When Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes (2-0) defeated the Weber State Wildcats 52-21, it was far from the standard he had expected.
Although most teams would be happy to score 52 points, accountability is higher in Boulder this fall. Even with plenty of highlights in the win, Sanders expressed frustration in the post-game press conference.
“We didn’t get it done, what we wanted to get done,” Sanders said. “There’s no way that we’re satisfied with the outcome. We’re not. That’s just where we are right now.”
As they turn the page and look towards a new Big Ten opponent, here are the areas the Buffs need to improve before Northwestern (1-0):
Special teams discipline:
While Colorado had 13 total penalties for 112 yards on Saturday, six of them were on the special teams unit. Unfortunately for Coach Prime, some of the selfish plays came from team leaders, showing a need to address the discipline.
Original Buff and sixth-year player Ben Finneseth was called for a taunting foul on a kickoff after pancake blocking his defender. Some notable moments also include Coach Prime having to burn a timeout before a field goal and CU missing a kick late due to a rushed snap.
As the Buffs get into tougher competition, they cannot beat themselves with penalties and will need every advantage to win on the road. Especially since the Buffs were at home, they have to control their emotions to keep it between the whistle.
Fifth-year linebacker Tyler Martinez echoed what his coach had to say after the game.
“We want to win the whole thing, and you can't win the whole thing with some of the stuff that we had going on today,” Martinez said. “So we just got to get that fixed.”
Sideline behavior
It was evident that some of the mistakes and lack of discipline came from a lack of focus on CU’s sideline. In the third quarter, when the Buffs went up, they took their foot off the gas mentally.
The fresh squad can learn from celebrating the victory before the game was even over.
“Everybody chipped in on some of the nonsense,” Sanders said. “When we are trying to kick a field goal late, and a guy's not over there [because he’s] in good conversation, not even running out on the darn field. That bothers me.”
Players' ability to lock in, even while ahead, goes a long way toward functionality and in-game processes. When players are paying attention, it's easier to substitute and call plays in. When they aren’t, untimely penalties happen.
Luckily for Colorado, these fixes have nothing to do with their ability on the football field, but instead with their mental game. Coach Prime is working to fix the issues.
Secondary consistency
Through two games, teams have clearly been able to find success targeting CU’s secondary. Right now, Colorado is giving up 243 yards per game through the air and has allowed three touchdowns.
Safety Randon Fontenette admitted the dissatisfaction with his unit's execution of Chris Marve’s defense.
“We're really disappointed with our performance,” Fontenette said. “Obviously, we gave up 14 points in the first half, but we're going to learn from it. The scheme is there. The play call is there. We’ve just got to trust each other, just win your leverage, do your job and then we'll stop the explosives.”
On Saturday, Marve made the adjustment of moving Boo Carter to the nickel/slot cornerback position in place of Makari Vickers and putting Jason Stokes outside to play where Carter was.
While the switch happened midgame, a week of practice with the new scheme could benefit the group. Going up against veteran play caller Chip Kelley, the defense will need to be at their best against the Wildcats this week.
It's early in the football season, and mistakes are to be expected, but with Sanders’ standards, CU can improve.
Players Mentioned
Coaches Mentioned
