Colorado Buffaloes Football 2022 Preview
With the 2022 football season just around the corner for the Colorado Buffaloes, we take a look at Friday’s opener against TCU, some new faces in the program, and the rest of this season’s schedule.
BOULDER – As the countdown to the start of the 2022 season winds down, many questions loom for the Colorado Buffaloes football program as they look to bounce back from a difficult 2021 campaign. Who will be the starting quarterback? What new faces will shine for this program? Does this team have a chance to compete in a loaded Pac-12 South Division?
After the Buffs finished the 2021 season with a 4-8 record (3-6 Pac-12), they lost many key players and members of the coaching staff over the offseason. This led to the 2022 preseason media poll finishing with the Buffs in dead last in the conference with 58 points (1st ranked Utah finished with 384).
Despite the doubt coming into the season, going up against a difficult schedule in an even stronger Pac-12, there is lots of positivity in this program, lots of hope, and lots of hungry Buffs who want to shock a lot of people en route to a strong 2022 season.
The most important part of the season is fall camp and getting the team ready to come out hot in Week 1, and head coach Karl Dorrell thinks the team has done a great job preparing.
The biggest question mark for the Buffs is who will be under center. This year’s quarterback room is deep, with five players listed on the depth chart, but the battle for the starting job is down to just two names.
After missing the whole 2021 season with an ACL tear, J.T. Shrout, the 6-foot-3, 220 pound junior is ready to play, but only the team knows if he will be the starting quarterback come game time.
While Dorrell did not say who the true starter will be, he did mention that Shrout and Brendon Lewis, the 6-foot-2, 215 pound sophomore who was last year’s starter, will both make an appearance. “We feel good that they kind of feed off of each other,” Dorrell said.
“They’re both gonna play. And we think that that’s a good thing… that’s how we’ll prepare for the week.”
Coach Dorrell feels really good about Friday’s opener against TCU. The Horned Frogs play a 3-3-5 nickel defense, replacing one of the interior defenders with an extra safety in the secondary. This limits room down the field to throw the ball, so the Buffs are going to have to operate slow and methodical.
“[The defense is] built not to give you a big play,” Dorrell said. “And it’s built to make offenses take the long road.”
On the other side of the ball, the Buffs have more gamplanning to do than usual, as TCU is expected to have two or three quarterbacks play, and they all have different playstyles.
“One has outstanding speed, one has really good speed. And the other one’s a pretty good athlete himself. They have an athlete at that position, which is a challenge.”
Dorrell said that TCU is going to have athletes all over the field, and the key to the game defensively is going to be tackling.
“We’re gonna have to do a great job of minimizing some of that space and tackling well,” Dorrell said. “You see it in NFL preseason, where there’s a lot of missed tackles…the same thing that happens in college, the first games’ a little bit rough about getting used to tackling full speed.”
If the Buffs defense can contain TCU’s athleticism, Dorrell feels that his team has a great chance to start the season off 1-0.
“It’s going to be a great game…both teams have enough experience coming back on both sides. We’ve had a great summer, I’m sure they feel like they’ve had a great summer with a new coaching staff there. It’s about time to tee it up and see who’s prepared the best.”
New Faces
The Buffaloes have made many solid additions to this year’s roster via the transfer portal and recruiting. Six new faces from the transfer portal will be in Black and Gold this year, highlighted by Tommy Brown, an offensive tackle from Alabama who brings championship DNA to this program.
R.J. Sneed, a 6-foot-1, 195 pound graduate transfer that came over from Baylor, is another dynamic playmaker who can make a difference in the slot. In his five seasons at Baylor, Sneed caught eight touchdown passes, and averaged 11.8 yards per reception.
On the recruiting side, the Buffs brought in twenty five new players from all over the world, many of whom could step up into the spotlight off the bat September 2nd against TCU.
These new players for the Buffs have big shoes to fill, as many key guys from last years’ squad will not be returning. RB Jarek Broussard, WR Brenden Rice, WR Chris Carpenter, WR Keith Miller, RB Ashaad Clayton, WR Dimitri Stanley, and WR La’Vontae Shenault are all offensive players from last year’s team that won’t return.
On the defensive side, S Trustin Oliver, DL Jayden Simon, S Christian Gonzalez, S Mark Perry, and CB Mekhi Blackmon are key names who will not be repping the Black and Gold this season.
However, the Buffs will get to see some old faces this year throughout the season. Week 1, Mark Perry will be back at Folsom Field, but this time wearing purple for the TCU Horned Frogs. In Week 9, Christian Gonzalez will be back at Folsom as a member of the Oregon Ducks. And in Week 10, when the Buffs travel to sunny, southern California, they will see Brenden Rice and Makhi Blackmon, who are now playing for the USC Trojans.
2022 Schedule
Week 1, vs. TCU Horned Frogs, 9/2: Opening as 10.5 point underdogs, this game could very well set the tone for the season for the Buffaloes under the lights at Folsom Field.
Week 2, @ Air Force Falcons, 9/10: A classic in-state matchup against a unique triple option offense. The victor of this battle in the trenches is always the team who wants to be more physical and get dirty at the line of scrimmage.
Week 3, @ Minnesota Golden Gophers, 9/17: Last year’s game against Minnesota was an embarrassing, home blowout loss for Colorado. This year, with Mike Sanford as the Buffs’ offensive coordinator, Minnesota’s former OC, this game will mean more for Colorado, and could very well be a big statement game early in the season.
Week 4, vs. UCLA Bruins, 9/24: This game was close for the first half last season until UCLA blew it open in the third quarter. With it being played at Folsom this season, the Buffs can look for a strong start with the home crowd behind them to grab this upset.
Week 5, @ Arizona, 10/1: A must-win game for the Buffs, who blew out Arizona 34-0 last year at Folsom.
Week 6, Bye
Week 7, vs California Golden Bears, 10/15: Another seemingly must-win at home for Colorado. California is ranked 9th in the Pac-12 preseason poll, and this is a game the Buffs need to not let slip away from them, like last year’s loss.
Week 8, @ Oregon State Beavers, 10/22: In the most exciting game of the season for Colorado last year, the Buffs won 37-34 in a double overtime thriller. This season, the matchup should be another close one, in which a win could provide huge momentum for the home stretch of the season.
Week 9, vs. Arizona State Sun Devils, 10/29: Yet another home game that feels like a must-win. Arizona State is ranked 10th in the preseason poll, and with it being a home game, Colorado needs to win this one before a tough November.
Week 10, vs. 11 Oregon Ducks, 11/5: Oregon is hopeful for a bid to the College Football Playoff this season, but coming to Folsom for what should be a cold November Saturday, this could be a game that jeopardizes their hopes late in the season.
Week 11, @ 14 USC Trojans, 11/11: This USC team is not the same team the Buffs faced last season. Led by Heisman hopeful transfer QB Caleb Williams, the Trojans could very well make the playoffs at the end of the season, which is just a tough matchup for the Buffs, who will go up against last years’ starters Brenden Rice and Mekhi Blackmon.
Week 12, @ Washington Huskies, 11/19: This was another great game from last season with the Buffs squeaking out a 20-17 victory at home on a cold, wet day at Folsom. Being played in Washington this year, the weather will likely be similar to last year, in another game that the Buffs have the capability of winning.
Week 13, vs. 7 Utah Utes, 11/26: The Rumble in the Rockies carries good tradition between these two programs. Even though the Buffs haven’t won since 2016, a cold game at Folsom late in the season can be scary for any team coming into town, and could once again jeopardize a visiting team’s playoff hopes if they don’t play a good game.
