After the University of Colorado Buffaloes’ narrow 31-26 win over the North Dakota State Bison last Thursday, question marks surround the team's defense going into the Week 2 matchup against their rival Nebraska Cornhuskers.
An inconsistent first half defensively against the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse forced the Buffs to adjust out of their early man coverage after getting diced up in the passing game and shutting down the run. While those adjustments proved timely in the moment, the Huskers will not wait around for the Buffs to make halftime adjustments.
Win at the line of scrimmage
While winning at the line of scrimmage should be crucial for every game, it is even more critical against the Huskers. Stats-wise, the Buffs won at the line of scrimmage against the Bison by having seven tackles for loss and two sacks, but this will be harder against the red and white. Since Nebraska's passing offense last year was lackluster, they found their success in the run game. The Huskers, in 2023, rushed for a total of 2,122 yards with 16 rushing touchdowns. If the Buffaloes can have the same success in stopping the run and pressuring the quarterback as they did against the Bison, they will win the game.
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule's balanced offense of spread and power run lies in the hands of the QB being able to make smart decisions. If Colorado can put pressure on the QB while winning at the line of scrimmage, they can force true freshman Dylan Raiola into making the wrong decisions. Those mishaps could turn into points from the Buffs' high-octane offense.
Force turnovers
To stop the Huskers, the Buffs need to force turnovers. Forcing turnovers gets the ball back into CU QB Shedeur Sanders’ hands and increases the Buffs’ opportunities to score. Also, this being a home game for the Huskers, turnovers that lead to points can hopefully keep the rowdy Lincoln crowd to a quiet whisper. In last year's 36-14 win, CU forced four turnovers, with one interception and three fumbles.
Yet, turnovers are not just interceptions and fumbles, they are also stopping the Huskers from converting on fourth down. In 2023, the Huskers had a 39% conversion rate on fourth down after converting nine times out of 23. Keeping the Huskers in third and long will force Raiola to push the ball down the field into a talented CU secondary. It will also keep the Huskers' fourth down offense at bay.
Create third and long situations
Winning on third down is saying the same thing as forcing turnovers. Both get Sanders, the leader of the team, back on the field so that he can score points. The Buffs struggled on third down last Thursday, letting the Bison convert on seven of their 13 attempts (53%) with most of the third down attempts coming on third and short. Forcing the Huskers to third and long will also shut down their fourth down offense. If the black and gold can force third and long, it will not only give the defense confidence, but it will shut the naysayers up about the defense.
Disguise schemes
Against the Bison, the Buffs hardly moved out of their base defense. This will not work against the Huskers. Rhule’s offense thrives on exploiting defensive reads and mismatches. In order to keep Nebraska's offense off balance, the Buffs need to move around the defense. They need to make Raiola uncomfortable, in the sense that he will have no idea what’s coming if they disguise their defensive schemes correctly by moving out of their base defense.
Stay true to defensive assignments
The Buffs struggled with assignments against the Bison after getting their eyes stuck in the backfield and their feet stuck in the mud. The NDSU offense picked apart Colorado in the passing game and Rhule’s offense will not hesitate to do the same. If CU makes adjustments and stays true to their assignments, they will stop the Huskers on third down, force turnovers and win at the line of scrimmage. Every part of the defense relies on the fact that the secondary, linebackers and defensive line stay true to their assignments, especially in the rivalry matchup against the Huskers, because it means that much more.
The Buffs look to beat the Huskers on Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. MT in Lincoln, Nebraska. It will be broadcast on NBC.
Cover photo by Talus Schreiber/Sko Buffs Sports
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