Colorado - Colorado State Next Day Takeaways: We Good

Well, damn, that was fun, wasn’t it? I haven’t seen CU do that to a team, and FBS team, in a long time. Buff fans needed that game, Coach MacIntyre needed that game, and the players needed that game. I don’t want to overreact from this game, but I think we are favorites to win the national championship now.

I concur wholeheartedly. The best part is, with the game drawing nearly 70,000 in the fans and the beat-down televised on ESPN, a lot of people got to see a Colorado team that we have not seen in a long, long time. But, enough of that. We’re here to talk about three things that I’ve picked out as important takeaways from the game.

New Offense, New Results

There has been mixed messages coming out of fall camp about the new CU offense. Some interviews say that the offense is the same old offense, just sped up. Others have said that there are new packages and new plays. Well, based on what we say, there’s definitely new packages in play. On the first drive, they went to the crack toss (shotgun snap to QB and sideways toss to RB) a few times and it worked successfully. There were multiple two-RB sets, what I believe to be a first in the Mike MacIntyre era, and one of the scoring plays looked like vintage Texas Tech:

Y’know, it seems to have worked. The Buffs were moving. Now, we need to see this offense against teams like Michigan and Stanford to see what we truly have on our hands. But, early returns are good and you should buy stock now in the Colorado Buffaloes.

This isn’t a note on the offense, but rather a position groups, but it kinda fits. The wide receivers, specifically Bryce Bobo, were FANTASTIC at down field blocking last night. I mean, just look at that Devin Ross TD. Bobo took out two defenders ten yards downfield. If they continue to block like that on those plays, it’ll be really easy to gain chunks of yards.

Chidobe Awuzie- HOSS

As I’m sure we as CU fans are all aware, we have a treasure on our hands. Colorado has a long and storied tradition with defensive backs, and Awuzie has made an extremely strong case for joining that pantheon. The future NFL star was on fire last night, making plays where plays needed to be made. Finally, he has a front seven that can let him focus on only his job, and boy did it pay off. Let’s share a few examples:

He really is amazing. Those two plays, one after the other, perfectly encapsulate the lightning in the bottle that is Awuzie. He reads the screen, blows up the block, and site on the receiver to make a tackle for loss, all thanks to his amazing instincts and athleticism. Then, later in the game, he reads the QB’s eyes, undercuts the route, gets in position, and makes the play on the ball, resulting in an interception. Not very many players can do both at a high level, and that’s not even touching his ability to blow up the run or rush the quarterback. He truly can do it all, and if CU gets to a bowl this year, it will be in large part due to his play (as well as the whole defense). Maybe my most favorite part about his game last night? He mentioned after the game in an interview that he was upset they didn’t pitch a shutout. That’s the type of mentality that keeps a team sharp. Man, I love him. As we all should.

Students, Let’s Do That Every Game

Last but not least, how awesome was that student section? In case you forgot, they looked like this:

Wow. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that many CU students at a football game. And the "wear black" worked very well. This game was a great chance to show all of these fans, who presumably don’t show up, what CU football can do and keep them coming back. The home slate this year is winnable and features some big name teams. ASU and UCLA in particular should be draws, with UCLA playing in Boulder on a Thursday. College football is made for a student section, and if CU can average 40k or over this year, The Rise will be real in more ways than one.