What to Expect from Colorado

Colorado is a brand-new Pac-12 opponent but not new to the Huskies. The two teams have faced each other 10 times over their history. However, it has been 11 years since they have faced each other. The last time was in 2000 and the Huskies came away with the victory in Boulder.

The Buffaloes have shown some poise in the Pac-12 so far this year with an overtime game against Cal (loss 36-33) and a loss to Washington State in the final minutes of the game. While their overall performance this year has been sub-par, as they only have 1 win (Colorado State) and their record has dropped to 1-5, Colorado could easily be 3-3 if they had held on to beat WSU and pulled out the overtime win against Cal.

What can we expect from Colorado tomorrow?

• Rattled players and coaches: The Buffaloes haven’t won an away game  in over 20 contests. The last away game they won was in 2007 against Texas Tech (31-26). Whether the cause is a lack of planning, noise, sleep schedule, or a variety of other issues- Colorado cannot rise to the challenge of beating a team on the road.
• Pass attack: This may sound familiar as the Huskies have already taken on Hawaii and Eastern Washington, both of which were pass first teams. Colorado isn’t going to put up ridiculous passing numbers like those teams but the Buffaloes actually average more passing yards per game than the Huskies. (254.83 – 241.8) Part of this may be the fact that they have been playing from behind in a few of their games this year. Either way, they are comfortable passing the ball. Tyler Hansen has thrown 12 touchdown passes and only 3 interceptions on 202 attempts.
• Poor Defense: This could be the case on both sides of the ball but Colorado also struggles to keep their opponents from marching down the field. They have given up about 383 yards per game. 133 of that is on the ground. Chris Polk may have a field day.
• Sacks: Colorado is averaging almost 3 sacks a game. Which isn’t a staggering statistic by itself but when you compare it with the fact that UW has already given up 11 sacks in the past 5 games. And 1 sack could put the Husky starting quarterback, Keith Price, out of the game.
• Nice Weather: The weather is expected to be at about 60 degrees with only a 10% chance of rain. Should be a good day to go out to the stadium and enjoy some football.