RSSBot
News Junkie
Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
These five Buffs need to step up against the Cougars
The stage has been set for a seismic showdown in San Antonio. The Colorado Buffaloes are slated to take on the BYU Cougars in the Valero Alamo Bowl on December 28th, seeking their tenth win of the season and first bowl in two decades.
This matchup between the Buffs and Cougs looks poised to be one of the best non-playoff bowl games of the season, as both sides have no opt-outs and will be playing at full strength. Colorado’s high-flying offense and plethora of wide receiver talent, paired with superstar quarterback Shedeur Sanders, are sure to bring the fireworks, while BYU is one of the nation’s most consistent teams up and down the roster, playing fundemantally sound and hardnosed football.
Beating the Cougars will be no easy task, but what will it take it win? We’re here to tell you! These Buffs need to step up and win their matchups so Colorado can stroll back to Boulder with a new trophy to add to the collection.
Jordan Seaton vs. BYU’s Tyler Batty
This BYU team has been pretty pedestrian when it comes to getting to the quarterback, ranking last in the Big 12 with only 16 sacks this season, but don’t let that fool you. The Cougars have guys who can get their way into the backfield and make Shedeur Sanders’ life hell, specifically Tyler Batty.
Batty, who was given Big 12 first-team all-conference honors at this season, is a freak athlete at defensive end for BYU. While Batty only has 1.5 sacks in 2024, he has 55 total tackles, 7 TFLs, and two picks. BYU coach Kalani Sitake and defensive coordinator Jay Hill don’t mind dropping Batty into coverage either, making him a force to be reckoned with across the middle of the field.
Sitake likes to have Batty camped out on the right side of the defense, which means that he’ll be dealing with Colorado true freshman Jordan Seaton in a matchup that’s poised to be one of the most underrated of the night.
Seaton came to Boulder as the nation’s highest-ranked offensive lineman out of high school and hasn’t disappointed in his first season with the Buffs. In Colorado’s 12 games this season, Seaton has been flat-out dominant. With his 6-foot-5, 285-pound frame, he’s nearly immovable and has a knack for pancaking opposing defensive linemen.
For his heroics this year, Seaton was named an honorable mention for Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and the all-conference squad. Seaton is also widely coveted as one of the best young offensive linemen in the country and is a projected first-round pick in 2027 when he is draft-eligible.
While Colorado and Seaton have faced some good defensive linemen, like Cincinnati’s Dontay Corleone and K-State’s Brendan Mott, Batty might be the biggest test yet.
Jimmy Horn Jr. vs. BYU’s entire secondary
The Buffaloes are entering the Alamo Bowl with one objective: feed Jimmy Horn Jr.
Horn has been a pivotal part of the program since he arrived from South Florida in 2023 and has developed a deep bond with Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. After breaking out for 197 receiving yards and a touchdown against NDSU in Colorado’s first game of the season, Horn has gone quiet with only 237 yards and no touchdowns since.
It’s hard to spread the ball equally when you have a receiving corps as stacked as Colorado’s, but Coach Prime has been adamant that it’s now Horn’s time to shine. Sanders wants to give Horn the opportunity to put up more tape before the upcoming NFL Draft and he’s going to give him the chance to do that in the Alamo Bowl during his last game as a Buffalo.
Prime hasn’t been very secretive about his plan to feed Horn either. He’s alluded to it in multiple press conferences over the last month, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that BYU is well aware of CU’s intentions.
Luckily for BYU, they have one of the most underrated secondaries in the country. Defensive coordinator Jay Hill has given his defensive backs a long leash, letting guys like Jakob Robinson and Marque Collins play free and clamp up receivers.
Robinson and Collins have a combined 62 tackles and five picks on the season, as well as excelling in both man and zone coverage. Colorado offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will be moving Horn around on the line of scrimmage for the duration game, so he’ll likely face both DBs a healthy amount.
Can Horn beat Robinson and Collins and put up some good tape to boost his draft stock? That’s the question of the night.
Shedeur Sanders vs. the interception
Speaking of BYU’s secondary, they are REALLY good at confusing quarterbacks and making them throw picks. The Cougars have 20 INTs on the season, which ranks first in the Big 12 and third nationally behind only San Jose State and Texas.
The reason that BYU can force all these picks is that DC Jay Hill is extremely good at disguising zone coverage, specifically with their safeties. Guys like Tanner Wall and the aforementioned Jakob Robinson are always lurking and will jump your route to make you pay if you aren’t careful.
That’s something that Shedeur Sanders is going to have to navigate. If Colorado turns the ball over more than twice, this game is going to be hard to win. Thankfully, ball security and avoiding INTs is one of Shedeur’s biggest strengths as a QB.
So far this season, Sanders has only thrown eight picks, as opposed to his 35 touchdowns, making his INT-to-TD ratio nearly 5:1. When you throw the ball as much as Colorado does, you’re bound to make some mistakes and turn the ball over, which Shedeur certainly has. It’s all about limiting those mistakes for the Buffs. With Shedeur’s pinpoint accuracy and ability to read and recognize coverage, Colorado a huge advantage in this situation.
The Buffs haven’t played a team this good at disguising coverages this season, making it an interesting matchup for Sanders. If he can torch this BYU secondary, Shedeur can cement himself as the best college QB in the nation and likely the first overall pick.
DJ McKinney vs. BYU’s Darius Lassiter
Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter has gotten most of the attention and recogintion for Colorado’s resurgence in the secondary this season, but he’s not the only Buffaloes cornerback to ball out this season. Sophomore DJ McKinney came to Boulder from Oklahoma State this season and has emerged as one of the most underrated young DBs in the nation.
When you have a player like Travis Hunter playing corner on the other side of the field from you, you’re going to see an increase in targets. McKinney has handed that increased workload impeccably, tallying 59 total tackles, eight pass deflections, two interceptions, a pick-six, and a forced fumble.
In the Alamo Bowl, McKinney will face his toughest test of the season when he lines up opposite BYU receiver Darius Lassiter. Lassiter is technically listed as the Cougars’ WR2 on the depth chart, but he in reality acts as a sort of co-WR1 alongside Chase Roberts.
Lassiter has 679 yards on the season on 43 catches, along with four touchdowns. The stats don’t necessarily jump off the page, but his big play potential does. Lassiter is BYU’s burner and can break free for long completion if given just a bit of space.
McKinney hasn’t faced a receiver as fast and explosive as Lassiter yet this season. If he can shut down Lassiter, BYU’s passing game should completely fall apart, which would lead Colorado down an easy route to victory.
The Colorado Buffaloes vs. the Curse of the Alamo Bowl
To put it lightly, Colorado and San Antonio have a bit of a rocky history. The Buffs are 0-3 in the Alamo Bowl. The names Mason Rudolph and Bijan Robinson are enough to send shivers down a Buffaloes fan’s spine. Now, CU and Coach Prime are looking to finally break the program’s Alamodome curse.
In 2016, Rudolph and the Oklahoma State Cowboys spoiled CU’s Cinderella season, crushing the Buffaloes by a final score of 8-38. The Mike McIntyre-led Buffaloes never got off the ground, while Rudolph passed for 314 yards and three touchdowns before being pulled from the blowout.
2020 wasn’t much better, as Robinson rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown en route to a decisive 55-23 Longhorns victory over the Buffs. CU’s third Alamo Bowl loss came in 2002 when the Buffs fell in overtime 28-31 to Wisconsin.
This year, things feel different. Colorado is a 3.5-point favorite over the Cougars with around 24 hours to go until kickoff. With the Heisman winner, two probable top-five picks in the NFL Draft, and a coach and team that are taking this bowl game very seriously, the Buffs look poised to break that streak.
Things kick off tomorrow, December 28th, at 5:30 pm MT. Fans looking to watch the Buffs try to secure their first bowl win since 2004 can tune in on ABC.
We’re on-site at the Alamodome for the game, so make sure you’re keeping up with Ralphie Report in the run-up to the big game!
by RylandScholes
Continue reading...