NCAAF Five storylines to follow ahead of Colorado’s Week 12 matchup at Washington State
This has been a complex season for Deion Sanders, the Colorado football program and the Buffs faithful. The season started with such hope and promise. But lately, heartbreak and despair have taken over.
With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, Colorado must win out to earn bowl eligibility. It won’t be easy for Coach Prime and company as both of their final two games are on the road.
Up first is a Friday night game against the Washington State Cougars at Martin Stadium in Pullman.
As we await kickoff, here are some of the top storylines to follow leading up to another must-win game for the Buffs:
How will the Buffs respond on a short week?
Colorado will have to get over its heartbreaking loss to Arizona rather quickly with kickoff against Washington State coming on Friday night. It will be interesting to see if the Buffs can regroup amid a four-game losing streak.
Cutting down on the penalties
Anytime you are called for 11 penalties, things become increasingly more difficult. Coach Prime and his staff need to emphasize playing with more discipline this week before making the trip to Pullman. If you commit that many penalties on the road, it likely will not end well.
Building on the offensive performance against Arizona
Saturday’s offensive performance against Arizona was one of the best that we have seen in a while from the Buffs. Colorado had at least a resemblance of a rushing attack with 30 attempts for 77 yards. Although 13 of those attempts came from quarterback Shedeur Sanders, it was enough to keep the defense honest, which opened things up in the passing game. Hopefully, the Buffs can build off that performance and have a good showing on Friday night.
Can the defense put together a complete game?
Colorado’s defense has been pretty solid following the bye week, but that unit has yet to put together a complete 60-minute performance. Good defense travels and if coordinator Charles Kelly can get his guys to play well for four quarters, an upset is possible.
Maintaining hope
After the 3-0 start to the season, it looked like a bowl bid in Coach Prime’s first season was nearly a lock. Since then, the Buffs are 1-6 and will have to claw and scratch their way down the stretch. Despite their record, it’s important for the Buffs to keep fighting and believing in what Coach Prime is building in Boulder. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is a great football program.
MORE
READ: Takeaways from Colorado’s heartbreaking loss to Arizona
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