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Ralphie Report: Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn “should play for certain” against Arizona

Kansas State v Colorado

Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images

The Buffs are getting two stars back.

Rest easy, Buffs fans. We come bearing good news. After both suffering injuries against Kansas State last weekend, star slot receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. and Heisman front runner Travis Hunter are set to return for the Buffaloes this Saturday in Tucson against the Arizona Wildcats.

“Travis [Hunter] should play for certain, Jimmy [Horn] as well,” said Deion Sanders in his weekly Tuesday presser.

Hunter left that game against Kansas State after suffering what’s speculated to have been a shoulder injury. He got checked out in the locker room twice and remained on the sidelines in full pads for the entire second half, but Colorado’s staff didn’t let Hunter re-enter the game. Hunter’s return against Arizona is pivotal, as Colorado will need him to cover Wildcats superstar receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

Horn’s injury is also unconfirmed, but it seemingly wasn’t too serious if he’s going to return this week. Colorado could use all the help they can get against Arizona’s secondary, so Horn’s return is a massive boost for the Buffs.

Unfortunately, it’s not all good news. Wide receiver Omarion Miller has undergone season-ending surgery to repair an injury to his left leg. Miller kept the Buffaloes in last weekend’s game against K-State and showed immense promise, so we are wishing him a speedy recovery.

Colorado will face Arizona at their full power this Saturday at 2:00 pm MT. Fans can tune in nationally on Fox.

by RylandScholes
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CU At The Game: CUATG Podcast: CU at Arizona

Arizona has been struggling to score - Is CU's defense the cure for the common offense? ... Will the Buffs be able to overcome injuries, and find their way back to a balanced offensive attack? ... Which team will enter the second half of the season with optimism, and which will face more questions? ... Let's find out ...

Stuart
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Ralphie Report: Colorado legend Chauncey Billups inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame

Denver Nuggets v Golden State Warriors

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The greatest basketball player in CU Buffs history.

It was never about the 2004 NBA Finals MVP, the seven consecutive trips to the conference finals, the five all-star appearances, three All-NBA and two All-Defense selections.

It’s not about his professionalism, leadership or his penchant for hitting clutch shots, nor is the ten-year stretch when he averaged 16 points, 6 assists and shot 40% from three, all while averaging 59 wins per season.

No, the reason why Chauncey Billups will be immortalized tonight as in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is because he carried the Colorado Buffaloes to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

That’s right, Billups — the 1996 Big 8 Rookie of the Year, two-time All Big 8/12 selection and Consensus All-American, the highest draft pick in Colorado men’s basketball history — took a Ricardo Patton team and led them to a #15 ranking, a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament and a then-program-record 22 wins.

Look at the rest of Colorado basketball history before and after Billups. In the 25 years before 1996-97, the Buffs went 294-422 (.411) with an average record of 12-17. They had seven winning seasons in that time and three of those were 14-12, 14-13 and 15-13. Those were good seasons for the Buffs!

The next thirteen years were better — 179-199 (.474) — but even with the two 20-win seasons and an NCAA Tournament appearance, they were a sub-.500 program who dwelled in the Big 12 basement. Yes, this is becoming a Tad Boyle post, but it should demonstrate just how ridiculous it was to have a talent like Chauncey at such a moribund basketball program.

Chauncey wanting to be here at all was a miracle. Billups was a Parade All-American who could have played anywhere but chose to stay home. It’s not quite Cooper Flagg committing to Maine, but that’s closer to any real-world five-star commitments in the last 20 years. The only comparable cases were Patrick Baldwin Jr. to Milwaukee and Emmanuel Mudiay to SMU, but even then Baldwin Sr. was the Panthers head coach while the Ponies had Larry Brown recruiting with duffle bags.

He was too good to be playing at Colorado. He’s the best player we’ve ever had and there’s not much of an argument otherwise. I’m joking that his accomplishments at CU overshadow what he did in Detroit and Denver, but there has never been such a singular talent in program history. 19-year-old Billups carried the Buffs to their best season in 25 years despite having a first-time head coach and a whole lot of mid on that roster. Cliff Meely and Birdie Haldorson weren’t so good that their little brother got hired by two universities and then an NBA team.

His professional accolades speak for themselves, but maybe it’s not obvious to CU fans that he had the greatest on-field professional career of any basketball or football player in university history. You might be surprised at the football players, but Cliff Branch is CU’s lone Hall of Famer and only Andre Gurode can match Billups’ five all-star appearances. None of them starred in the same way as Billups, and not in a sport that is almost entirely star-driven. (Off-field success goes to Byron White of the Supreme Court.)

Billups deserves all the adoration and celebration for his on-court play. He’s an iconic figure in Colorado sports history — with both the Buffs and Nuggets — and he’s now immortalized as a legend of the game.

by Sam Metivier
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Ralphie Report: Kickoff time and TV network announced for Colorado vs. Cincinnati

NCAA Football: Kansas State at Colorado

Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Hope you like staying up late...

Hope you like staying up late, because the Big 12 doesn’t care about your bedtime. For the second consecutive home game, the Buffs have been given the late slot for their game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field on October 26th.

Colorado vs. Cinci will kick off at 8:15 pm local, the same as against K-State. The game will likely end around midnight, which isn’t ideal for those who aren’t night owls. Many Buffs fans thought the team had escaped the dreaded nightcap slot when they left the Pac-12, but that’s evidently not the case. As of now, the only game competing with CU in that slot is Wazzu at San Diego State.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN, making it Colorado’s ninth game on national TV in as many games this season. That sets a program record for the most games on national network TV in one season for the Buffaloes. The previous record was set last season in 2023, with eight of CU on national TV.

America can’t keep their eyes off the Buffs, and they’ll get the chance to watch them again at 8:15 pm MT in two weeks.

by RylandScholes
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Ralphie Report: An in-depth look at the Buffs loss to Kansas State

NCAA Football: Kansas State at Colorado

Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

A look at what went wrong and right for Colorado

This Saturday we saw the Buffaloes suffer a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas State Wildcats. This loss left many CU fans wondering if we should have won, and with a 4-point lead and 3 minutes left, it sure seemed like. So what went right, what went wrong, and how will the Buffs move forward in the Big 12?

What went right?

Passing Game​


Shedeur Sanders had a great day through the air except for one pass that sailed a couple yards over the head of the intended target. Shedeur seemed comfortable in the pocket despite pressure, but often was eventually overwhelmed by a talented Kansas State defensive line.

In the wake of the Buffaloes suffering multiple injuries at receiver, Omarion Miller stepped up in a big way, and his night ended with 145 yards on eight receptions. Miller took over the typical Travis Hunter role in the offense, running a combination of short in/out’s and the occasional screen or deep ball.

Omarion left the game on a wheel and we have to hope for a speedy recovery. But I wouldn’t expect to see him back soon after seeing this emotional tweet from him last night:


laid it all on the line #Godsplan

— Omarion✞ (@omarionmiller19) October 13, 2024

Pat Shurmur deserves some real credit for the game he called on Saturday night. This passing attack was as dynamic as I’ve seen it. Shedeur was able to find nine unique receivers in the game, and executed using just about every route in the route tree.

Sanders also made a number of pro-level throws. From leading receivers away from defenders and into open grass, to throwing gorgeous back shoulder fades on the sideline, he was doing it all. These sort of throws are getting more common for Shedeur and we are seeing the signs of a player with the potential to be playing every Sunday for years to come.

What went wrong?

Travis Hunter’s early injury​


The impact of Travis’s absence in this game cannot be understated. With Travis being the best player on both sides of the ball, losing him meant that two different players would need to step up.

Offensively, Omarion Miller stepped up, but defensively nobody can fill the shoes of Travis Hunter. He plays an irreplaceable role in this secondary. Travis is Colorado’s lock-down corner and usually goes one-on-one with the other teams best receiver outside the numbers. DJ McKinney stepped up in his role, but the secondary at large was not up for the challenge.

The problem in the secondary became noticeable when slot corner Preston Hodge was forced into a role he is rarely needed in. Hodge was playing tight press man coverage on bigger receivers outside the numbers, and it eventually cost the Buffs in a big way as Kansas State scored over the top. Here’s a look at this play from Kansas State, which would be the play that truly won it for them:


KANSAS STATE RESPONDS TO COLORADO WITH THE 50-YARD TD

WHAT A DIME FROM AVERY JOHNSON pic.twitter.com/jwIMUi96kW

— ESPN (@espn) October 13, 2024

This big play from KSU made me wonder why we were in press man coverage in the first place, given the four point lead and length of the field that the Wildcats had in front of them. I hope this will finally be the wake-up call this defense has needed to not become one dimensional in man coverage the entire game. This has consistently been a problem this season, and some of the play calling in the run defense made me scratch my head as well.

The Run Defense​


The Wildcats’ 224 yards on the ground was the only thing that gave them a clear advantage over the Buffaloes. DJ Giddens had 184 of those yards, and might have exposed a clear weak spot for this defensive line. While I do believe Giddens is a spectacular back, to me there is no excuse for the front seven playing as poorly as they did.

Giddens broke into the second level on number of big carries and embarrassed Shilo Sanders in the open field. As Deion acknowledged in the post-game press conference, Shilo’s play on Saturday night leaves much to be desired. From the press box it looked like Shilo was just a step slow at times and wasn’t able to use his intuition in the secondary as a tool like he’s done in the past.

Deion believes Shilo was just rusty and will be able to pull it together. To me, this isn’t about being rusty. For the most part it’s about a lack of tackling fundamentals, which tells me he hasn’t quite grasped the true role of a free safety. As the free safety, your job isn’t to be an enforcer. Shilo’s job is being the last line of defense in both the passing and rushing defenses. We will need to see improvement in both play calling and Shilo’s discipline if this aspect of the defense is going to significantly improve.

Outlook


Despite the heartbreaking loss for Buffaloes fans, hopes for Buffaloes fans should remain high. This team showcased that they are the real deal, and can hang with some of the best competition the Big 12 has to offer. Big-time players like Jimmy Horn Jr. and Travis Hunter will need to be back and healthy going forward, but this team could make a big impact on the Big 12. The Buffaloes next matchup is at Arizona this Saturday at 2 PM (MT). Expect the Buffaloes to bounce back in a big way after such a tough loss.

by Jacob.Thompson
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