Colorado Buffaloes: Tough Matchup Against Stanford
After a close loss to the UCLA Bruins last week, the Colorado Buffaloes look to upset the Stanford Cardinals in Boulder.
The Colorado Buffaloes entered last week with a 4-4 record, and they traveled to California to take on the UCLA Bruins. Despite being the better team for the majority of the contest, the Buffs managed to lose to the Bruins, mainly due to the Bruins’ big-play abilities. The Buffaloes gave up seven plays of 24 yards or more, and one play being an 82-yard touchdown run by Paul Perkins. If CU wants to stand any chance against the Cardinals, they must limit the big-play abilities of Stanford.
Stanford enters the matchup ranked as the number nine team in the nation, boasting a 7-1 record, and their only loss came on the road, in the opening week, to an impressive Northwestern football team. Christian McCaffrey leads the Cardinals’ backfield heading into their matchup against the Colorado Buffaloes. On the season, McCaffrey registered 1060 rushing yards off of 175 attempts; moreover, he accumulated six touchdowns thus far. Also, the Cardinals’ quarterback Kevin Hogan demonstrates the ability to throw with accuracy and efficiency, throwing for over 1600 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Stanford loves to control the line of scrimmage, and they rely heavily on ball control to dictate their pace of play. The Colorado Buffaloes must battle in the trenches and not give way to the powerful offensive line of the Stanford Cardinals. Also, CU’s defense needs to avoid giving up big plays. If Colorado can limit Stanford’s yards per play, the Cardinals could be on upset alert in Boulder. The Buffs plan on being a bowl-eligible team this season, but they must finish the season strong.
The Colorado Buffaloes are led by quarterback Sefo Liufau, running back Phillip Lindsay, and wide receiver Nelson Spruce. CU lacks the ability to put points on the board in a hurry, and against a tough Stanford defense, they stand no chance to out-score the Cardinals’ potent offense. Christian McCaffrey is a front-runner for the Heisman trophy, and Kevin Hogan is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation. Thus, the Cardinals possess the fire-power to take CU out of the game early.
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However, if the Colorado Buffaloes can keep the score low with some impressive defense, they stand a chance for the upset. While the Buff’s chances for an upset are quite low, the fact that their matchup is at home bodes well for a good contest. Sitting at 4-5 on the season, CU needs to perform well down the stretch-run of the season if they intend to fulfill their wishes of becoming a bowl-eligible team. Whether or not the Buffs win, as long as they put in a solid showing, it may help them build confidence for their remaining games on the season.
Look for the matchup against the Cardinals to be won in the trenches. Perhaps, Christian McCaffrey stumbles in his return home; although, that seems unlikely from the Heisman candidate. The matchup against the Cardinals presents the toughest test on the Colorado Buffaloes season to-date, so CU needs to put together the best game of their season to even stand a chance. Maybe this week, the Buffs play spoiler to a potential National Championship run by the Cardinals. Stranger things have happened. Kickoff is at 11 a.m. (MST).