Buffs Football shutout the winless Wildcats

CU Buffs’ fans depleting optimism was recharged on a sunny, temperate Saturday at Folsom with a 94% parent and student attendance as CU football shutout the Arizona Wildcats 34-0 on October 16. 

Coming off four consecutive losses, tension and cumulative frustration began to build within the program. Whether it was the bye week adjustments or the winless Wildcats, the Buffs demonstrated their talent and capabilities on all levels bringing excitement for the fans and confidence for the team.

“Feels good to get a win,” Head coach Karl Dorrell said in the postgame press conference. “Definitely feel good about what our team did today…I felt we had a really good mindset going into this game about how important it was for us to show the improvement that we’ve been working on the last couple weeks on our bye. It was good to see that it paid off in a convincing fashion.”

After only two field goals in the first and second quarters, the third quarter was when the Buffs reawakened. Freshman safety Trevor Woods blocked a punt and ran the ball to the end zone for 35 yards. Woods was named Pac-12 special teams player of the week from the scoop and score. In Arizona’s following possession, outside linebacker Carson Wells had a 50 yard pick six.

Wide receiver Brenden Rice scored for the first time this season with a 62-yard touchdown, and to make things sweeter, the score was Colorado’s longest scoring play of the year. All three touchdowns happened within five-minutes. 

Watching the Buffs cross the plane felt like a sigh of relief after the previous weeks of standing with our hands on our head questioning the Buffs offensive choices. With a season-high of 248 passing yards, the Rice touchdown, the fourth quarter score to Dimitri Stanley and averaging 20.7 yards per completion, QB Brendon Lewis had his best day and diminished the fan skepticism. 

The defense continued to thrive as well, as they held Arizona to 3-for-15 on third-down conversions. Also, they put up two interceptions with Wells and safety Mark Perry in the fourth quarter. 

“Having the bye week and being able to go to practice those two weeks, we really focused on limiting explosives, playing sound fundamental football and not getting penalties to extend those drives,” Inside linebacker Nate Landman said in the postgame press conference. “I think we’re able to do that today. We still have some mistakes. Football is a roller coaster. We are going to have those mistakes, but I think we minimized those compared to weeks past.”

Overall, the team came back with an impressive performance, but Arizona didn’t put too much pressure on the Buffs, their performance reflects their 17 game losing streak which is the longest in the nation. 

The shutout game, while fun to watch, still showed CU’s offensive cracks in the first half. The ball moved into red zone territory, but CU ultimately was short of the goal line after the third down attempts or the pass was incomplete, a frequent commonality of CU football Saturdays.

The upcoming schedule will determine if the Buffs need more assistance than bye week adjustments and a winless team to prove that they are eligible Pac-12 competitors. On Oct. 23, CU will play away at University of California at 1:30 MST. The Golden Bears have a 1-5 record, and in considering records, this could be a reasonable opportunity for the Buffs to snag another win.

Coming off Arizona, consistency and continual progress from Lewis—and the offense—are essential for the Cal Berkeley game and the tough schedule moving forward. Lewis’ execution this weekend will demonstrate how he is positively developing in practice and when called upon to effectively move the ball and complete passes. 

Throughout the season, Dorrell has always supported the young quarterback and his efforts. With CU’s lack of scoring in the past weeks, pointing fingers at Lewis and/or offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini has been a discussion point among tailgates and general CU football conversation. Lewis disregards the negative comments.

“I don’t pay attention to that,” Lewis said at the Arizona postgame conference. “I just keep my head down and keep working with my teammates.”

Dorrell continues to support Lewis’s performance.

“My approach was to not to tell Brendon that it’s’ not all his fault,” Dorrell said. “Things that we’re doing that it looks like he’s doing everything wrong and it wasn’t. Sometimes the receivers weren’t open, so it was a number of things that we weren’t doing effectively to help him do his job. They took ownership of over the break and they weren’t pointing fingers.”

This CU shutout couldn’t have come at a better time (the last time CU shutout an opponent was against Nicholls State in 2015, 48-0). Spirits in Boulder have been lifted, but the program, specifically the offense, has to maintain the momentum to find the end zone out in California and in games beyond.