Football in Colorado has been at its best when a great quarterback is supported by a strong defense. For the Denver Broncos, John Elway won a pair of championships with legendary defenders like Steve Atwater and Neil Smith, while Peyton Manning was willed to another ring by Von Miller and the “No Fly Zone.”
Today, Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes defense now also has a chance to etch their names into Colorado sports history.
The Buffs (7-2, 5-1 Big 12) have proved the doubters wrong regardless of how the season ends for them. National headlines revolve around Sanders and two-way athlete Travis Hunter, as both are expected to be top picks in the NFL draft, and Hunter is making a case for the school’s first Heisman trophy since Rashaan Salaam in 1994.
But Colorado isn’t winning games solely on the shoulders of those two players, as the defense has contributed heavily toward the team’s success. While the scoring defense has generally been around the national average, they currently rank 10th in the nation in second-half points allowed and 9th in sacks (29), a mark that leads the Big 12.
The pass rush came through against Texas Tech, getting to quarterback Behren Morton seven times which included a sack-fumble that Colorado would recover late in the fourth quarter to help seal last Saturday’s win.
Defensive ends BJ Green and Arden Walker led the way with two sacks each, but four other Buffs got their own, a microcosm for CU’s season: no single defender stands out above the rest.
Green, a transfer from Arizona State, is the only Colorado defender in the top 50 (or even the top 100) nationally in sacks with five. 12 different defenders have at least one sack for Colorado, which is the same as the total amount of sacks Big 12 competitor Iowa State has as a team.
That level of aggression from the pass rush has translated to the rest of the defense, as it ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in forced fumbles (eight) and has done an excellent job swarming to the ball, leading the conference in fumble recoveries (eight). Colorado has been winning the turnover game consistently (+7), giving Sanders and the offense more scoring opportunities than they’re giving away.
Credit can be given to head coach Deion Sanders and his hire of defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, who has excelled as a first time coordinator and play caller and improved this unit in less than a season. The Buffs have already surpassed last year's sack total of 27 in three less games and without four of their top five sack leaders returning (linebacker LaVonta Bentley is the only returnee).
The Buffalo pass rush must continue this pace if Colorado wants to make a run for the conference championship and potentially into the College Football Playoff. They’ll likely face an inexperienced young quarterback in Isaac Wilson this Saturday against Utah but will have their hands full against Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, who upset Iowa State on Saturday.
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