Colorado Buffaloes

Know Your Opponent: UCLA Football vs Colorado Buffaloes

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:37 p.m. ET

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The UCLA Football team heads to Boulder, CO for a Thursday night clash with the first place Colorado Buffaloes. In what could be described as a “must win” for UCLA, the Bruins look to salvage their season.

This 2016 season beamed bright with potential for the UCLA Football team as they returned their star quarterback and plenty of young but unproven playmakers on offense and had the chance to get leaders on defense healthy again.

If we had a crystal ball we would have tempered our expectations greatly.

After a season opening loss to the the Texas A&M Aggies, the Bruins have found themselves on the wrong side of four more contests and still have four more games left in the season. This, without a doubt, has been head coach Jim Mora‘s most disappointing season in Westwood.

The Bruins have been without star QB Josh Rosen for the past two weeks as he deals with a nerve injury in his throwing shoulder. In his absence backup Mike Fafaul has battled valiantly but has failed to win against both Washington State and Utah which drops the Bruins to 1-4 in the Pac-12.

Colorado on the other hand is enjoying their best success on the gridiron since the ’90’s behind their starting QB Sefo Liufau who despite missing essentially three games with an ankle injury has thrown for seven scores with no interceptions. He’s led this team to perhaps its signature victory this year when they knocked off Stanford in Palo Alto.

The Bruins had a chance to rest during their mini bye week but likely will be without Rosen again. A win this week gives them the slightest of chances of still being able to win the Pac-12 South but they’ll need a mountain of help. Just securing a bowl game should be the goal for this point in the season and that road starts in Boulder.

October 22, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Shay Fields (1) catches a touchdown against Stanford Cardinal cornerback Alijah Holder (13) during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Offense

The Buffalo offense is predicated on the run game. Behind starting RB Phillip Lindsay and his 6.2 yards per carry average, Colorado has proven to be a tough team to slow down as they suck you in to stop the run and then hit you with the play action pass. Even from four receiver sets the Buffaloes will pull offensive linemen for some added power. It isn’t just Lindsay running the rock either.

Liufau has the potential to take off with the ball and despite his ankle injury is still a threat to tuck it and go. Colorado uses his athletic ability to deadly effect in some of read option concepts that the Buffs run. He’s not a burner and won’t run away from many linebackers in the open field but his mobility means he has to be accounted for and takes a man out of pass coverage.

Where Liufau really can hurt you though is through the air. That’s an area he has steadily improved in during his college tenure and we can see the results of it this season. He’s found a go to in Shay Fields who has 35 catches this season but blew up against Oregon State for 7-169-3tds when Liufau was replaced by backup QB Steven Montez.

This offensive line although not the best in the country might as well be an NFL line compared to the poor play UCLA has displayed. They get to the second level quickly on run plays and give better than adequate protection in the pass game. They’re aided by effective run game and read option calls that force defenses to analyze what they see instead of just hitting the gas pedal.

October 22, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Isaiah Oliver (26) celebrates with defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon (23, left) after Oliver intercepted the football against the Stanford Cardinal during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Defense

The Buffaloes are playing winning football because their offense can score but more importantly this defense is shutting teams down. They’re ranked 11th in total defense and are averaging under 19 points a game allowed. That’s a recipe for success.

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Think you can throw on this team? Better guess again. The Buffaloes are holding teams to under 200 yards through the air per game. In fact that number is actually a paltry 178 yards a game. What is even more astonishing is that they’ve been able to maintain that in the pass happy Pac-12.

That’s because Chidobe Awuzie leads a talented secondary that is athletic and experienced. A big hitter and even bigger playmaker Awuzie is a guy any defensive coordinator would love to have and any offensive coordinator would hate to play.

The run defense, while still nothing to shake a stick at, is where some success can be had.

The front seven is led by senior pass rusher Jimmie Gilbert who can lineup as a defensive end or outside linebacker depending on the call.

Gilbert has steadily improved his sack totals during his time in Boulder and has racked up seven so far this season. More impressively he has forced five fumbles and turnovers are a major key to any victory.

Oct 15, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Mike MacIntyre celebrates the win over the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes defeated the Sun Devils 40-16. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Final Analysis

This game is pivotal for Colorado in it’s conquest to win the Pac-12 South and for UCLA’s bowl hopes. The Bruins come into this game beat up at the most important position on the field and have lost all momentum.

Colorado on the other hand is riding the wave of two straight victories and controls their own destiny in the chase for a Pac-12 Championship Game. The Bruins might have a chance offensively if they could target the weakest point of the Buffalo defense but UCLA can’t seem to find a way to run the ball. At all.

For UCLA defensively they had shown us some impressive glimpses before taking a step back against Washington State and then being embarrassed against Utah.

This is the case of one team being primed for a big time victory while the other looking to just survive. What is a stronger motivator, survival or confidence?

Prediction

Given what we have seen from both the Bruins and the Buffaloes and knowing the Bruins will likely be without Rosen again, I have to say the Bruins continue their slide and are knocked off in Boulder

Colorado 27 – UCLA 14

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