We have officially waited two whole days to let the season settle before we started breaking it down. Today, we are kicking off our best and worst moments of 2008. Yes, as you can tell from the 10th best moment of 2008, the negatives of 2008 were much easier to come up with than the positives. But there were some positives to 2008, you just have to look much harder.

Next year, if I am acknowledging a victory over CSU as the 10th best moment of 2008, we can expect a huge change in the program. The win over Colorado State next year better be out of the top 20. But in 2008 season, August 31st was still a good day. It was the first game that The Ralphie Report was around for so it was also monumental in that sense. We were immediately validated as yours truly picked the correct final score of the game 38 - 17! The Colorado State game also gave us some false hope. The Buffs scored 38 points, the most of the season. They also had 367 yards, good for third most on the season. Josh Smith showed us a preview of what was to come this year: a prolific 93 yard kick off return and a muffed kick. Seriously, though, Josh Smith averaged 53.3 yards/return that game and 160 yards total. Early in the year, Smith was unstoppable and probably was the difference in the first three games of the year with big returns against CSU and Eastern Washington & the touchdown grab against West Virginia in the 17 - 14 win.

Freshman RB Darrell Scott also got us excited. 11 carries, 54 yards and a touchdown. He gave us a glimpse, like I said in the post game review: "We will always remember the 14 yard run with multiple broke tackles as the day we knew he was going to be special." I don't think anyone is ready to crown Scott after this year but he also had some spectacular runs against Eastern Washington, Texas A&M and Iowa State. Consistency and health will fix a lot of problems for the Buffs next year. 

Even Cody Hawkins looked good in the first game of the year. He had his usual one tipped pass that went for an interception but Hawkins still threw a touchdown on 20 - 29 passing for 214 yards.

The story of the game was the defense. In 2007 and years before, Rams TE Kory Sperry was dominant against the Buffs, scoring three touchdowns in the '07 game. In 2008, the Buffs' defense made sure that Sperry wasn't going to beat them. He was visibly frustrated and ended the game with an unimpressive 2 receptions for 11 yards The Colorado defense also picked off two Billy Farris passes on their way to victory. The most impressive part of the performance was the defense technically didn't allow any long touchdown drives. The only touchdown allowed was after the tipped screen pass/interception that gave the Rams the ball deep inside the Buffs territory. The other was a kickoff return for a touchdown immediately after Josh Smith did his thing. Colorado also got to Farris six times which was their high sack total for the year. 

But, in my post game review titled Love the No Huddle? Not So Much, I pointed out a few things that I wanted to see improved. At that time, I attributed the offensive no huddle issues to the first game of the year and how things would improve as the team got through Eastern Washington. About three months later and 2 - 4 injured offensive players, it looks like the Buffs regressed. In fact, we all would sign up for the offensive performance of week one over week 8 or 10. Here is what I said the Buffs needed to improve on after the Colorado State game:

The Buffs had 367 yards of offense 153 of which were on the ground. So you are asking what is wrong with that? Nothing, but our rushing game consisted of two plays last night, dive right, dive left or Cody fumbled snap. The Buffs fumbled or mishandled snaps 4 times last night that really sputtered the offense. The times when the Buffs were deep in their own territory, they didn't have a power set that allowed them to get tough yards. Maybe they were trying to be vanilla in the first game but we have to get better at a few things.

First off, plain and simple, Cody needs to be able to get under center and let Scott or Sumler or Stewart running student body left with pulling guards to keep the defense honest. It is a must. They have to add that hybrid because sitting back and running the option running game with a non-running option quarterback doesn't open a lot of things up and against a good, strong defensive line. Second, I know it is a no huddle but the Buffs need to slow it down. Remember it is not a true no huddle, it is a contained no huddle with reads and formation changes at the line. A lot of times, Cody snapped the ball before players were ready or set resulting in penalties.  Third and this is probably something that will come over time, but there was not a strong rhythm to the offense. There wasn't that one dominating drive without any penalties or miss snaps that got you feeling great about the offense. There was glimpses though.

A lot of those issues applied against Nebraska.

Still, that hot day August 31st was a good day for Buffs fans. They properly escorted the Rams out of Denver with a loss, the offense showed promise, the defensive scheme was strong, Aric Goodman made all 5 of his extra point attempts & a field goal, we saw a little something from Darrell Scott and Josh Smith & Scotty McKnight looked like a dangerous combination. It was a good way to start the season.

The Worst of 2008 #10 is coming up next...

Here is what I thought of the 38 - 17 CU win against Colorado State:

Let me start off by saying that I am very excited about the win. I mean, 38 - 17 was exactly the score that I predicted in my review of the game last Friday so I have to be satisfied. I was very impressed with the defense as they technically didn't allow any long touchdown drives. The only touchdown allowed was after a tipped screen pass that gave the Rams the ball deep inside the Buffs territory. And the defense did one hell of a job on Kory Sperry, which was one of my keys to the game. He was visibly frustrated and ended the game with an unimpressive 2 receptions for 11 yards. Plus, the Buffs got to Farris 6 times. I'll talk about the secondary later. Overall, the Buffs are bigger and faster on both sides of the ball and it showed in the second half where coaches made great halftime adjustments and really put a stranglehold on the game.

But my biggest concern coming out the game was how the Buffs ran the no huddle offense last night. For the first game, I know there will be growing pains but I think their are some innate issues with the way CU is running the offense that aren't due to growing pains. The Buffs didn't give up a sack due to Cody's pocket presence and relatively strong offense line performance. They had 367 yards of offense 153 of which were on the ground. So you are asking what is wrong with that? Nothing, but our rushing game consisted of two plays last night, dive right, dive left or Cody fumbled snap. The Buffs fumbled or mishandled snaps 4 times last night that really sputtered the offense. The times when the Buffs were deep in their own territory, they didn't have a power set that allowed them to get tough yards. Maybe they were trying to be vanilla in the first game but we have to get better at a few things.

First off, plain and simple, Cody needs to be able to get under center and let Scott or Sumler or Stewart running student body left with pulling guards to keep the defense honest. It is a must. They have to add that hybrid because sitting back and running the option running game with a non-running option quarterback doesn't open a lot of things up and against a good, strong defensive line. Second, I know it is a no huddle but the Buffs need to slow it down. Remember it is not a true no huddle, it is a contained no huddle with reads and formation changes at the line. A lot of times, Cody snapped the ball before players were ready or set resulting in penalties.  Third and this is probably something that will come over time, but there was not a strong rhythm to the offense. There wasn't that one dominating drive without any penalties or miss snaps that got you feeling great about the offense. There was glimpses though.

WR Josh Smith (J Fly) and WR Scotty McKnight showed glimpses of being a great 1-2 punch. Darrell Scott will now be the starter after the extensive work he got and he looked good doing it. We will always remember the 14 yard run with multiple broke tackles as the day we knew he was going to be special. I will have my game grades up soon so check out commentary on all the positions but overall, good win. Eastern Washington will be tougher than CSU next week because they are stronger in the passing game. Hopefully we can get someone from Double-T Nation, the Texas Tech blog, to write us a "what to watch for" from EWU.

Picture of Darrell Scott, courtesy of Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post

It's Gameday at the Rocky Mountain Showdown in Denver, Colorado

Who: Colorado Buffaloes vs. Colorado State Rams
Where: Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium (Capacity 76,125)
When: 5:30 MT
Line: Colorado by 11

At Stake: State of Colorado Bragging Rights

Radio: 850 KOA (Mark Johnson, Larry Zimmer and Charles Johnson)
TV: Fox Sports Network
Weather: Sunny, 82 degrees at kickoff
Online trackers: ESPN
Colorado State blogs: Ramnation

Welcome to the Ralphie Report as we officially begin the 2008 season for the Colorado Buffaloes. No need to go anywhere else today. We have everything you need and we welcome you to weigh in with your live game analysis, critiques, observations and predictions as the Buffs attempt to run the Rams out of Denver in convincing fashion. Check out Rock M Nation's game thread, the Missouri blog, from yesterday to see how they do it with all the comments and let's get the same thing going here. If you don't have an account, sign up here and enjoy all that our site has to offer. 

Buff Tool Box
Everything to Get You Ready for Today's Game

Rocky Mountain Showdown Prediction
Preview - Colorado State Offense v. Colorado Buffaloes Defense
Preview - Colorado State Defense v. Colorado Buffaloes Offense
CSU Head Coach Steve Fairchild Synopsis
Preview - Colorado Buffaloes Schedule Breakdown

Plus, here is our Buff Bites from today with previews from local publications

COUNT IT DOWN!

What a day yesterday! The first week had plenty to offer us in what seemed like a rather weak slate of games. All in all, it's just good to have college football back. But now it's the Buffs turn on the center stage, the nation to itself and what a stage to make a statement. A night game at Invesco Field at Mile High against your in-state rival on a beautiful Sunday in August. Could it get any better? Maybe, but if the Buffs come and do what they should, we will have substance to our optimisitic preseason. After watching Alabama last night (and I do not think highly of Nick Saban but the man gets things done), CU needs to listen to the words of Saban because they apply to the Buffs - finish and consistency. We need to see something from the Buffs today that we haven't seen for a while and that is a swagger to finsh teams off. Let's act and look like the better team today while finishing off every play, every block, ever tackle and most important, finish off a weaker opponenet...early. And the Buffs need to be consistent. We can't lose to Kansas State, let me rephrase that, we can't get blown out by a weaker Kansas State team, play a 3 win CSU team to overtime and lose to Iowa State all the while beat Texas Tech and Oklahoma in the same year. Good teams play every weekend, home or on the road. Are we asking too much of the Buffs? I don't believe so. We may be a year away but losing to Iowa State and Kansas State this year would make us say this time next year that "we may be one year away." Play with consistency and finish off the Rams today in style! Make today day 1 of the CU revival! The day we look back on and say, that was the day we knew we would be great.

Did we learn anything about the Big 12 yesterday? Not a lot but their are definitely some comments to be thrown out about a few games.

Continue reading this post »

Neil Woelk of the Daily Camera reiterates what we have being saying, the Buffs need to make  a statement today with programs going in two different directions.

Another confirmation that CSU Head Coach Steve Fairchild has put in so many plays that his teams head will be spinning come 5:30 tonight:

Fairchild has installed a multiple-set offense that already includes more than a dozen formations and upwards of 200 plays. And, offensive coordinator Greg Peterson said last week, they’ve “only scratched the surface” of what will be a deep and diverse playbook.

Great article about Cody Hawkins in the Denver Post. I think all those naysayers won't be naysayers after this year. He is a top 5 quarterback in the Big 12.

Daily Camera reviews today's Rocky Mountain Showdown.

Mark Kiszla of the Post makes his statement for keeping the game in Denver instead of moving it to the campuses. I think it will be falling on deaf ears.

Kyle Ringo of the Daily Camera gives his take on the CSU v CU matchup comparing each unit when they are on the field. It's amazing how bad the CSU defense was last year. A pretty good read from Ringo.

Kory Sperry the ghost of the Rocky Mountain Showdown past? Well its fitting after he played fits with the CU secondary last year. Don't make him a mythical legend today. Be physical with him and always know where he is on the field. Having Farris as a new quarterback will aid CU in there coverage of Sperry.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the past Rocky Mountain Showdown's.

Colorado Buffaloes (0-0, 0-0) vs Colorado State (0-0, 0-0)

August 31st, 2008 5:30pm

Radio - 850 KOA / TV - Fox Sports Network

So we have detailed the CSU Ram Offense and Defense. We have thought all summer about this game...what the Rams might do or not do, how will CU attack a relatively green defense...we have analyzed and analyzed. Thankfully, in 51 short hours, we can start talking about the outcomes. That reminds me, during the game Sunday night, we will have a live game thread. I will be at the game and Woodrow will be in Vegas but we have iphones and we will be bloggin away...inebriated but still present! There is nothing to do Sunday night, no other games so lets fill this board up. Get your friends from other sites and bring'em over to discuss the game and bash the Rams.

CU's Keys to the Game (and what CSU should try to do to pull an upset)

1. Knock the Lambs Down Early and Often - Nothing keeps an underdog in a rivalry game alive more than feeling that they have a chance or hope. Destroy the hope early. The Buffs are the better, bigger team. They need to impose their will.
2. Make the Green Beat You, Not the Gold - the Rams offense is inexperienced at quarterback and wide receiver but golden at running back and tight end. Load the box and out-physical the Rams' playmakers. Contain Sperry, Bell and Johnson and the Buff fans will be celebrating in the streets.
   
3. Pass Rush, Pass Rush, Pass Rush - make CSU QB Billy Farris feel uncomfortable the entire game and establish confidence on the defensive line for the entire year.
   
4. Let the Playmaker's Play - This is the game to strike a buzz about Buff football for 2008. Let the rest of the Big 12 wonder if the Buffs team is this dangerous. Get Josh Smith, Rodney Stewart and Darrell Scott in big play situations and let Cody Hawkins shine.

Picture above courtesy of http://csurams.cstv.com

Continue reading this post »

How patient is new CSU coach Steve Fairchild willing to be in his first game at Invesco Field this Sunday? In his stint as offensive coordinator (1997 - 2000), the CSU Rams were very successful, even throwing the Buffs a 41 - 14 beat down when RB Kevin McDougal ran rampant through the Buffs defense to the tune of 190 yards. Flash back to last year's game and purely looking at the box score, you wonder how the Buffs won. One of the keys to this year's game will be to get CSU out of their comfort zone and not let them chew up the clock. The time of possession difference last year was staggering. The Buffs can't let any team run 23 more plays than us, even a team they should beat

The difference for CSU between last year's game and this year's game will obviously be at the quarterback position with Billy Farris getting the nod as the starter. Last years starter, Caleb Hanie, had a strong game against the Buffs, going 20 - 27 for 229 and 3TDs that kept the Buffs honest enough to have to honor both the pass and the run. This year, the Rams starting receivers of Dion Morton and Rashaun Greer caught 20 balls between them all of last year. Morton is the veteran of the group but is diminutive at 5'10" 159lbs with Greer having the most size of the group at 6'1" 200lbs. From a size point of view, CB Cha'pelle Brown should be a good fit on Morton and CB Gardner McKay will have to deal with a lager receiver in Greer. With the Rams limited productivity at WR and QB, you almost have to give the advantaged to the (gulp) Buff corner backs. CU's nickel corner, Jalil Brown has good size and will be able to body up Greer if needed. With the relatively inexperienced quarterback and two wide receivers who don't bring a lot of production to the field, all signs point to Fairchild playing this game in a 20 yard x 20 yard box which is very advantageous to the Buffs.

Continue reading this post »

Here are the Colorado Offensive and Colorado State Defensive starters for the 2008 Rocky Mountain Showdown. Both teams have redshirt freshman in the starting lineup with the Rams having two, SLB Mychal Sisson and LCB Brandon Owens. The Buffs have G Blake Behrens in the starting spot but as we all know, true freshman Max Tuioti-Mariner could find himself with plenty of playing time by game end. Here is the Rams official depth chart and here is the Buffs.

A look at the defensive units -

Defensive Lineman

The first thing that jumps off the page at me from looking at the starting lineups is that the Rams are a lot smaller  than the Buffs in the trenches. The defensive ends give up about 65lbs each to Solder and Miller, whom should be able to keep up with smaller quicker ends due to their athleticism. DE Hill, NG Rupp and DE Portoff played in all 12 games last year and had 62 solo tackles and the in the infamous and subjective assisted tackle department, they had 72 additional tackles. DT Whittier did not play much last year and had only 1 tackle to his name. The defensive line had 8 sacks last year with Hill accounting for 5.5. Hill looks to be there most explosive pass rusher and will probably be the focus of the Buffs, if they are worried about any of the defensive lineman. Buffs LT Nate Solder is very athletic so I don't expect him to have a major problem and with Devin Head slotted at the LG spot, his experience should be able to help with any twists and stunts the Rams may throw out there. Against the Buffs, Hill and Pottorff had 2 unassisted tackles last year each and total of 10 total tackles between them. You give the advantage to the Buffs offensive line here and even though the Rams have some experience in Rupp and Hill, CU C Daniel Sanders neutralized Rupp last year. All in all, this should be a nice transition for the Buffs as they still try to nail down starting guard spot. Check goes to the Buffs here.

Continue reading this post »