Well, looking at the big picture, it is a lot of fun to watch and have an actual belief CU can win in a game with a top 20 opponent. Back in the dark days of Duhrell and every MikMac team except 2016, when CU lined up against a top 20 team you knew the Buffs were in line for a butt whoopin'. Prime has changed that.
I think it was Coach Mac who said you are what you emphasize. KjSU is all about running the ball. Their OL puts a hat on you and attacks. 31 is a nightmare. Great vision, hard to tackle and decent speed. Teams that run the ball are always tougher, mentally and physically and that was played out again last night. KjSU was simply the tougher team.
What is maddening is that the biggest flaws in CU's game are mental.
Shilo simply will not wrap up, preferring to go for the big hit. He whiffs...a lot. Other times he is king of the LHOOB. He is more experienced and probably more physically gifted, but Stoutmire is a better football player and safety. The fact Prime says Shilo played terrible, but he gets every snap is the epitome of Daddy ball. That makes him uncoachable and does him a real disservice knowing he will play, even when he plays bad football.
SS2 is probably the most accurate passer I have ever seen. He is a phenomenal talent. But he mixes in a combo of very low FB IQ decisions and over reliance in his arm to simply kill drives. Instead of stepping up into the pocket, he keeps retreating. Then he tries to go around the edge rushers, and often ends up running into their arms for 15 yard sacks. That kills drives and shows a very poor pocket presence/awareness. Add holding onto the ball forever because he is going to make the next highlight reel play and the problem is worse. Again, he knows he will never get the hook, no matter what he does, and he is probably uncoachable as well. None of these flaws are without remedy, and if somebody would coach him to throw it away, and step up in the pocket, instead running backwards to Longmont, it would be more effective overall. But if you throw it away, your stats get hurt. I am beginning to think he would rather be sacked than hurt his completion rate.
No matter the talent, being one dimensional makes you beatable. CU is about as one-dimensional as can be. We will probably never know if that is word from on high that we will throw, throw and throw some more because the HC and QB have the same last name, Shurmer is a bad OC, or SS2 is changing to throw, throw, throw because he knows nobody will say boo about it. This team should 60/40 pass/run. Every DC not coaching in Orlando has faced a team that resolutely will not run the ball, or use sets that optimize a very average OL. I feel bad for the OL who have to face an all out pass rush from DL who fear the run not at all. Why the UCF blueprint was thrown away is a mystery.
The OL suffers from the above. Only Houston was regularly losing straight up. They could be a serviceable unit if they were set up for success with a coherent offensive game plan including runs, a QB who got rid of the ball, and stepped up in the pocket.
The D simply got beat mano a mano last night. They ought to take that as a challenge to never get punked like that again.
This team has no business failing to get to 7 to 8 wins with the talent they have. Anything less is a massive coaching failure.
O Miller sitting was unbelievable. That cat can play.