neutralize the TE, I believe Greg Henderson(20)
and Crawley can hold their own against this fairly weak group of wideouts.
§ The
lambs appear quite confident, downplaying Jordan Webb(4) as “just another
quarterback”, and are acting as if they
were the favorite, with higher-rated, bigger and faster players. I guess I am not surprised. Many fans also seemed quite upset at the “It’s
their Super Bowl” comments from many in the CU camp including some players, but
if it wasn’t true, they wouldn’t get so riled up.
§ Bulletin Board? The Denver Post’s chris dempsey
rated both csu’s offensive line and linebackers as having the edge over
Colorado’s units. While I understand
that those groups are the lambs’ strength, they are also the Buffs’ strongest
positions, with LT David Bahktiari (59) and C Gus Handler(55) on watch lists
for national awards (no lambs listed anywhere), the entire line and primary
utility backup Ryan Dannewitz(53) have starting experience in real conferences
(Big 12 and Pac 12), and all were more highly recruited. Hmmmm.
I also get that LBs Barrett and Skelton racked up a ton of tackles after
their porous defensive line let the opposing offensive players through, but
that was almost exclusively against lesser teams and talent. Rippy, Major and Webb have the obvious,
distinct advantage here as well (in fact, I would probably take the three
backups over anyone csu can field).
§ Jon Woods
from RalphieReport with keys to the game: http://www.ralphiereport.com/2012/9/1/3281535/colorado-buffaloes-colorado-state-rams-keys-to-the-game
§ Here is
another blog that could be labeled “uncensored”, Rumblin’ Buff’s preview (check
out the video clip at the bottom of the page!) : http://rumblinbuff.blogspot.com/2012/08/2012-rocky-mountain-showdown-preview.html#more
Go Buffs! Beat dem lambies!
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