The Colorado Buffaloes are faced with a test immediately after their Week 6 bye, as they take on the No. 11 Utah Utes in Week 7. The undefeated Utes come into this game off a 41-24 win over the Kansas Jayhawks.
As for the Buffaloes, they come into this game off a tumultuous bye week that raised more questions than it answered. From a leaked offensive playbook to a quarterback controversy, Colorado hopes to have navigated it all prior to their late-night kickoff against the Utes.
The Colorado Buffaloes’ starting quarterback
The Buffaloes elected to start quarterback Isaac Wilson for the second-straight game, with coach Deion Sanders announcing him as the starter during his Tuesday press conference.
Wilson formerly played for the Utes, playing in 10 games for them while starting seven. All seven of his starts came as a true freshman, as he threw for 1,510 yards and 10 touchdowns to 11 interceptions on 127-of-225 passing that season.
The Utes moved on from him as the starter the following year, giving him a chance to prove them wrong in today’s game. But he’ll have to overcome his turnover habits, as his three interceptions in Week 5 against the then-No. 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders proved fatal.
“I saw a guy that could go out there and accumulate 350 yards in his first start in two years," said offensive coordinator Brennan Marion on Wednesday. "We continue to have confidence in Isaac and continue to move forward with him. But I thought he played a decent game. If you take away the turnovers, he would be one of the hottest QBs in the country.”
The Colorado Buffaloes’ playbook controversy
But the Buffaloes’ offense as a whole will have more than just turnover concerns to overcome. Unfortunately for them, the biggest storyline of the bye week was their offensive playbook finding its way into the hands of Texas Tech fans the night before their Week 5 matchup.
It happened after someone left the playbook in the team hotel’s bar, and a group of Texas Tech fans found it and analyzed it side-by-side with the first drive of each half the next day to test its legitimacy. They attempted to get the playbook into the hands of the Red Raiders by leaking it on fan message boards, but they were ultimately unsuccessful.
Still, the 25-page play sheet became public information, something any of Colorado’s future opponents can use against them. While it's unclear if Colorado did anything to address this issue in the bye week, Coach Prime didn’t see it as a major issue during his Tuesday press conference.
“Why would we [be concerned]? It’s over. The game’s over. Why would we do that? We probably know a lot more than you think we do. But a whole playbook? Come on, man,” Sanders said.
The Utah Utes’ dual-quarterback offense
But regardless of how Colorado’s offense adapts, that of the Utes will come to play as it has all year. Utah is led by two quarterbacks who have been X-factors in its offense this season.
Senior Devon Dampier has taken the majority of the snaps and played incredibly efficient football. He’s thrown for 1,134 yards and 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions this season.
On many running downs, Utah has favored sophomore Byrd Ficklin. He’s tallied 21 carries for 150 yards and a touchdown, good for an average of 7.1 yards per carry. He’s also thrown for 186 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions on 10-of-18 passing.
Those two, in addition to running back Wayshawn Parker in the backfield, will pose a major challenge for the Buffs’ defense. Colorado defensive coordinator Chris Marve proved that his unit was up to the task against Texas Tech; now, they’ll have something to prove all over again.
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