Coming off of three consecutive losses to some of the top teams in the Pac-12 conference, Colorado football will host the Charleston Southern Buccaneers on Saturday, Oct. 19. This marks the fifth time in program history that the Buffs will play a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team.
This game will serve as the make-up for the Fresno State game that was cancelled after the flooding in September. Charleston Southern was the only school to agree to come to Boulder this Saturday, after Colorado officials contacted almost three dozen schools in both the FCS and FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision).
The Buffs head into Saturday’s game at home with a 2-3 overall record, with an average of 17.3 points per game. Charleston Southern remains undefeated (7-0) in what was formerly known as Division I: AA, and averages 26.4 points per game.
True freshman Sefo Liufau, who is expected to start in the quarterback position on Saturday, understands the talent he and the Buffs will be facing this weekend.
“They’re a very good team,” he said during a press conference earlier this week. “Very athletic, very fast and they run a bunch of different coverages and different blitzes. We have to be very prepared and very sound, especially very consistent, unlike last week.”
First year head coach Jamey Chadwell has led the Buccaneers with continuing success. The team is ranked 24th in the nation in the FCS. This success can be attributed to the Buccaneers’ strong defense and consistent offense, which was led by senior quarterback Malcolm Dixon before he tore his ACL three weeks ago. Danny Croghan will be starting in his place against the Buffs.
“It’s going to be a tough battle because they run an option offense, out of the pistol, different things and there’s a lot of detail and work trying to get ready for that,” Buffs head coach Mike MacIntyre said during the press conference. “It’s a very difficult offensive ball control situation. Defensively, they bring a lot of things at you, and have very good rushing.”
The Buccaneers focus their offensive game on rushing, which may be an advantage for Colorado. So far this year, the Buffs have defended well against rushing teams, whereas passing offenses have proven too much for them to handle.
The Buffs aren’t expecting an easy game just because they’ll be playing an FCS team.
“They’re a better football team than Central Arkansas was when we played them here, and they gave us a very good football game,” MacIntyre said. “I’m pretty sure Charleston Southern will definitely feel like they can come in and win the football game.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 12:07 p.m. at Folsom Field.
Contact CU Independent staff writer Alissa Noe at alissa.noe@colorado.edu.
