Contact CU Independent Sports Staff Writer Jake Mauff at jacob.mauff@colorado.edu.
It’s been a rough stretch for the University of Colorado football team (3-4), which is currently on a three-game losing streak. The team will look to turn that around against the Oregon State Beavers (2-4) this Saturday.
After a 3-1 start, the Buffs now sit at 3-4, which is brutal because of how close some of these losses have been. Against both Oregon and Arizona, Colorado was tied at 17 going into halftime.
In the second half of those games, the Buffs struggled to keep up.
Last week, senior quarterback Jerrard Randall was a spark to the Arizona offense, gaining 81 yards on 11 carries in the fourth quarter alone. This opened up the running game for senior running back Jared Baker. Randall also completed all three of his passes for 42 yards.
“I think that even though these are close games, I think there are things we can do—that are in our control—to negate what the other team is doing against us,” junior quarterback Sefo Liufau said in Tuesday’s press conference.
Saturday’s game against Oregon State has a different meaning going into it than the other two games had. The Beavers are coming off of three straight losses, just like the Buffs. During that stretch, Oregon State has given up 46 points per game.
Freshman quarterback Seth Collins is the main part of the offense. He’s thrown for 813 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions while running for 486 yards and five touchdowns; he leads the team in passing and rushing.
Oregon State’s offense revolves around the option. They are averaging 187 yards a game on the ground. Their defense is also giving up 197 rushing yards a game, 103rd in the NCAA.
The Buffs are even worse, giving up 211 yards on the ground per game. It could be a long day for their run defense against OSU, especially given what Arizona did against it in just a quarter.
Both teams have similar passing defenses. Oregon State is ranked 58th, giving up 216 yards a game. Colorado gives up 219 yards a game, which is good for 61st in the NCAA. This should be a very offensive game.
That should play into Colorado’s favor. Though Oregon State utilizes the option, the Buffs are still gaining more yards on the ground per game than the Beavers. Colorado has 192 rushing yards a game. The Buffs are also scoring more. They average 31.6 points a game, compared to Oregon State’s 21.7.
The Arizona and Oregon games offer some hope for the Buffs’ future against the conference. If Colorado can adjust at the half better than in those games, it has a chance to win.
This is a lot easier said than done. The Buffs will have to do it without sophomore wide receiver Shay Fields, who caught the last touchdown against Arizona in a diving effort, but suffered an ankle injury when a defender landed on him.
Though senior wide receiver Nelson Spruce leads the team in receptions, Fields leads the team in yards and touchdowns. His field-stretching ability and 15.8 yards a catch will be missed.
His injury couldn’t come at a worse time, as the team’s passing game is finally looking like it did last year. Much of this has to do with Fields’ play. Over the past two weeks, he has caught 13 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
The next man up for the offense is sophomore wide receiver Bryce Bobo. He’s third on the team in receptions and will likely see more time on the field this weekend because of the injury to Fields
“I’ve trusted him since I’ve been with him since freshman year,” Liufau said. “He’s a great receiver and I expect him to go out there and make big plays.”
There is some overall good news for the Buffs. Junior linebacker Kenneth Olugbode will return from the leg injury he sustained against Oregon. Head Coach Mike MacIntyre confirmed that Olugbode is slotted to start after practicing well at the beginning of the week, though they will rotate him with the linebackers who helped cover for him while he was hurt.
The Colorado defense gave up 616 yards to Arizona last week without Olugbode, who already has a Pac-12 defensive player of the week award to his name. Having him back in the lineup should no doubt help the Buffs this weekend in defending against Oregon State’s strong rushing game.
The game this Saturday is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. (MST) at Reser Stadium and will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
