Hey everyone, sorry I've been MIA for a bit. The drive from Boulder to Ann Arbor was quite miserable. Due to a terrible storm that hit most of Nebraska and Iowa, I had to stop for the night in Gretna, NE (wonderful town, by the way.) But long story short, I've made it to Michigan Stadium and will have a full game report with quotes from players, coach MacIntyre, (maybe) Harbaugh...I'm trying to track down Tom Brady too so we'll see how that goes.
Anyways, I wanted to elaborate on my most recent post...some things that The Michigan Daily's Max Bultman said that struck me as potentially important for this game.
First off, I asked Max about any weak spots on the Wolverines. He said that the d-line was banged up. He also mentioned that Central Florida has some success against the Wolverines' run game. That's an understatement. UCF gained 312 rushing yards and averaged six yards per carry against the Wolverines. Now, I didn't see when Michigan pulled its starters (the final score was 51-14...so I assume gradually, starters were pulled at some point after the third quarter began) but looking through the box score, UCF managed to gain some pretty sizeable chunks of yardage on the ground early-ish in the game. Most impressive of which was an 87-yard touchdown run by Central Florida's Adrian Killins in the second quarter.
Phillip Lindsay is going to be a key factor in this game. If UCS can put up 300 yards, then what are the Buffs capable of? 400 yards, I hope.
Secondly is the turnover factor. I agree with Max's point that if the Buffs can get takeaways then the game will be kept close. If there's any defense to do it, it's the Buffs' D. Their 15-game streak with a turnover forced leads the nation. At the same time, if Sefo throws a pick or someone fumbles, it's over. There is zero room for error on the road against the No. 4 team in the country. Sefo overthrew Shay Fields a few times last week against Idaho State on some deep routes. Granted, the "overthrows" were literally by inches...they were sooo close, but still, that can't happen today. The Buffs are going to need all the help they can get in order to win this game. Last year, the Buffs shot themselves in the foot and lost to Oregon. They did the same thing against Arizona and lost by a touchdown. They did the same thing vs. USC and UCLA and lost. If they do that today, they won't just lose, they'll get humiliated. And that humiliation-- if brought on by mistakes that otherwise would have potentially won CU the game-- will deflate this team's confidence and diminish the winning mentality that this program so desperately needs to maintain.
Finally, some miscellaneous notes:
1. UCF managed two sacks against Michigan. In its first two games, Colorado hasn't looked too impressive in terms of pressuring the enemy quarterback. More could be achieved.
2. I feel like I'm beating a dead horse by bringing this up again...but Colorado's receivers have to win their routes today. Max told me that Michigan's secondary is made up of all seniors. An senior-laden, Big 10-experienced secondary is intimidating. But trust in Jay MacIntyre, Bryce Bobo, Devin Ross and Shay Fields Jr. Look for the first three to get open across the middle on short to medium routes. As for Fields, Jr.-- multiple long balls from Sefo are coming his way. It's inevitable.
2.5 To build off that, in weeks one and two, Colorado's receivers (particularly JayMac) have been great at outside blocking. If Phillip Lindsay gets takes some carries to the outside and tries to cut up the flats, the receivers need to hold their blocks.
3. Red zone efficiency and third/fourth down conversion for the Buffs have been great so far. This is not a time to discontinue that trend. Settling for field goals could be crippling.
My god...I'm very jittery in the press box right now. This is the biggest game that coach MacIntyre and his Buffs will have participated in to date. This is the biggest stage in college football. A win here could propel this team to uncharted territory. As I type this, There is an hour and nine seconds till kickoff. Can't come soon enough. Go Buffs!!!
Anyways, I wanted to elaborate on my most recent post...some things that The Michigan Daily's Max Bultman said that struck me as potentially important for this game.
First off, I asked Max about any weak spots on the Wolverines. He said that the d-line was banged up. He also mentioned that Central Florida has some success against the Wolverines' run game. That's an understatement. UCF gained 312 rushing yards and averaged six yards per carry against the Wolverines. Now, I didn't see when Michigan pulled its starters (the final score was 51-14...so I assume gradually, starters were pulled at some point after the third quarter began) but looking through the box score, UCF managed to gain some pretty sizeable chunks of yardage on the ground early-ish in the game. Most impressive of which was an 87-yard touchdown run by Central Florida's Adrian Killins in the second quarter.
Phillip Lindsay is going to be a key factor in this game. If UCS can put up 300 yards, then what are the Buffs capable of? 400 yards, I hope.
Secondly is the turnover factor. I agree with Max's point that if the Buffs can get takeaways then the game will be kept close. If there's any defense to do it, it's the Buffs' D. Their 15-game streak with a turnover forced leads the nation. At the same time, if Sefo throws a pick or someone fumbles, it's over. There is zero room for error on the road against the No. 4 team in the country. Sefo overthrew Shay Fields a few times last week against Idaho State on some deep routes. Granted, the "overthrows" were literally by inches...they were sooo close, but still, that can't happen today. The Buffs are going to need all the help they can get in order to win this game. Last year, the Buffs shot themselves in the foot and lost to Oregon. They did the same thing against Arizona and lost by a touchdown. They did the same thing vs. USC and UCLA and lost. If they do that today, they won't just lose, they'll get humiliated. And that humiliation-- if brought on by mistakes that otherwise would have potentially won CU the game-- will deflate this team's confidence and diminish the winning mentality that this program so desperately needs to maintain.
Finally, some miscellaneous notes:
1. UCF managed two sacks against Michigan. In its first two games, Colorado hasn't looked too impressive in terms of pressuring the enemy quarterback. More could be achieved.
2. I feel like I'm beating a dead horse by bringing this up again...but Colorado's receivers have to win their routes today. Max told me that Michigan's secondary is made up of all seniors. An senior-laden, Big 10-experienced secondary is intimidating. But trust in Jay MacIntyre, Bryce Bobo, Devin Ross and Shay Fields Jr. Look for the first three to get open across the middle on short to medium routes. As for Fields, Jr.-- multiple long balls from Sefo are coming his way. It's inevitable.
2.5 To build off that, in weeks one and two, Colorado's receivers (particularly JayMac) have been great at outside blocking. If Phillip Lindsay gets takes some carries to the outside and tries to cut up the flats, the receivers need to hold their blocks.
3. Red zone efficiency and third/fourth down conversion for the Buffs have been great so far. This is not a time to discontinue that trend. Settling for field goals could be crippling.
My god...I'm very jittery in the press box right now. This is the biggest game that coach MacIntyre and his Buffs will have participated in to date. This is the biggest stage in college football. A win here could propel this team to uncharted territory. As I type this, There is an hour and nine seconds till kickoff. Can't come soon enough. Go Buffs!!!
