Colorado Buffaloes: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Colorado Buffaloes: Key To The 2022 Offense
Just get the chains moving.
The running game didn’t go anywhere, the passing attack couldn’t convert on third downs, and the steady production wasn’t there. On the plus side, the offense didn’t turn the ball over enough to matter, but it’ll have to take a few more chances and risks to open it all up a bit more.
Converting on third down will change everything.
The Buffaloes only connected on 32% of their tries after converting on 43% in 2020. There were some rough times over the years, but the 32% was by far the worst since the 2012 team couldn’t do anything in a 1-11 season.
Just get to 40ish% – Colorado did that just three times after ripping through Northern Colorado – and the offense will be far better.
Colorado Buffaloes: Key To The 2022 Defense
Yeah, the pass rush.
Again – from earlier in this – the pass rush has been addressed this offseason as a main focus in spring ball, and it should be better. At least that’s the hope.
Colorado came up with three sacks in the opener against Northern Colorado, and it came up with three late in the year against Washington. It also came up with two against a hapless Arizona offensive line. It only generated five in the other nine games.
The Buffaloes came up with 36 sacks in 2016, but the production hasn’t been consistent since then. The 2020 team managed 16 sacks in the six games – coming up with three or more in three games – and last year’s D generated just 13 and failed to come up with more than three in any game.
Get to the quarterback more, and everything else should start to work better.
Colorado Buffaloes: Key Player To The 2022 Season
QB JT Shrout, Jr.
Is the former Tennessee transfer’s knee okay? He was able to start working back into the mix this spring, and if he’s right, the downfield passing game should start to kick in.
If it’s not Shrout, Brendon Lewis isn’t a bad option. He’s got experience, he’s a careful-good decision maker, and he can run. However, he’s not going to throw and push the passing game – Colorado had the worst passing offense in the Pac-12 – like a healthy Shrout can.
It will also help if the O can get something big out of …
Colorado Buffaloes: Key Transfer
WR RJ Sneed, Sr.
Sam Houston State RB Ramon Jefferson might be the star of the offense, but Sneed will likely be the most important get.
Colorado didn’t get much of anything out of its wide receivers last year, and yet the best of the bunch took off for other schools. The O needs a dangerous No. 1 target and deep threat to keep defensive coordinators up at night, and that’s Sneed.
No, he didn’t crank up the yards per catch at Baylor – averaging 12 yards per grab – with 133 catches for 1,565 yards and eight scores.
Colorado Key Game To The 2022 Season
TCU, Sept. 2
The Horned Frogs are undergoing an overhaul with a new head coach, a bigger passing offense, and a new energy as they’ll be looking at the season opener as a way to jumpstart the program. But it’s a home game for Colorado, and it’s a big one.
Lose this, and with road games at Air Force and Minnesota to follow, this might be a rocky start to the season before diving into Pac-12 play against UCLA. Beating TCU doesn’t mean Colorado will win the tough games coming up, but lose, and the pressure will be ramped up to a whole other level.
Colorado Buffaloes: 2021 Fun Stats
– Sacks: Opponents 32 for 211 yards – Colorado 15 for 47 yards
– Time of Possession: Opponents 32:48 – Colorado 27:12
– Turnovers: Opponents 13 – Colorado 6
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