Colorado football offensive line coach relieved of duties

The Colorado Buffaloes have decided that a change is needed after another lackluster offensive performance have left them sitting at 2-5. Vic Lombardi, and then others, first reported that Mitch Rodrigue, the second-year OL coach from Louisiana, has been relieved of his duties. The move has now been officially announced by the school.

This firing comes on the heels of an awful 26-3 performance against the California Golden Bears. The offensive line has taken a decided step back this year. They have allowed 20 sacks and the Buffs are averaging less than 3 yards a carry. Those two stats indicate poor pass blocking and poor run blocking. If you happen to watch the Buffs this year, your eyes will tell you the same thing. Despite returning four starters from last year’s above-average unit, the unit cannot protect at a Power-5 level. that necessitates a change in coaching.

Of course, everyone knows that the offensive woes do not end with the offensive line. This is a broken side of the ball fundamentally, and a return to the drawing board may be needed.

“I felt this was the appropriate time to make a change,” Dorrell said. “We still have five games remaining in the season and can work hard to do what we can to improve our offensive line play. We have struggled most of the season, and without much consistency up front it’s been hard to find an identity for our offense. Not all of this is on Mitch, but in the end it falls on the coaches.”

Bruce Feldman reports that William Vlachos will take over the coaching duties for the rest of the year. He played on two national championship teams at Alabama and coached there for two more.