Rodrigue Out as Buffs Offensive Line Coach

On Oct. 25  the Colorado Buffaloes coaching staff lost offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue.

 The change comes after the difficult game against the University of California netting 35 rushing yards, 69 receiving, with zero TDs for the fifth loss of the Buffs 2021 campaign. Rodrigue has been a part of the coaching staff for a season and a half, as he was one of the many coaching changes for CU in the spring of 2020.

 Quality control assistant William Vlachos, a former Alabama offensive lineman, will take over the lead duties with the line along with graduate assistant Donovan Williams. They will continue to work with the group as well for the remainder of the season. 

Colorado’s offensive line has let up 22 sacks this season for a combined 122 yards, which is tied for 113th out of 130 in FBS Division 1 college football. Throughout the season, faults in the Buffs’ offense have been prevalent and the Cal game was the last straw within the program — someone needed to leave.

“The offense has been our struggle and we know that,” head coach Karl Dorrell stated in Monday’s press conference. “We haven’t been able to put it all together on a consistent basis, which brought me to the conclusion that I needed to do something to hopefully give us a new approach.” Dorrell said that this is a step towards playing some better football, and it started with a strong practice on Monday.

“It’s a hard decision anytime you relieve a coach in the middle of the season… he’s been a strong contributor for us since he’s been here, particularly last year,” Dorrell said when referencing Rodrigue. “He’s a very, very, very good coach.”

Now the Buffaloes focus ahead on what could be their biggest challenge of the season, as the Buffs play against the Oregon Ducks this week. As of Monday night, the Buffs are 24 point underdogs against the Ducks. The Ducks have been in the Top 10 for seven consecutive weeks making it their longest Top 10 streak since 2014.

This coaching change could be the move to turn the offense around, which shouldn’t prove to be difficult as Colorado ranks 125th out of 130th in the nation in scoring, and last in the nation in total offense. Colorado has a difficult schedule for the final five weeks of the season, but if this move helps turn the offense around, it could help put them in a position to possibly finish the season with a couple of strong victories.

Personally, I believe that change was needed for this team, as this offense, especially the rushing attack, was nothing compared to what it was last year when Jarek Broussard won the 2020 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. More change at higher-up positions could be needed in the future if this team continues to perform at the same level, but this small change is a step in the right direction at the halfway mark of the season.

Colorado (2-5 overall, 1-3 Pac-12) travels to Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, October 30th, to take on 7th ranked Oregon (6-1 overall, 3-1 Pac-12) at 1:30 p.m. MDT on FOX.