Another big test is on the horizon for the Colorado Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) this weekend as they travel to Tuscon to take on the Arizona Wildcats (3-3, 1-2 Big 12). NFL talent will be all over the field for each team down in the Old Pueblo.
When the Wildcats are on offense, everyone’s eyes will be on the outside of the field watching star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan face off against two-way phenom Travis Hunter. These two are projected top-five draft picks in the NFL draft and are looking to add another chapter to their blossoming rivalry.
In 2023, McMillan had nine catches for 107 yards and a touchdown against the Buffaloes. When lined up against Hunter, he had just three catches for 15 yards but was able to haul in the touchdown over Hunter with a miraculous one-handed reception. Here are his highlights from the game last year.
McMillian is going to get his, that’s no secret. The key is to limit the rest of the Arizona offense in the passing game and get quarterback Noah Fifita out of his comfort zone. In games where Fifita has thrown the ball more than 40 times, the Wildcats are 0-3. Fifita has thrown at least one interception in all three of those games.
Part of the reason for that is the depth behind McMillian at wide receiver is very thin. McMillian has 42 catches for 742 yards and four touchdowns this season, and the next closest wideout behind him is former Buff Montana-Lemonious Craig (17-172-1). If Colorado can make someone other than McMillian beat them, they will be in a good position.
While the Wildcats aren’t a running team like the previous two Colorado has faced, their top two running backs average just over 5.8 yards per carry, so the Buffs need to not sell out on the pass entirely. Quali Conley is their top back with six touchdowns and 458 yards on the season, with Kedrick Reescano coming in frequently to give him a breather.
Shilo Sanders will have to be much better for the Buffs as the anchor of the defense in his second game back from injury. Last week, his poor tackling and bad angles in pass defense arguably cost the Buffs the game. He led the team in tackles with seven in the matchup against Arizona in 2023.
The Buffs forced zero turnovers against Arizona last year. However, these two teams are very different, and look for the Buffs to come out aggressively against Fifita early, as he threw three interceptions in the blowout loss to BYU last week.
On the flip side, injuries plagued the Buffaloes a week ago, but they should be returning two of their top receivers, Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. Both exited the Kansas State game in the first half with injuries and did not return. However, breakout star Omarion Miller will not be returning this week, and most likely for the season, as he had a successful lower-body surgery this past week. Miller had 145 yards last week in the wake of Hunter and Horn’s injuries before suffering an injury himself. Terell Timmons Jr. will also be out this week with an injury he suffered against K-State, so the true freshmen of Colorado's receiving core will get some valuable reps again.
Arizona runs the eighth-most single-high coverage in the country, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). That type of coverage is a dream come true for Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado offense if he can get the proper pass protection.
Since the start of the 2023 season, Sanders has a 90.3 passing grade against single-high with 8.2 yards per attempt. His adjusted completion percentage is 80.1%, and has 14 big-time throws (PFF details what classifies as a big-time throw here). However, it won’t matter if the Buffs can’t get more out of their offense than what they got against Kansas State.
The Buffs failed to establish a reliable rushing attack last week, forcing their offense to be one-dimensional. Combined with the fact that the pass protection was poor (Shedeur Sanders was sacked six times, losing 74 yards), Colorado ended up in long down-and-distance situations too often. Colorado has lost both games in which they had 11 or fewer designed runs with their running backs and won all four games with more than 11 rushing attempts. As is with every week, the run game doesn’t need to be elite, but it needs to be enough to keep Arizona’s defense honest.
Coach Prime said that true freshman Micah Welch is still nursing a hamstring injury, and sophomore Isaiah Augustave should get the nod as the lead back this week. Augustave leads the team with 127 yards on the ground this year.
This move isn’t a knock or a benching of Dallan Hayden, it’s just a new combination for the offense to try and get something going in the run game. Hayden will still see his fair share of carries.
The Buffs travel to Tuscon as underdogs once again, with Arizona being favored by 2.5 points (per ESPNBET). For the first time since Week 1, it is clear that Colorado is the better team, but they need to go out and play like it and not get out to a slow start. If Sanders’ white jersey stays clean, the Buffs will be in good shape to inch one game closer to becoming bowl-eligible.
The game kicks off from Arizona Stadium in Tuscon at 2 p.m. MT on Saturday and will be televised on FOX.
Cover photo via Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
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