Folsom Field should be one of the loudest college football stadiums in the country on Saturday night when the Colorado Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) host the No. 18 ranked Kansas State Wildcats (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) in a highly-anticipated conference matchup.
Both teams have had an extra week to rest and prepare for this battle after statement victories in Week 5. The Buffaloes went to Orlando and blew the Central Florida Knights out by 27 points, while the Wildcats welcomed No. 20 Oklahoma State to town and beat them by 22.
After playing the No. 1 rushing attack in the country, the Buffs face the No. 7 ranked rushing offense in Kansas State. Led by star running back DJ Giddens and quarterback Avery Johnson, the Wildcats are one of the toughest teams to stop in the country. For the second straight game, the X-Factor will be Colorado’s run defense.
Giddens has rushed for 7.3 yards per carry this season for 604 yards and two touchdowns. Every time Giddens touches the ball, there’s a good chance he takes it to the house thanks to his special combination of power and burst.
Johnson isn’t the level of passer that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is, but he can burn any defense with his legs if they don’t stay in their pass-rush lanes. Johnson is the second-leading rusher for the Wildcats and has two touchdowns with his legs. However, when in the pocket, he is still very inexperienced and is susceptible to making turnover-worthy plays.
“Avery [Johnson]’s a pretty athletic guy, he likes to run so, if we can just contain him it will be a good game for us,” said defensive end Taje McCoy.
McCoy also said that the team’s preparation this week has been turned up a notch for Kansas State’s dynamic run game.
Johnson has thrown four interceptions this season, with all four occurring on throws in between the numbers. If the Buffs can force him to throw and attack the middle of the field, that will be a success.
The final aspect of Kansas State’s dynamic rushing attack is a familiar face for Colorado, running back Dylan Edwards. Edwards is the backup to Giddens and is third on the team in both rushing yards (201) and carries (29). His speed is no secret, and look out for the Wildcats to get him mismatched on Colorado’s linebackers in the passing game, similar to what UCF did early against the Buffs on this play.
“You just got to know where [Edwards] is at all the time… everybody knows what he can do because he was here last year,” said defensive ends coach Vincent Dancy.
One big change the Buffs made against UCF’s rushing attack was their defensive scheme. In the first four games of the season, Colorado ran the second most Cover 1 in the country (50% of snaps), but changed to a Cover 2-heavy scheme against the Knights (55% of snaps). Expect Robert Livingston’s defense to have a similar plan against Kansas State, as having two deep safeties to fill the rushing lanes was a massive advantage for the Buffs.
The other benefit of Colorado playing Cover 2 more is that Travis Hunter excels at playing underneath zone coverage. He has an entire sector of the field on lockdown every rep he takes in that coverage, as highlighted by his interception against UCF in which he covered three players before making a miraculous, diving interception.
Linebackers Nikhai-Hill Green and Lavonta Bentley have been the reason why Colorado’s defense has been stout to start the season, and they will need to have another big game to propel this team to a win on Saturday. Through five games, they’ve combined for 51 tackles, two sacks and an interception. Behind those two, safety Cam’Rom Silmon-Craig has emerged as the leader of the defense, and gets his partner in crime back this weekend, Shilo Sanders.
As long as Sanders doesn’t commit any unnecessary 15-yard penalties, his presence in stopping the run will be much needed for the Buffs in his return. He suffered a broken forearm against Nebraska back in Week 2, and his veteran presence will help the defense against Kansas State.
Colorado’s defensive keys to success: Mitigate the run, keep pash rush lane integrity and make Johnson beat you with his arm
On the other side of the ball, the Buffs need to stay ahead of the chains. What’s the easiest way to do that? Running the ball effectively. The Buffs had their best rushing performance of the Coach Prime era against UCF, as running backs totaled 113 yards on the ground on 4.7 yards per carry.
Sophomore Dallan Hayden should be back to full strength as he was still recovering from a high ankle sprain two weeks ago. The rotation of him, true freshman Micah Welch, and sophomore Isaiah Agustave has been a successful attack for Colorado, so don’t expect any changes on the snap counts for the running backs.
As it is every single week for this Colorado offense, the offensive line and its pass protection will be the key. Shedeur Sanders has been sacked 18 times through five games (last in the Big 12), and Kansas State’s defense has 12 sacks through five games (first in the Big 12). If the Colorado offensive line can hold up enough (they do not have to be perfect), Sanders will be able to make the Kansas State secondary pay.
The Wildcats’ passing defense is ranked 100th in the country (out of 133), allowing 244.2 yards per game. Colorado has the talent on the outside to torch the Wildcat defense, they just need time from the offensive line.
Will Sheppard was the breakout receiver for Colorado two weeks ago, so whose turn will it be to make a statement this week? Travis Hunter will show up and have a good performance like he does every week, but what unlocks this offense is when others join him in doing so.
Colorado’s offensive keys to success: Keep Shedeur Sanders clean and keep the run game unpredictable
It’s tough to describe the implications of this game. If the Buffs pull off the upset at home, they should be ranked and they will be at the top of the Big 12 with an undefeated conference record. This test will show the true resilience of this Colorado team and either prove that the UCF game was a one-hit wonder or the fact that this is a team that can contend with the big dogs.
The weather is forecast to be warm and clear at Folsom Field on Saturday. The game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. MT on ESPN.
Cover photo via Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
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