Oregon State Post Mortem

Mike MacIntyre and the Colorado Buffaloes plummeted back to Pac12 reality Saturday, being outclassed at every position and in every category as well as on the sidelines and coaches’ box.  Their 34-day undefeated adventure came to a screeching halt with an ugly loss that could have been much worse if not for a bunch of dropped passes by Oregon St. receivers.  One could try to blame it on the rust, 21 days without a game and the flooding, but this performance was just plain awful and went much deeper than the layoff. The second half was eerily similar to much of last season and brought back very bad memories, in fact, I am surprised I slept at all.  The coaching staff must find a way to temper the “here we go again” attitude within the locker room (it is already running rampant elsewhere).  The problem only intensifies with Oregon coming to Boulder next week.  Warning: Read on at your own risk, it isn’t pretty.

§  Line: I am putting the over/under for the Oregon line at 27.5, and would be inclined to take the over on that, as well as take the Oregon with those points, and probably taking the over for the game, no matter how high they set it..

§  Review of the tape: I don’t think I can stomach watching that game again.

§  Game notes: It was pretty bleak across the board, like too often was the case last year, with the few good plays being quite over-shadowed by the uncountable bad ones.  It starts in the trenches, where the Buffs were mauled.  The offensive line could not open holes or give time to Wood (who looked a lot like last year’s version as well).  RT Stephane Nembot had the worst game of his career.  Conversely, the Buff defensive line put little pressure on Mannion, who usually had all day to find Brandin Cooks, or occasionally someone else, and Oregon St. had their best rushing game of the year. Unfortunately, I don’t believe there is anything in the cupboard worth breaking out that could really help either group.

§  The tackling was atrocious.

§  While the defense had a short stretch with some containment of the Beaver offense, and even some early 3-and-outs, the success was short-lived and they never built anything upon it, not was Mannion ever fazed.

§  The secondary struggled mightily against Cooks and crew, with both safeties, Orms and Bell, seemingly a step behind receivers all afternoon. 

§  I had been less impressed than most with Kenneth Crawley through the first two games, but now most everybody should be joining me in criticizing him, realizing he has not improved nearly enough, and that teams will continue to target him.  I would not be surprised at all to see Chido given the starting nod in the near future (he did not have a horrible game, but definitely made some mistakes).

§  Cooks showed he is by far the best receiver in the conference and probably nation, catching balls all over the field, even in double coverage, rushing the ball on end arounds and racking up big stats.  Paul Richardson, on the other hand, was basically shut out with most of his yards in garbage time and his TD really a sympathy uphold on replay.  And no one else really stepped up either while the defense bracketed him.

§  Play-calling:  This was the biggest surprise really that the offensive play-calling seemed somewhat Bienemy-like at times, often forcing the run, trying to swing Powell outside, rolling Connor Wood to his left to throw against his body.  They did not do a whole lot that did put Connor Wood in good position to make plays.  And even with two full weeks could not find creative ways to get Richardson the ball, or even decoy him to open up others-Goodson, Spruce, McCulloch (one catch and TD late) and Ross were all very quiet.

§  Defensively, when they did blitz, it had little effect (the one fumble but that’s about it) and Mannion seemed to have no problem whatsoever reading the coverage and quickly finding weak spots to throw.

§  However, MacIntyre, for the first time, blamed the players a few times in his post-game press conference: about special teams blunders he claimed “Those weren’t coaching mistakes -- those are kids not doing what they are supposed to do -- holding on to the ball correctly and recovering it correctly”; he pointed out numerous times that the defense missed three interception opportunities in the first half, and that the offense stalled itself with penalties and turnovers; he even said of what the team and Connor Wood need to do: “Throw the ball to the right guys!”

§  Special Teams: Well, they were improved…but still sucked.  Although they did not give up any huge returns, they didn’t make any either, and they made a ton of bumbling plays, turning the ball over twice by not being able to field squib kicks.  Note to Neinas: Brady Daigh should NOT be on the “hands” team for onsides kicks.

§  It was so bad that even team MVP Darragh O’Neill shanked a 16-yard punt that set up OSU’s first FG.

§  I wonder when they give in and let Richardson return punts?  He is listed number two and is obviously is the best option out there.  Even if Spruce is a little more sure-handed, he is just not that dynamic with the ball in his hands, and does not have the quick burst a good kick returner needs.  Cooks was returning punts for his team, because he is their best player, and with the ball in his hands, they have the best chance of winning.

§  Bright spot(s?): The one really exciting player and development was true freshman RB Michael Adkins getting his first action and almost racking up a 100-yard day (98). He ran really well, way better than Tony Jones or Christian Powell (Donta Abron did not play), with good vision and strength, picking up yards after contact and he even appeared to block well.  I would love to see him on kickoff return also.  Although a lot of it was late when game was not really in question, this was by far the best Buff rushing game to date, statistically anyway. To my untrained eyes, Adkins should be starting next week, or soon thereafter.  Not sure if that is enough to draw attention and make a difference anywhere else though.

§  LB Addison Gillam also had some nice plays yet again, with probably the best hit of the day in the backfield, and continues to be the shining light on defense.

§  The best news to come out of the day, might be Richardson’s egg-laying, as his draft stock surely took a hit and there is a slightly better chance he stays for his senior season.

§  Sledgehammer: RG Daniel Munyer followed up his previous pancake-fest by shoving a beaver d-lineman to the ground after a play was over and earned himself a spot on the bench the rest of the game, opening the door for Alex Kelley to get some meaningful snaps.

§  Not sure anyone deserves this award this week.  Also, that tool box needs to be cleaned out thoroughly as the commitments the players made this week were mostly crap.

§  Injuries: I don’t think there were any serious injuries reported, except about 70 egos that were badly damaged.

§  Reschedule? When teams watch film of this game, they might be inclined to come to Boulder for a paycheck and a win on Oct. 19 now.  However, I am currently firmly in the camp of “A bowl game is a joke, so just go ahead and lock in an FCS team”, preferably low and crappy, for a scrimmage that can get some reps to the younger guys who are not redshirting.

§  Outlook: With eight games (maybe nine if they can re-schedule someone) remaining I do not see a lot of potential wins left: Oregon once again can rest any injured players and still call their number; Washington and UCLA will also be blowouts; I don’t see the Arizonas having much trouble with the Buffs, nor Utah at home with a bowl game on the line for that matter; and although both Cal and USC are both in shambles, neither one will be a gimme and the Buffs will be hard-pressed to win the shootouts with those teams.  USC fired head coach Lane Kiffin overnight, as well as probably lost WR Marquise Lee for an extended time if not for the season, but they still have a talent edge and a major rallying chip on their shoulder.  Cal is probably the best shot at a win, but the game is on the road and their offense is another fast-paced, explosive spread, and they should have QB issues settled by November.

§  At least players are upbeat in interviews and Twitter. Parker Orms said it was a lesson, and Chido tweeted: “What good story doesn’t have some speedbumps? Our book ain’t close to finished. #BounceBack ”

§  Maybe BoulderDevil can give a more positive spin than I have at Buffwatch.blogspot.com

§  2014 Recruiting: We are back onto the “immediate playing time” could help recruiting kick.

§  Pacific Takes fantasy league: I got destroyed in week 5 with all my Buffs sucking, D’Anthony Thomas and Connor Halliday going down with injuries, and a few guys throwing up zeroes.  And just to add insult to injury the TE I picked up and dropped as a bye week fill in last week, scored two TDs for Oregon St.  Kinda like the Buffs there is not a lot of help for me on the horizon.  I don’t think I can do much waiver wise and not sure I have anything worth trading.  At least I still have the NFL, Broncos and a 3-0 “real” fantasy team.

It's Beaver Week and here's your preview!

It is finally gameday, entering week 5 of the 2013 college football season and the Colorado Buffaloes are undefeated as they enter conference play. The team has had a long layoff after the flooding postponement, and followed by a bye, to prepare for their first road trip of the year in Corvallis. However, the state of Oregon is weird and school is just starting there and newly arrived students should make it a rowdy atmosphere. The Buffs are heading into their first ever trip to Reser Stadium (first two at OSU games were in Portland) with a business-like approach and they are itching to hit someone else after 20 days off.  They feel that they have worked on the little things they saw in game film of themselves, and have been able to meticulously prepare for OSU.  The only worry is how rusty some of the players might be and how quickly everyone re-adjusts to real game speed.

§  Conventional thought had this game as a high-scoring offensive showcase, however the forecast may change that.  The weather is expected to be rainy and windy all weekend, with heavy downpours at times and guts of wind up to 50 MPH.  Both teams’ strengths have been throwing the ball, so the run game suddenly becomes much bigger, which should actually be an advantage for the Buffs.

§  I love this attitude from MacIntyre talking about their approach to “plane trips” (not road trips): “We have four goals for our team, that are ours personally, and I won’t share with you here. But we started attacking it Monday as a team. I think the primary aspect is that they have to go in with a mindset that it’s not a trip, it’s a business trip. You are going there with one thing in mind, and one thing only, win the football game. We have to understand that. We can enjoy all of the stuff, and take it all in, but you have to have the mindset and the perspective that you are going there to win a football game. It’s something we talk about quite often, we do have a formula that we follow. The way we travel, the things we do, how we meet, all work towards that… It’s the mindset of your kids, the mindset of our coaches. Our coaches, we always take the mindset that we’re not going to get ruffled, we’re not going to get upset about being (stuck) somewhere. We’re not going to get upset if the food’s cold. We’re just going to stay focused on the main thing at hand, and hopefully we set the tempo of that as coaches. This is the first time for these young men to travel with us, and we’ve talked about every scenario already with the team, and we’re going to prepare them, and get them to realize that the main goal is to win the football game.”

§  An interesting Colorado-Oregon connection this weekend is that in some circles Missy Frankin’s visit to Corvallis with the Cal swim team is bigger news than the football game.

§  Line: It opened at 10 points and quickly went to 10.5 and has gone as high as 12, with Oregon St. obviously considered the favorite at home. The over/under is 64, and I would have taken the over earlier in the week without hesitation, but now that would be a closer decision, probably still going with the over-my prediction (see below) is right at that number (coincidental).

§  Sledgehammer: Daniel Munyer should be a little stronger, but might be a little tired of carrying around the sledgehammer for three weeks now.

§  Depth Chart moves: RB Terrence Crowder, who was recently arrested, has been temporarily dismissed from the team.  I guess that is worse than suspended, but leaves open an option to reinstate (somewhat like Everett Golson at notre lame). I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there were an unexpected name out there somewhere.

§  Burn the Redshirt: Coaches say that Michael Adkins (19) will get his first action this week (it was not actually him late against UCA as I thought, but Donta Abron (18) with his jersey tucked awkwardly in hip pads). I am really excited to see Adkins play, although I don’t think Tony Jones feels the same way.

§  WR Devin Ross came in and caught a pass on his first and only play against UCA and I am excited to see more of him. He plays in the slot behind Goodson, but might be faster and quicker.  He will be a real threat when he has learned more of the offense and the coaches trust him-maybe today after a couple of weeks to prepare.

§  The team has listed six freshmen as designated to redshirt (WR J. Thomas, FB/LB George Frazier, o-linemen Kough and Kronshrage, DEs McCartney and Reid), according to the most recent depth chart.   Any true other frosh not listed will likely redshirt as well, including TE Connor Center, who needs to learn “football”, and RB Phillip Lindsay, who is recovering from a major knee injury.  There may not be many more true frosh used this season, and Adkins might be the last viable candidate.

§  Injuries: No new injuries were reported (although there are always a couple of unexpected guys in pads each week) and most Buffs should be healed up from any bumps and bruises, most importantly RB Christian Powell, who should be close to 100% with his thigh bruise.

§  Ford, Irwin and J. Webb are all still 2-3 weeks away from being able to play.

§  The Beaver roster is littered with various injuries, enough that Riley might not be able to fill a 70 man travel squad if they were going on the road.

§  The biggest question for OSU is if their best running back Storm Woods would be ready to go from his concussion and it is looking like he will not play.

§  Specifically, the offensive line has also been hit hard; they have started a different group almost every week and are still down two starters.

§  Senior CB Sean Martin will be limited by a shoulder injury.

When the Buffs have the ball:

§  The Oregon St. defense has given up a lot of yards and points this season and the Colorado offense has had some extra time to study four games of film (while the Beavs will only have 2 games worth) to look for some places to target.  The Buffs should have been able to install a double-large chunk of their offense and therefore should be able to throw some wrinkles at the defense.  They will need to dig deep into the gameplan for some plays to help them run in the mud.

§  P-Rich will require the attention of every team, coach, defensive player, analyst, fan and referee.  They will continue to move him around, try to confuse defenses and give him multiple ways to apply his talents and the extra time is plus for the Buffs here.  San Diego St. exploited the Beaver secondary with some speed and they should be vulnerable again. I always said P-Rich would have been worth two victories himself last year and I believe we have seen those two wins this year, so does he have enough to keep it going?  Can others-Spruce, Goodson, McCulloch, true frosh Ross-take advantage and take some heat off him? Or will the rain and mud nullify and advantage the receivers have?

§  Beaver safety Tyrequek Zimmerman is all over the field and averages over 8 tackles a game. I’ve got to think he is going to give a lot of help to corners Steven Nelson (four interceptions, two pick sixes) and Rashaad Reynolds try to contain P-Rich, which could open the door for those others.  I’d actually like the offense to take a deep shot early to someone besides P-Rich.

§  Where were the TEs against UCA?  Slavin and Fernandez were very quiet last game after turning in key catches in the opener.  They need at least a little production here and should benefit from a deep wide receiver unit and attention to P-Rich. The short passing game will become more important with the weather factors and they could contribute there.

§  The Beaver linebackers have struggled and all three positions have already turned over so they are playing some young, less experienced guys that Connor Wood should be able to take advantage of.

§  If teams are truly concerned with P-Rich, there should be more there for the RBs, who are only averaging 2.7 yards per carry. The team worked a lot on their run game during the extended break and we should see at least a little improvement, although the competition will be bigger, faster and better than anything they have seen.  They will be featured if the weather comes as predicted. It would also be nice to eat some clock and keep Mannion on the sidelines.

§  No RB has broken a long run yet, with WR DD Goodson’s 31-yard end around the longest run so far (QB Wood has the 2^nd longest at 19 yards).  Powell needs to be 100% to be effective (is he cut out to carry the ball for four quarters?) and I am still just not sold on Tony Jones.  Michael Adkins will get his chance this weekend.

§  Abron’s play, including pass blocking down the stretch, has intrigued me so far and I would like to see him get some more action, but it sounds like he may be the odd man out now.  Powell might actually be best suited for change of pace big guy. We have yet to see Malcolm Creer, who should be completely healthy.

§  The Beavers have two talented Des who have combined for 4 sacks and 9,5 TFLs, Dylan Wynn and Scott Crichton, who will challenge Harris and especially Nembot at the tackles.  The RB snaps could well depend on who is best picking up the blocks and is able to catch and run with the dump pass, which first points to Jones.

§  Here are the offensive line grades for the first two weeks of the season. Kaiwi Crabb 72.9%, Gus Handler 72.9%, Jack Harris 82.3%, Daniel Munyer 72.9%, Stephane Nembot 67.1%, (and Alex Kelley 100.0% in one play vs. csu), TEAM 73.7%; last year Handler had a season grade average of 83.5%; Jack Harris was 84.3%; Daniel Munyer was 83.2%; and Stephane Nembot was 74.6%-which likely means they are being evaluated a little stricter this year, but definitely shows they have some work to do.  Besides the one play for Kelley, the unit has all played together for every play this season and hopefully is getting more in sync with each other.

§  This group will go a long way in how successful the offense will be, and need to play a little better each week.

 When the Beavers have the ball:

§  The Beavers are the number one passing team in the country. Sean Mannion, who once again barely beat out Cody Vaz for the starting QB position, has been throwing the ball over the place since, averaging about 400 yards a game. He is very accurate and will make a lot of quick throws to various receivers with hooks, slants and they are very good with the bubble screen, and of course they can go deep too.

§  Brandin Cooks is one of the top receivers in the conference and country, right alongside P-Rich; Cooks turned in a show-stopping, game-winning P-Rich-topping 9 catch 210 yard 3 TD performance vs Utah, then followed that up with another solid game vs. SDSU. However, if you focus too much on Cooks, Mannion has other receivers like Richard Mullaney, who had a huge game vs. San Diego St..

§  They also have a talented TE corps led by Cody Hamslett.  Last week they ran a play with Caleb Smith acting as the decoy on a flat pass to the left while Kellen Klute came from the right side across the back of the endzone almost wide open.  Look for them to do the opposite this week, with Smith being the recipient and Klute the decoy, unless coaches Clark and LaRussa can also sniff this idea out and prepare the DBs.

§  They should be a little more used to playing in the rain, but it is supposed to be pretty bad, which definitely gives a small advantage to the Buff defense.

§  As strong their passing game has been so far, the Beavers rank only 121st in the nation rushing the ball.  Storm Woods usually leads the rushing attack but missed last week’s game with a concussion will likely miss this one as well.  His backup Terron Ward has shown some flashes and can catch the ball out of the backfield. Jovan Stevenson and true frosh Chris Brown could try pick up the slack. The Buffs must be ready for draws and misdirection plays.

§  The defense must also be very aware of screen passes, which are essentially their best “running” plays, and they run all kinds to WRs, TEs and RBs.  A lot of practice and film study went into recognizing the screens so they don’t get fooled for a big play.

§  Granted, the Beavers have not really played any quality teams, with Utah being their biggest challenge, but this offense is going to put points up on everyone, even in the rain, and the entire Colorado defense has their work cut out for them, especially the DBs. They will need to keep everything in front of them and tackle well to eliminate the big plays. This is especially true early in the game that they don’t get beat deep due to their rustiness. They will probably throw quite a few different looks at the Beavers (and vice versa).

§  This could be the week that true frosh Chidobe Awuzie (5^th on the team in tackles) gets his first start as the Buffs should be in nickel and dime for most of the game. I picked him up as my IDP in fantasy. S Marques Mosley should also get his most extensive playing time this year as the dime (sixth DB).

§  I must say I have been pleasantly surprised but very impressed with the play of S Jered Bell, even before the pick six.  Having re-watched both games, he has not really been out of position, is a solid tackler, and seems to have regained his speed (faster than I originally thought) and just makes plays. MacIntyre also has pointed out his play.

§  The Beaver offensive line has had to shuffle a lot and has had their problems, not just with the run game, but also with a lot of penalties, including 5 maddening false starts in the last game.  It looks like although they will not get any injured players back, they will be using the same five for consecutive weeks which should help their rhythm and cohesiveness somewhat.

§  It will be important for the front six/seven of Colorado to have their best game, get some pressure on Mannion (and off the secondary) and keep the run game to a minimum.  The group has gotten some pressure on QBs but not a lot of sacks.  Even in the rain they are going to face at least 30 passes this game (OSU averaging over 40 passes a game), so they will have a lot of chances to make some plays.

§  On the d-line Jim Jeffcoat have been playing a 10-man rotation (11 if you count De’Jon Wilson’s two snaps) to keep everyone fresh.  Chidera, Tupou and Bonsu lead the line in number of defensive snaps, but next is true frosh Jimmie Gilbert, playing more than the more experienced ends Juda Parker and Kirk Poston; Justin Solis backs up one DT, with Samson Kafovalu listed co-number 2 with Tyler Henington at the other slot; Lowell Williams (45) is not listed in the 3-deep at LB or DE, but has played in both the first two games.

§  When Oregon St. gets into the redzone, they know how to close, seriously, scoring on 22-22 red zone opportunities this season and have converted (at least a FG) on 54 straight dating back to last year.

§  Colorado’s defense has allowed less than 25% 3^rd down conversions, but that will be much tougher against this offense.  Even keeping that number from doubling would be a success.

§  Oregon St. also has a penchant for going for it on 4^th down.

Special Teams:

§   After three weeks off and a lot of practice Toby Neinas and the special teams coverage units had better have gotten their shit together with the long layoff to practice and study film.  Neinas says he would be very surprised if they are not vastly improved.  I hope they do not have to kickoff straight out of bounds (although the 35 may be preferable), nor only have the best punter in the country directionally rugby punt, but that just may be the reality for the rest of this season.  The full-time, well-compensated Neinas and the coverage issues are definitely the biggest disappointment of the new regime as it is probably the only area that the team is actually worse off this year than last.

§  One bright spot in this area has been true frosh S Tedric Thompson, who took his brother Cedric’s (U of Minnesota) advice and worked hard on special teams with the intention of gaining playing time right away.  It has worked well as he is a starter on three of the four main units (kickoff, kickoff return, and punt return, 2^nd team punt) and leads team in special teams points through two games with six.    Unfortunately, I believe K Wil Oliver and long snapper Ryan Iverson are also high on that list.

§  Let’s hope we win the coin toss and can elect to take the ball, so we don’t have to open the game with our worst unit, with some new people playing, trying to cover their first live kickoff in 20 days, against the fastest competition we’ve seen yet, who has been game-planning specifically for that weakness.

§  Against Fresno St. it appeared Ryan Severson had taken over kickoff returns, but Mosley is still listed first; however, after three weeks, who knows what they have going on.

§  One small item of possible note: OSU will be breaking in two different long snappers as their regular guy tore his ACL last week-let’s see if Toby and the boys can take advantage of some inexperience there.

Overall,

§  It is hard to pick the Buffs here, even though OSU lost its opener to Eastern Washington, as the Beavers are a really potent offense, and they have shown a lot of resiliency and perseverance, with two of their three of their wins coming as fourth quarter comebacks.  But so have the Buffs been tough in the fourth, outscoring csuca 39-10 in the last period.  I was going to predict a shootout in the Fresno St. game and I will here as well, although the rain may temper the totals a little.  This game will still probably come down to who has the ball last, or who makes the last stop.

Colorado 34 Oregon St. 31 on a last second Wil Oliver field goal.

§  If  you want a little more before kickoff:

Stuart’s TIPS: http://www.cuatthegame.com/2013/oregon-state-preview/

Plati’s CU Game Notes: http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/gameday/osu13/cunotes.pdf

Oregon St. Game Notes: http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/gameday/osu13/osunotes.pdf

One more check-in..

Actually I just wanted to remind everyone that CU is one of only 29 teams in the nation that remain undefeated!  I''l put out the preview Saturday morning but here are a few other items of note:

§  Review of the tape: I couldn’t bear to watch a taped game that wasn’t CU, but let’s just say that Mannion is a beast and is going to be a very big challenge, leading the nation in most passing statistics.

§  Reschedule? At least one site was reporting that Hawaii had declined $600K offer to play in Boulder Oct. 19.  Idaho was getting a lot of mentions, although they would need a waiver from NCAA.  MacIntyre has ruled out San Jose St, and even though San Diego St. seems like the easiest and best solution, they must not be interested. It is more and more likely that CU have to settle for an FCS team and hope for the right situation and a bowl-game waiver if the dominoes fall right and they actually win three other games.

§  Keep the redshirt on: The Buffs have listed six freshmen on the three-deep depth chart as designated to redshirt, barring significant injuries at their position. 

§  It is a little surprising that both DEs Markeis Reed and Derek McCartney are here, as both have practiced well and were thought to be in line for playing time; however, the dozen or so guys in the rotation are playing fairly well.

§  A little more surprising was WR Jeff Thomas, who has had to deal with numerous issues, but he was going to have a tough time breaking onto the field this year with eight wideouts catching the ball, including true frosh Devin Ross.

§  No surprise about FB George Frazier, especially after switching positions from LB, nor of the offensive linemen Sam Kronshrage and Gerald Kough.

§  It is assumed that any true freshman not listed on the depth chart is also going to redshirt (including WRs Elijah Dunston and Bryce Bobo, OL Jonathan Huckins, DE Timothy Coleman, who is going to have season-ending Achilles surgery).

§  We already knew that sophomore CB Yuri Wright was slated to redshirt.

§  Also redshirting, though only because of ridiculous NCAA transfer rules, is K Diego Gonzalez, who told Ryan K of Buff Stampede that he has kicked a 70-yarder in practice.  I have said previously he will definitely be the kickoff specialist next year, and now likely the long FG kicker, if he doesn’t flat out beat out Wil Oliver for the job.  

§  Injuries: The Buffs should be generally healed up and there have been no new injuries reported.  No word if anyone like Ford, J. Irwin or J. Webb will be back yet.

§  Oregon St. starting RB Storm Woods suffered a pretty severe concussion against Utah last week and it looks like he will be out for this game as well.

§  Honors, mentions and recognitions or headlines of any sort: P-Rich, even with only two games under his belt, is still 4^th in the country in receiving yards with 417.

§  He also got a nice mention by ESPN Pac12 blog and their “assessments at the quarter pole” as the conference’s best surprise so far this year (OSU WR Brandin Cooks was named best player with his 4 game receiving stats): ‘Though his team has played in only two games so far this season, it’s hard not to feel good about the comeback of Colorado wide receiver Paul Richardson -- and really the rebirth of the Buffs under Mike MacIntyre. Richardson has 417 yards in just two games, which puts him eighth in the country. Had Colorado played its game against Fresno State (which was postponed due to flooding), it’s likely we’d see Richardson toward the top with Cooks. As for the Buffs in general, we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. They still have a long way to go. But you can definitely see an air of confidence about this team that’s been lacking the last couple of seasons.”

Finally it is game week for the undefeated Buffaloes!

CU is one of only 29 teams in the nation that remain undefeated!  Here’s what we’ve got from the weekend:

§  Review of the tape: There was a lot of football-watching this weekend, but unfortunately the three games I was most interested in were all playing at the same time.  Here are a few notes on the games of some of CU’s opponents this weekend.

§  Fresno St.-Boise St. (Friday): Colorado might have dodged a speeding bullet as the Bulldogs looked fast and really good, especially on offense in winning their shootout with the little Broncos.  I had been predicting a shootout between CU and FSU but I am not sure the home team could have kept up, even with P-Rich.  Luckily, it doesn’t look like they’ll make up the game this year.

§  There were three games of interest during the 5-9 slot Saturday evening that I switched back and forth between all night, but found myself most interested in the Alabama-csu game, even though the Crimson Tide players most certainly were not (Saban will kick their ass over it and use it to motivate for the next game).  The lambies held their own against the best team in the country, who easily dispatched of the mwc squad, even though it was close for much longer than most anticipated.  Bama couldn’t come close to covering the 39.5 points, but they still have to sign the piddly for them gigantic for csu $1.5 million dollar check.

§  Stanford looked as if they might blow out ASU, but the Sun Devils made a game of it late as Stanford played the 4^th quarter much the way Bama played against the lambs.  I ended up watching the least of this game because it was seemingly over quickly, but was exciting toward the end.  ASU looks beatable, but it is obvious they won’t give up. Luckily, we are in two-year stretch not playing Stanford.

§  I had thought I would remain focused on the Oregon St. @ San Diego St. game (of course it was 72 degrees at kickoff) but ending up taping this one also since I was so drawn to the game in Tuscaloosa (I will likely watch it again during the week).  It did start 30 minutes later so I was able to take in the wild Beaver comeback.  SDSU marched right down the field to start the game and were able to put up a lot of yards.  I don’t think Oregon St. will have much of an answer for P-Rich; and if they do, another Buff like Goodson or Spruce can take advantage.

§  Washington, UCLA and Wazzu all looked formidable against lesser competition, while USC barely scraped by Utah St. and Utah beat rival BYU.

§  Reschedule? Hawaii was supposed going to decide today (Sunday) if they are going to take the $600K offer to come to Boulder, but I hadn’t heard anything by posting time in the evening.  If this falls through, I am not sure if they have any other FBS options available (maybe San Diego St.?), and they will likely have to settle for an FCS team and hope for the right situation and a bowl-game waiver if the dominoes fall right and they actually win three other games.

§  Injuries: The Buffs should be generally healed up and there have been no new injuries reported.  No word if anyone like Ford, J. Irwin or J. Webb will be back yet, but I am pretty sure all three are a couple of weeks away, and only two have a chance of helping out anyway,

§  Oregon St. starting RB Storm Woods suffered a pretty severe concussion against Utah last week and is unlikely to play next week, which bodes well for the Buffs.

§  OSU’s offensive line has also been banged up and they have started a different group each week.

§  Honors, mentions and recognitions or headlines of any sort: P-Rich still leads nation in receiving yards per game with 208.5.

§  2014 Recruiting: All of the coaches were out on the road somewhere this weekend, searching out the next 8 or 9 guys to bring to Colorado (they have 13 verbals and looking at a class of 21-22).  MacIntyre said they are looking for a balanced class across positions, with a little lean on defensive lineman and “tall tackles”.  The coach wouldn’t say where he was heading but it was not local as he missed his son Jay’s stellar first quarter performance going 4-4 100+ yards and 4 TDs in Monarch’s 56-6 romp over Kennedy (little Mac completed his 5^th pass in the 2^nd quarter, but since it was not a TD, he was benched).

§  Stuart is keeping a thread going with some high school results of Colorado verbal commitments, who are all doing really well so far:  

http://www.cuatthegame.com/2013/recruiting-prospects-2014/

(The Camera is also providing coverage every Monday in their online “Afternoon Drive” piece).

§  Pacific Takes Fantasy League: My bye week fill-ins seized their opportunity and Bringin the Buff got enough points in the late games to post the high score of the week and move to 3-1 after a hard fought victory over Utes1 127-85. Jordon James was shifty and led the way, with Connor Halliday and Ty Montgomery contributing solid games.  My bye-week fill-in for D’Anthony Thomas, Washington RB Jesse Callier got a long run and a TD on an early drive although nothing after that. I chose the wrong OSU TE as a sub, but my guy Smith was the decoy that allowed Clute to score.

§  I was thinking of adding Buff playmaker Greg Henderson as my Individual Defensive player, but it is unlikely that he scores another TD; since it is a hit or miss position that only scores for INTs and TDs in this format, I might just go with my boy Chido.

More Bye Week Notes

I can still write it: Colorado is still undefeated!  Here are a few more Buff tidbits:

Game Notes:

§  One of the things this 20 day gameless period will do is allow the Buffs to work on all the little things they want to correct from the first two games, but even more important is that they will have had the time to install much more of their playbook, both offensively, like finding ways to get the ball to P-Rich as well as utilize him as a decoy, but also defensively to implement some different blitz packages.  They should be able to surprise Oregon St. in a few ways.

§  Ryan K made a great point on the Buff Stampede podcast that the Buffs the biggest drawback of these almost three weeks without full out competition is that the players will not be used to “game speed”. No matter what you do in practice, it can never replicate full in-game speed and physicality.  It especially worries me on special teams and if we win the toss we better take the ball.

§  After a practice today (Fri) the players will get the weekend off, as coaches hit the recruiting trail.

§  Review of the tape: Start time of the Oregon St-San Diego St. game is 5:30 Mtn (7:30 Eastern) on CBSports-I’ll be watching and will report out next week.

§  Reschedule? The talk now has been of a $600,000 offer for Hawaii to come on their bye week (Hawaii always has the option of a 13^th game if they so choose) which would not be a bad option at all for the Buffs.  Many fans and media at least want their team to make the trip to Boulder, as it would be great PR and exposure, as well as some much needed cash. 

§  BoulderDevil suggested we adjust the current agreement to make next year the away Hawaii game in the series (it is scheduled for Boulder), enabling CU to still add another home game against possibly an FCS team, and make this year the home date; this might leave a gap in the 2015 schedule, but that could be covered by keeping at Hawaii still and adding another home tilt with them down the road, or they could even schedule a completely different team instead that year, including switching it to an extra home game (like so many “big” schools do). 

§  Some reports said this Hawaii deal had been killed while others were simultaneously saying it was almost done Wednesday afternoon. As of Friday morning it was still alive, but nothing has been decided.

§  Injuries: No new injuries have been reported and most everyone is healing up. We’ll see if anyone who has a more serious injury (Ford, Irwin, Webb) are ready to go, or wait until October to return.

§  However, true frosh DE Timothy Coleman, who has been limited due a knee injury (and therefore not expected to play this year), now has compounded that with an Achilles injury, and it looks like he’ll need surgery and would officially redshirt.

§  Honors, mentions and recognitions or headlines of any sort: True freshman LB Addison Gillam leads the Pac12 in total tackles.

§  2014 Recruiting: Buffs holding steady at 13 verbal commitments. It sounds like they have made some new offers in recent weeks.

§  After having had some extra time to review game film of the first few high school games of recruits, a bunch of coaches are heading out on the road to recruit this bye weekend, but the seniors have really stepped up their leadership and helped out. “It will be a skeleton crew at practice Thursday and Friday.” Five of the coaches left Wednesday, and there will only be two full-time coaches at Friday’s practice.  MacIntyre also will hit the road to see a few games this weekend, but he is not revealing which ones.

Buffs remain undefeated as they prepare for Oregon St.

We are still undefeated! I might just put up a bunch of short posts before the Oregon State game just to write that a bunch of times. This year’s CU team could be the first since 2004 to post an undefeated September. A couple items of interest:

§  Game Notes: The Sept. 28 kickoff in Corvallis is set for 1PM (noon Mountain) and will be televised on Pac12 networks.  Next week’s Oregon St.-San Diego St. game will be on this Saturday at 7:30PM on CBSports Network (412 on Comcast) if you want to do a little scouting.

§  The team has returned to its regular practice fields and has been practicing for the first time after a 3-day layoff during the flood-filled weekend.  They will begin installing the first Oregon St. prep today (Wed.). They have been focusing on the run game a lot and Mac said of the running backs, “There’s competition every day. We need to have some guys break things out and start making some runs.”

§  I can only assume they are spending a decent amount of time on punt and kickoff coverage.

§  Review of the tape: Wow the ending of that ASU-Wisconsin game was messed up-how can Pac12 officials continue to be so bad?  Of course, the Badger QB could have done a lot more to help his cause by just giving the ref the ball, instead of placing it himself-the ref will always pick the ball up to check with the sidelines and his crew for proper placement no matter what. In fact, Chip Kelly requires his Eagle ball carriers to get up and quickly give the ref the ball so they can get lined up and snap the ball as fast as possible.  I am not sure if that was or is expected at Oregon, but I will watch for it with them and other teams now.

§  Reschedule? Coach MacIntyre referenced “playing ten straight games” after Tuesday’s practice, meaning he is planning on playing someone week 8 when they had a bye scheduled.  AD Rick George said that Fresno St. is getting less likely but they are still in talks as they explore other options. The hottest name is San Diego St. but for some reason Idaho, who already has a full schedule, was being mentioned a lot on Twitter Tuesday night.

§  I hate the idea of playing another FCS team for so many reasons, although they might already have someone lined up as worst case scenario.  However, I would be embarrassed if we got a waiver from the NCAA (to go to bowl with 4-6 record vs FBS teams, and two wins vs. FCS-normally only allowed one) and actually ended up going to a bowl game old school K-State style.

§  Injuries: Everyone on the Buffaloes should be able to recover from their minor injuries, and even some of the longer term ones like Josh Ford and Jeromy Irwin could make it back.  Powell should be 100% from his thigh bruise with two more weeks off.

§  Oregon State’s top RB Storm Woods will miss at least their SDSU game this week and will be re-evaluated leading up to the CU game the following week.

§  Honors, mentions and recognitions or headlines of any sort:

§  Redshirt freshman RB Terrence Crowder was arrested over the weekend for domestic violence and I think he is short-term for the team.

§  2014 Recruiting: Buffs holding steady at 13 verbal commitments.

§  Other notes: Alabama opened as a 37-point favorite over the csu lambs this weekend in Tuscaloosa as coach macelwain goes back home to see what a real football team looks like.  I’ll take Bama minus the points without flinching! Roll Tide! (That may not be the most politically correct thing to say in Colorado right now given the flood, but hell it is the lambies!)

§  Pacific Takes Pac12 Fantasy league: Looking for a sleeper to fill in for missing my two best players and I grabbed Washington backup RB Jesse Callier, but am also considering picking up Oregon St. 3^rd string senior RB Jovan Stevenson since starter Storm Woods is out this week with a concussion and the Beavs play lowly San Diego St.

§  There are not really any QBs left on the waiver wire, so I also have a tricky play up my sleeve, but I have to wait until after this nightmare bye week to open some roster space.