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The Colorado Buffaloes will have to continue their search for their first win since week one after a defeat at the hands of the USC Trojans. At the home conference opener of the season, the difficulty on offense continued for the Buffs. Defensive issues also became clear, as Colorado allowed a season high 37 points. Despite the rough outcome of the game, a few silver linings were able to shine through.
While freshman quarterback Brendan Lewis threw for one touchdown and one interception, he also had a season-high 162 passing yards. Junior tight end Brady Russell pulled in three receptions for 87 yards, including a 65 yard reception. Sophomore tailback Jarek Broussard had 16 carries for 68 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. While none of the stats from Saturday were extreme, they were a step in the right direction.
Third down efficiency was a major downside. Only converting on one of ten attempts, the Buffs proved that play calling still needs to be a major focus over the next few weeks. On top of that, Colorado had a total of 234 yards compared to 494 for the Trojans.
While Colorado needs to focus on both their offensive and defensive struggles, their discipline rewarded them with just seven penalties for 64 yards while USC had 12 penalties for 115 yards.
For future games, the Buffs have plenty to work on. The negatives significantly outweigh the positives, and Buffaloes fans are still searching for a reason to hope for the future.