Coming off an instant classic of a victory a week ago, the Colorado Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) will travel to Orlando to take on the UCF Knights (3-0, 1-0 Big 12) in a game that is a reality check for the Buffs.
The Buffaloes are a two-touchdown underdog in this game (per ESPNBET), slated to occur in a heavy rainstorm following Hurricane Helene. This will be the second straight week in which unfavorable weather conditions will challenge the Buffs, but last week showed the rain doesn’t phase them.
The most important matchup of Saturday’s contest is the UCF rushing attack against the CU front seven, which has been playing some of the best football in the country to start the season. The Buffaloes’ defensive run grade ranks 16th in the country through the first four games of the season (per Pro Football Focus) and has been a key in this team’s success since halftime of the Nebraska game.
For their linebackers, the Buffs’ duo of Nikhai Hill-Green and Lavonta Bentley have been playing other-worldly recently. Colorado’s linebackers have a run grade that is good for third in the country, only behind Ole Miss and Alabama. Take out the North Dakota State game, when Trevor Woods started for Hill-Green, and the Buffs linebackers are in first place.
On the other side, UCF has two phenomenal running backs in RJ Harvey and Penny Boone, along with a quarterback in KJ Jefferson, who is also a threat with his legs. Despite having great run defense performances, the Buffs have struggled to defend the quarterback run this season against Baylor and NDSU, so Jefferson’s legs will be a key factor.
If Colorado gets ahead in this game and forces the Knights to throw the ball, that will be a ballgame that favors the Buffs. Jefferson has only thrown the ball 51 times all season (Shedeur Sanders has thrown the ball 162 times) but has one outstanding receiver in Kobe Hudson. Colorado has been fine with trusting their corners in man coverage so far this season, so expect the Buffs to load the box and let their talented corners play one-on-one on the back end. Hudson should expect to see a lot of Travis Hunter on Saturday, as the best will be going up against the best on both sides of the ball.
Offensively for Colorado, running back Dallan Hayden is expected to return after missing the previous two weeks with a high-ankle sprain. His presence will be much welcomed back, but with the emergence of true freshmen Micah Welch and Drelon Miller, he won’t have to be the work-horse coming off injury.
In the passing game, Sanders and the Colorado offense will be challenged by poor weather as it is expected to be raining in Orlando for the game. That wasn’t a problem for the Buffs last week, so expect them to come out throwing all over the field again.
As with every week, the offensive line will have to keep Sanders clean. UCF is a team that hasn’t blitzed a whole lot to start the season and has just two sacks as a team (worst among Power Four programs). Four-man pressures have been problematic for Colorado, and if the Knights change things up and stunt their defensive line, the offensive line needs to perform better than they have in the past.
The left side of the line with true freshmen Jordan Seaton and senior Tyler Brown have been playing well together, but the right side has been the weak link in protecting Sanders. Coach Prime said he has eight offensive linemen and plans to use all of them rotationally, so a switch-up on that right side would not be a surprise.
The final factor of this game is the environment. UCF plays at the “Bounce House,” one of the loudest and rowdiest stadiums in college football. It’s going to be loud, it’s going to be wet, and it’s going to be challenging for the Buffaloes. This game is going to show the true colors of this Colorado team and determine how serious they are in competing for a spot in the Big 12 championship game.
The game kicks off from Orlando on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MT on Fox.
Cover photo by Roberto Patrick Gerra/Sko Buffs Sports
Comments