Tag: Karl Dorrell

Colorado’s Week 4 opponent Arizona State dropped from USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

The Pac-12 took a hit in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

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The previously No. 21 Arizona State Sun Devils, who the Colorado Buffaloes face on Saturday, was dropped from the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll following their 27-17 loss to now-No. 16 BYU. The 2-1 Sun Devils tallied just 26 points in the poll. With ASU’s loss to BYU, a potential Buffaloes’ road upset on Saturday will now carry less weight.

The 3-0 Oregon Ducks lead the Pac-12 at No. 4 in the poll while UCLA slid from 13 to 24 after falling to now-No. 25 Fresno State. Colorado will face both of these ranked Pac-12 schools on the road with Oregon on Oct. 30 and UCLA on Nov. 13.

Southern California (the Buffs’ Week 5 opponent) had 41 points and Stanford received six points.

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Colorado Buffaloes held scoreless by Minnesota

RECAP: Colorado dropped to 1-2 following a disappointing loss to Minnesota

Anytime a connection is made to the 2012 Colorado Buffaloes, it’s probably not a good thing. This 2021 team now has that unfortunate bond after being shut out 30-0 by the Minnesota Gophers on Saturday. It marked the Buffaloes first goose egg at Folsom Field since losing 48-0 to Stanford in November of 2012.

Any positives were honestly difficult to find for the now 1-2 Buffaloes, who totaled just 63 yards of offense.

“That was a complete beat down in every phase,” head coach Karl Dorrell said.

In Brendon Lewis’ third game starting at quarterback, his offense was unable to find a first down until the second quarter. After Lewis’ third consecutive lackluster performance, questions came down on Dorrell for potential changes on the offense. The second-year head coach said he will “reevaluate everything” while looking at the tape. In the meantime, getting Lewis more comfortable may be the Buffs’ only option.

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

“He’s having a hard time,” Dorrell said of Lewis. “I got to watch (the film) and talk to him and see what he’s seeing and tell him what he’s seeing and all that stuff, but he’s struggling. We’ve got to be better in coaching him and getting prepared.”

With just 55 passing yards, Lewis was promptly excused for freshman walk-on QB Drew Carter late in the game.

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Following a scoreless first quarter from both sides, Minnesota’s offense, and running back Trey Potts in particular, began to wear down the Buffs. Potts rushed for a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter and then added another late in the third quarter. Minnesota kicker Matthew Trickett’s two missed field goals and one missed extra point were the Buffaloes’ only savior on the afternoon.

Minnesota’s 40 minutes of possession exactly doubled that of Colorado, pushing the Buffaloes’ defense to its limits. DB Chris Miller, DL Janaz Jordan and DT Na’im Rodman were all sidelined with apparent injuries during the contest. Their statuses are currently to be determined.

Missed tackles became another frequent issue. Carson Wells, who had a sack and a TFL, blamed a lack of physicality for allowing Minnesota’s playmakers to stay upright for far too long. Colorado’s linebackers, however, ended up having a solid performance. Three LB’s, including Nate Landman, Quinn Perry and Guy Thomas, all recorded double-digit total tackles.

“Defensively, we hung in there at times,” Dorrell said. “We still missed a lot of tackles and we weren’t getting the ball down.”

Perhaps the most abysmal performance on the day was that of the Buffs’ offensive line. Shades of the Denver Broncos’ 2013 Super Bowl loss came when Iowa transfer Noah Fenske, who made his Buffs debut, hiked it past Lewis on the first snap of the game. The O-line allowed four sacks (all on third or fourth down) while giving RB’s Jarek Broussard and Alex Fontenot enough space for 12 combined rushing yards.

The Buffs now turn their sights to Pac-12 play when they travel to No. 19 Arizona State on Sept. 25.

In-game updates from Colorado vs. Minnesota

In-game updates from Colorado vs. Minnesota

The Colorado Buffaloes and Minnesota Gophers square off at Folsom Field on Saturday for the first time since 1992. Both sporting a 1-1 record, this early season non-conference matchup could have major implications for bowl game opportunities for both schools.

Through the first half, the Buffs’ offensive downfall masked what was an otherwise strong defensive effort. Just seven yards of offense were mustered up by the Buffaloes, including an uncharacteristic 12 combined yards from Alex Fontenot and Jarek Broussard. Colorado didn’t even move the chains for a first down until early

The complete first half stats:

All four of Minnesota’s sacks came on either third or fourth down. It was the first time since CU beat Nebraska in 2019 that the Buffs were shutout at the half.

Injury notes:

Defensive back Chris Miller and offensive lineman Max Wray were both taken off the field with an apparent injury in the first half. Wide receiver Chase Penry also took a big hit from a Minnesota DB and walked off the field with a trainer. Early in the second half, defensive lineman Janaz Jordan was shaken up but exited under his own power. We’ll have more updates when they become available.

Five reasons why the Colorado Buffaloes will beat Minnesota

A few thoughts on where Colorado can excel against the Gophers

Riding high off a statement performance against then-No. 5 Texas A&M, the Colorado Buffaloes welcome the Minnesota Golden Gophers back to Folsom Field for the first time since 1992. With both teams sitting at 1-1, it could be an early season decider for bowl game eligibility. The Buffs’ Pac-12 schedule doesn’t get much easier, which means a winning non-conference record is crucial.

Despite losing running back Mohamd Ibraham in their season opener, Trey Potts filled in nicely for the Gophers in Week 2 as they extended their non-conference win streak to 20 against Miami of Ohio. But the Gophers haven’t played at Folsom yet. Second-year head coach Karl Dorrell oversees a Buffaloes team that has allowed just 17 points in two games. Offensively, we’ve seen sparks of greatness from QB Brendon Lewis, but consistency will be key for his offense on Saturday.

Below are five reasons why I believe the Buffs will be 2-1.

2021 Colorado Buffaloes football schedule

The Colorado Buffaloes must navigate a challenging 12-game schedule to reach another bowl game.

The boys of Boulder are back in action this fall with a hearty 12-game schedule. A year after playing in front of a nearly empty Folsom Field, head coach Karl Dorrell’s Colorado Buffaloes will welcome back fans to experience one of the best atmospheres in college football. In-state rival Northern Colorado will open things up before Texas A&M and Minnesota round out a challenging non-conference slate.

CU’s first road game will be against its first Pac-12 opponent in Arizona Stae on Sept. 25. Following a difficult desert matchup, the Buffs’ journey doesn’t get any easier with USC coming to town on Oct. 2. We’ll see the Buffs battle the Ducks in Eugene and the Beavers come knocking for homecoming on Nov. 6. And for the third consecutive season, Colorado will face Utah to end the regular season.

Week Date Opponent Time (MT)
1 Sept. 3 Northern Colorado 7 p.m.
2 Sept. 11 Texas A&M 1:30 p.m.
3 Sept. 18 Minnesota 11 a.m.
4 Sept. 25 at Arizona State 8:30 p.m.
5 Oct. 2 USC TBD
6 Oct. 9 BYE N/A
7 Oct. 16 Arizona TBD
8 Oct. 23 at California TBD
9 Oct. 30 at Oregon TBD
10 Nov. 6 Oregon State TBD
11 Nov. 12 at UCLA TBD
12 Nov. 20 Washington TBD
12 Nov. 27 at Utah TBD

 

Injury updates heading into Week 3

Injury updates ahead of Saturday’s game against Minnesota

Fortunately for the Buffaloes, there’s not much to report in terms of injuries (knock on wood) going into Minnesota week.

Tailback Jarek Broussard left the Texas A&M game after suffering a fairly big hit to his lower body in the third quarter. On Tuesday, Karl Dorrell said Broussard was “fine” and a participant in practice. Defensive end Terrance Lang, who limped off the field in the second half of the Texas A&M game with an apparent lower leg injury, is also back practicing.

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Saftey Chris Miller missed the entirety of Saturday’s game but just like Lang and Broussard, returned to practice. Dorrell said his two defensive assets are dealing with soft tissue injuries and he expects them to be available against Minnesota.

“(Lang) is a little knicked up, but we expect he’s going to be ready to go,” Dorrell said. “Chris, he had a little bit of a soft tissue injury. In his position, he needs to be able to run fast so it’s hard for him to play in a game like that when he’s not full speed, but he made a lot of progress this week. He practiced today so we expect him to be back and ready this week.”

Scouting the Minnesota Golden Gophers

Colorado’s week 3 opponent hasn’t lost a non-conference game since 2015.

Just like Colorado, a 1-1 record sits beside the Minnesota Golden Gophers heading into week three. Both schools suffered their lone loss to a top-5 team; CU is coming off a narrow loss to then-No. 5 A&M and Minnesota fell to then-No. 4 Ohio State 45-31 in its opener.

“They’re a really good team, they played Ohio State really well,” said Karl Dorrell on Minnesota. “They probably felt that they didn’t play as well last week (a 31-26 win over Miami (OH)), I’m sure they’ll be working on getting some things fixed just like from our standpoint as well coming off the Texas A&M game.”

Leading the Gophers offense will be senior quarterback Tanner Morgan. Through two games, Morgan has completed 52% of his passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns. But according to Dorrell, it’s the Gophers ground game that the Buffs should be worried about. After senior running back Mohamad Ibrahim suffered a season-ending injury in week one, sophomore Trey Potts stepped up for Minnesota against the RedHawks. Potts ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate start.

Dec 12, 2020; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers coach P.J. Fleck (right) and linebacker James Gordon IV (13) celebrate after victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

“They’re definitely a run-first offense,” Dorrell said. “They really churn out yards and they’re pretty efficient at doing that… They use a lot of tackles to play the tight end positions. They try to use a big offensive front and they try to make defenses defend them. That’s going to be a tremendous challenge again for our defense this week.”

In fact, the Gophers O-line has the most combined starts (193) than any other FBS program.

As for Minnesota’s defense, Dorrell expects a similar “structure” to what the Buffs saw against Texas A&M. Explosive plays will be hard to come by on Saturday and no yard will come easy. Linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin has racked up 16 total tackles in two games while Tyler Nubin and Terell Smith help control the secondary. Minnesota has, however, allowed a total of 71 points compared to CU’s 17 surrendered.

Fifth-year head coach P.J. Fleck leads Minnesota, which has won its last 20 non-conference games. None of those were against CU as the Buffaloes last played and beat the Gophers in 1992.

Former Jets assistant Karl Dorrell named University of Colorado head coach

Karl Dorrell, who coached the Jets wide receivers from 2015-18 was officially announced as the next head coach of Colorado on Sunday.

The University of Colorado officially hire former Jets assistant coach Karl Dorrell as its next head coach on Sunday.

Dorrell will get a five-year, $18 million deal, which is pending approval from Colorado’s Board of Regents, according to a statement released by the school. He will succeed Mel Tucker, who left Colorado  to replace Mark Dantonio at Michigan State. Dantonio resigned a day before National Signing Day.

Dorrell has ties to the Jets, as he coached the team’s wide receivers from 2015-18 as a member of Todd Bowles’ staff. In 2015, Dorrell oversaw a wide receiver room that included the elite duo of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Marshall and Decker both had 1,000-yard seasons, combining for 26 touchdowns and 189 catches.

Dorrell is a former University of Colorado assistant, too. He was the program’s wide receivers coach in 1992 and 1993 and returned to be the offensive coordinator from 1995-98. Now, Dorrell is making his third and presumably final stop in Boulder.

He returns to the Pac-12 after being the head coach at UCLA from 2003-07. There, Dorrell compiled a 35-27 record in five seasons. His teams went to four bowl games.

As a coach, Dorrell has also made college stops at UCF, Northern Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and Vanderbilt. In his most recent college coaching gig as Vanderbilt’s offensive coordinator, Dorrell was fired after just one season, which lead him back to the NFL.

Most recently, Dorrell was the Dolphins assistant head coach and wide receivers coach. He was hired by Brian Flores after the Jets elected to part ways with Bowles and his entire staff.

Dolphins on the verge of losing another key assistant coach

Miami Dolphins assistant head coach Karl Dorrell is reportedly on the verge of being named the new head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes

Just when you thought the Dolphins’ coaching shifts were complete, the football gods have thrown another curve ball at Miami. Late last week, the Dolphins formally announced the changes to their coaching staff — seemingly settling the deck once and for all after a surprisingly busy January for the team on the hiring (and firing) front.

They’ll need to pivot at least once more.

According to multiple sources, including NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Miami Dolphins assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell is on the cusp of signing on to become the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes.

Colorado saw their own head coach, Mel Tucker, pull the plug on his tenure with the Buffaloes after just one season in favor of coaching at Michigan State. It’s the latest coaching domino that’s gone on to impact the Dolphins significantly — the other big development being New York’s firing of Pat Shurmur, which then in turn led to Patriots assistant Joe Judge taking the job and pulling several assistants away from Miami’s staff.

The most painful part of Dorrell’s potential departure is that he was set to step into the shoes vacated by veteran coach Jim Caldwell as the team’s assistant head coach. Caldwell, of course, took a leave of absence in 2019 and Flores coaches the season without an assistant head man.

He’s now facing the prospect of doing so once again — unless he’s able to target and assign a new one this late in the process. Regardless, the Dolphins will need to hire a new wide receivers coach. The Dolphins have talent at the position but will need to make sure whoever gets the call is capable of maintaining the positive momentum the group built throughout 2019 under Dorrell’s watch.

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Colorado Reportedly To Hire Karl Dorrell As Head Coach. Can The Buffs Start Winning Again?

Colorado appears to have found its man. It’s being reported that Karl Dorrell will be the next head coach. What does it mean?

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Colorado appears to have found its man. It’s being reported that Karl Dorrell will be the next head coach. What does it mean?

Karl Dorrell? Uhhhhhhh, okay.

The base desperately wanted Colorado to somehow lure away former star running back and current Kansas City Chief offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to be the head man, but it didn’t work out. Instead …

Colorado appears to have wanted a head coach with NFL experience at some level, but unlike previous hire Mel Tucker – who bolted after one year at the gig for Michigan State – we’ve seen what Karl Dorrell could do as a head coach.

It was whatever, but now it’s clean slate time for Colorado football as well as its new head coach.

The former UCLA head man is being hired away from his job as the Miami Dolphins’ receivers coach to take over a Colorado program that has a whole lot of potential, but needs a jump-start.

Dorrell seemed like the right hire at the right time for UCLA in 2003. The former Bruin wideout was a rising coaching prospect with time logged in after various Pac-12/Pac-10 schools – including Colorado for two different stints as the receivers coach – and it’s not like he was awful.

He led UCLA to five bowl appearances in five years, finished with a 35-27 record, and he even looked like he was about to make something special happen after building things up to a big 10-2 third year. Along the way, his 2006 team shocked a loaded USC squad 13-9.

But the program wanted more, Dorrell was fired in 2007, and he bounced around the NFL as a key assistant and spent a year as the Vanderbilt offensive coordinator.

And now he gets another shot.

It really is possible to win in Boulder.

After three straight 5-7 seasons, Colorado football has been the master of teasing everyone to think something big could get started, and then … pffffffft. The air keeps coming out of the balloon.

Even when it went to the Pac-12 Championship in 2016, that was a bit of an aberration – the schedule wasn’t anything great and the South tripped over itself. But a ten-win season is a ten-win season, especially when it’s the only winning campaign since 2005.

Good luck, Coach Dorrell.

It’s been over 15 years since Colorado was a superpower – in the Big 12. But in the Pac-12, it’s had one winning season in nine years, and a whole generation of fans have no idea what happened back in 1989 and 1990 – by the way, there was a tie in 1990 along with a split national championship; that’s how long ago it’s been since the program was a killer.

Fortunately for Dorrell and the Buffs, the South is gettable right now.

It’s just not happening so far at UCLA under Chip Kelly and Arizona under Kevin Sumlin, USC is in limbo, Utah is fine to a point, and Arizona State is fine, but whatever.

Dorrell has to ramp up the offense. He has to come up with a style of football that can at least start winning again, and then hope things fall into place and the South continues to struggle.

Was this the home run hire that’s going to freak out the rest of the Pac-12? Nah, but win eight games in Boulder on a regular basis, and build the thing up over the next three years, and Dorrell can make the program his.

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