Breaking down the Colorado Buffaloes - Oregon State Beavers game

A week after falling to Khalil Tate and the Arizona Wilcats 45-42, the Colorado Buffaloes (3-3, 0-3 Pac-12) head to Corvallis, OR for a clash with the Oregon State Beavers (1-5, 0-3 Pac-12). RalphieReport.com managing editor Jon Woods and contributors Jack Barsch and Jeff Hauser joined me via SLACK to breakdown Saturday’s game against the Beavers, which is set for 2 p.m. MT and can be seen on Pac-12 Networks.

Anthony Kazmierczak [10:02 PM]

Evening all. After a tough 45-42 loss to Arizona, the Colorado Buffaloes head to Corvallis, OR to take on the Oregon State Beavers. Let's start with your initial thoughts on this game.

Jon Woods [10:04 PM]

My initial thoughts on the game are that I really wish we hadn’t thrown the variable of Gary Andersen’s firing into the mix. Before that, while still a road game and very far from a sure thing, I felt really good about things heading into Saturday. Not just a win but a comfortable, spread-covering win.

Jack Barsch [10:05 PM]

Yep, watch for a dead cat bounce.

Jon Woods [10:06 PM]

They bounce?!

Jack Barsch [10:09 PM]

If you fire your coach halfway through the season they bounce.

Jon Woods [10:10 PM]

I’m excited to see if the offense can carry over the momentum that was gained from the Arizona game. Lindsay was damn near unstoppable and Montez had one of his best games this year. Oregon State’s rush defense is just north of awful and the Buffs should be able to move the ball at will. What about you guys?

Jack Barsch [10:11 PM]

Brian Lindgren gets too cerebral at times, but even this offense should realize that handing the ball to Lindsay as much as possible is a winning combination. This OL knows how to run block, but pass blocking can be an adventure. No need to get fancy this week.

Anthony Kazmierczak [10:14 PM]

Give it to the bell cow. Would like to see a couple of long passing plays however. Colorado had quite a few last year. Missing that through the first six games. How about D.J. Eliot's defense? Which Oregon State players will they need to focus on Saturday?

Jeff Hauser [10:21 PM]

I would say CU's secondary should pay close attention to receiver Seth Collins.

Jack Barsch [10:22 PM]

Noah Togiai is a tight end that I'm very worried about.

Jeff Hauser [10:22 PM]

He had five receptions for 91 yards against USC and seems to be coming on midway through the season.

Anthony Kazmierczak [10:22 PM]

Hearing they may try to use Collins at QB a little?

Jeff Hauser [10:24 PM]

As reported by BuffZone earlier in the week. If that's the case, it sounds like interim coach Cory Hall is looking to mix up a different look on offense.

Anthony Kazmierczak [10:26 PM]

Our colleague @sammetivier wrote a great article earlier this week, urging fans not to freak out about Colorado Football. But I feel I need to throw this out there, is this a MUST win for the Buffs?

Jeff Hauser [10:26 PM]

Collins was a QB for the Beavers back in 2015. Ironically, his last loss under center was the 17-13 game snapped CU's losing streak in Corvallis.

Jack Barsch [10:27 PM]

Yes, this is a must win.

Jon Woods [10:27 PM]

Without a doubt this is a must win. If the Buffs don’t get this one it all of a sudden becomes very hard to find many (if any) more wins.

Jeff Hauser [10:28 PM]

CU need a win to shake off the haters. Plain and simple there's no way around it. The Buffs need this game to build some type of momentum toward the hardest part of their schedule.

Anthony Kazmierczak [10:32 PM]

With this being a must-win, what are your predictions for the game?

Jon Woods [10:33 PM]

37-17 Buffaloes. Oregon State scores first and the Buffs take over from there.

Jack Barsch [10:34 PM]

CU out-athletes OSU.

Jeff Hauser [10:36 PM]

CU wins big.

Anthony Kazmierczak [10:36 PM]

I like CU's to come up big after allowing Arizona's Khalil Tate to run wild on them last week. 35-3 Buffaloes.