As the Colorado Buffaloes seek the biggest win of the Coach Prime Era in Week 7 against the No. 11 Utah Utes, they’re certainly battling the odds. The Buffaloes are heavy underdogs against the Utes, but with a talented roster, they stand a fighting chance.
Only a couple of individuals have held the team back thus far, as there has been plenty of star power to go around for Colorado. So if the Buffs hope to upset the Utes, these three players will be crucial to that success.
Quarterback Isaac Wilson
Wilson was named the starting quarterback against his former team by coach Deion Sanders on Tuesday, his second-straight start following the benching of redshirt freshman Julian Lewis.
Unfortunately for Colorado, Wilson has been off to a rocky start in his three total performances thus far. He’s thrown for 443 yards and two touchdowns to three interceptions while completing 56.3 percent of his passes. All three of his interceptions came in Colorado’s Week 5 loss to the then-No. 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders and they ultimately cost the Buffs the game.
Wilson will need to play mistake-free football against a stout Utes defense if Colorado stands a chance. While that’s no small ask, it’s ultimately necessary for the Buffaloes to pull off the upset.
Defensive lineman Santana Hopper
Hopper will need to be at the top of his game once again as well. He had a much stronger performance than Wilson against the Red Raiders, as he racked up 10 total tackles, six solo tackles and a whopping 5.5 tackles for loss.
But Hopper has been challenged by Sanders to have more performances like that on a regular basis.
“Santana Hopper balled out against Texas Tech, challenged him to do it again and again and again. He had a little something against that Texas Tech, but we want him to have that same mindset,” said Sanders during his Tuesday presser. “I want to challenge him. I want him to play like he played last week because that was a pro's performance.”
With edge rusher Lamont Lester Jr. once again questionable for this game, Hopper may be asked to make up for his absence again as well. With the Utes’ dual-quarterback offense and strong running game, his hybrid defensive lineman style can be the perfect counter if he answers the call.
Running back Micah Welch
Colorado’s running game has slowly been becoming a nonfactor after starting the season off strong. Despite three-straight 180+-yard rushing performances from the Buffaloes to start the year, Colorado has failed to eclipse 100 rushing yards in both of their last two games.
Welch has been at the helm of the room throughout the season, and if offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and company want to revitalize it, he’ll have to be at the forefront of that.
Utah will likely stack the box the same way that the Baylor Bears and Texas Tech did, but neither Welch nor his team can be shaken by that. The Buffaloes will need to trust their run scheme and ride the hot hand. As Colorado’s leading rusher thus far, he should be up to that challenge.
If he can put on a strong performance on the ground, he’ll open up other aspects of the offense as a result, giving Colorado a real fighting chance in this year’s edition of the Rumble in the Rockies.
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