Colorado Daily – Oregon Week

October 30th – Game Day

… CU in a few minutes … 

Scouting Report: Oregon players to watch

From the Daily Camera

5 Players to Watch

  • QB Anthony Brown: A transfer from Boston College, he has been up and down but is a talented dual-threat. He’s thrown for 1,490 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions while adding 327 yards and six touchdowns as a runner.
  • RB Travis Dye: With running mate CJ Verdell out for the season, Dye is carrying the load. He has rushed for 562 yards and eight touchdowns, gaining 6.0 yards per carry. He also leads the Ducks with 19 receptions (for 189 yards). Dye has more runs of 20-plus yards (six) than CU’s entire offense (five).
  • S Verone McKinley III: A top playmaker in the secondary and semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, he’s racked up 40 tackles, four interceptions, four pass breakups and a forced fumble this season.
  • LB Noah Sewell: Leads the Ducks with 63 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also had two pass breakups.
  • DE Kayvon Thibodeaux: One of the country’s best defenders, he’s played in only five games, but has 22 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, along with two forced fumbles.

Oregon offense: Nobody on offense has put up monster numbers, but the Ducks are loaded with talent and have a balanced attack. They are top five in the Pac-12 in rushing and passing efficiency. Travis Dye leads the rushing attack, but quarterback Anthony Brown is a dual-threat who can burn the opposition with his feet. In the passing game, Johnny Johnson III, Mycah Pittman, Jaylon Redd and Devon Williams are all elite receivers, but 16 different players have caught passes this season.  “They’ve got a quarterback that, I think he’s a crunch time player,” Dorrell said. “He finds ways to make plays in critical moments.”

Oregon defense: There is exceptional talent on the Ducks’ defense, but it hasn’t always shown up statistically. Oregon gives up a lot of passing yards (266.6 per game), a lot of first downs (24.9 per game) and ranks 11th in the Pac-12 in total yards allowed (400.1 per game). However, this is a group that is fourth in the conference in points allowed (22.4 per game), because they made big plays at the right time. The Ducks are solid in the red zone and have created a Pac-12-best 16 turnovers, including 11 interceptions. “Defensively, their front is probably as good a front as we’ll see so far over the course of the season,” Dorrell said.

Continue reading story here

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October 29th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Buffs not giving in: “I feel great about what we’re doing, the new stuff we’ve implemented”

From the Daily Camera … This has been, without question, a disappointing season for the Colorado football program, but on Monday, Christian Gonzalez and his teammates went back to work.

“Yeah, for sure there’s frustration, but we all know it’s a business,” the second-year freshman cornerback said. “It’s what we do.

“Even though it’s been hard, as everybody sees, in practice we’re all bought in, working and just doing everything we can to get better.”

The next order of business might be CU’s toughest test to date, a visit to No. 7 Oregon on Saturday in Eugene, Ore. While not much is expected of the Buffs, who are heavy underdogs in this one, at least some of them are looking forward to the challenge.

“Oh, I’m excited,” tight end Brady Russell said. “I’m not gonna lie, every week this season I thought we were gonna come out and win by 30, so I kind of have the same mindset again. I feel real confident in our game plan. I feel great about what we’re doing, the new stuff we’ve implemented.”

Despite that confidence from Russell – and he’s not alone in that mindset – it often hasn’t worked out well for the Buffs, who have lost five of their last six games, have been blown out in four of them and typically don’t come anywhere close to touching the 30-point mark, let alone winning by that much.

First and foremost, head coach Karl Dorrell wants to see the Buffs be competitive – something they weren’t a week ago in a 26-3 loss at California.

“Our challenge has been tremendously the same challenge every week,” Dorrell said. “We’re trying to get ourselves to play at a formidable level so that we can make this a very, very close ballgame for us to get a chance to win. We haven’t had a lot of examples of that over the course of this season because usually every week so far this year has been a challenge for us, regardless of the opponent.

“But this is one of those weeks, maybe we can put it all together.”

Continue reading story here

Neill Woelk’s Five Keys to Oregon game

From CUBuffs.com … An already tall order for the Colorado Buffaloes grew even more this week when head coach Karl Dorrell told the media that star linebacker Nate Landman likely won’t be available for Saturday’s game at Oregon (1:30 p.m. MT, Fox).

That means the Buffs (2-5 overall, 1-3 Pac-12) must face the No. 7 Ducks (6-1, 3-1) without arguably their best player.

“We have some guys that are going to have to step up and fill the shoes that he usually has in our defense,” Dorrell said earlier this week on an Oregon radio show. “We have some very good capable young linebackers that can do the job and they have to be able to do it this Saturday.”

Those replacements — whether it be Jonathan Van DiestRobert Barnes or Marvin Ham II — will have their hands full with an Oregon offense that is averaging more than 425 yards per game, and doing it with balance. Quarterback Anthony Brown has thrown for 1,490 yards and seven touchdowns while running back Travis Dye has rushed for 562 yards and eight scores.

But while talented, Brown and Dye aren’t the Ducks’ headline player. That title belongs to defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux, a potential No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick who is coming off a monster game last week against UCLA. In a 34-31 Ducks win, Thibodeaux racked up nine tackles (eight solo) and 4.5 tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks.

So what must Dorrell’s Buffs do Saturday to give themselves a chance at Autzen Stadium, where the Ducks have won 16 in a row?

Our weekly Fast Five:

1. Start fast. Colorado can’t afford to let the Ducks jump out to a big lead early. If Oregon establishes its tempo early, the game could get away in a hurry.

The good news is the Ducks haven’t been a particularly fast-starting team. They have actually been outscored in the first quarter this season, 45-44, including last week, when they fell behind UCLA, 14-0.

Continue reading story here

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October 28th

… CU in a few minutes … 

NFL Buffs: CU Bengals have a good week

From CUBuffs.com … Defense ruled the day for #NFLBuffs in Week 7.  Chidobe Awuzie, Josh Tupou and the Cincinnati Bengals had the upset of the week, knocking off Baltimore 41-17 to earn a tie for first place in the AFC North.

Awuzie picked up five tackles and Tupou played in just under half the snaps along the defensive line for the Bengals.

Davion Taylor also got in on the defense action for the Philadelphia Eagles, recording a career-high six tackles while playing in 55 percent of the defensive snaps against he Las Vegas Raiders.

Here is what happened with all other former CU Buffs across the NFL in week seven.

Mason Crosby, K, Green Bay Packers
Crosby Was 1-of-2 on field goal attempts with a long of 39 yards and 3-of-3 on PATs in the Packers 24-10 win over the Washington Football Team.

Phillip Lindsay, RB, Houston Texans
Lindsay had two carries for eight yards in the Texans 31-5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Jimmy Smith, CB, Baltimore Ravens
Smith had one tackle in the Ravens 41-17 loss to the Bengals.

Nate Solder, OT, New York Giants
Solder played in all offensive snaps in the Giants 25-3 blowout of the Carolina Panthers.

Laviska Shenault Jr. (Jaguars) and Ahkello Witherspoon (Steelers) both had bye weeks.

Ken Crawley (Saints) was designated to return from IR this week and David Bakhtiari (Packers) is back practicing with the team off the PUP list.  Isaiah Oliver (Falcons) and Daniel Munyer (Titans) are on injured reserve.

Kabion Ento (Packers), Arlington Hambright (Bears), Steven Montez (Lions), Will Sherman (Patriots) and Juwann Winfree (Packers) are all on their team’s practice squads.

CU Athletic Hall of Fame Induction next Thursday (including Chris Brown; Chris Naeole; Mickey Pruitt)

From CUBuffs.com … Tickets are still available for the 16th University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 4, at the CU Events Center.

The class features nine Golden Buffalo legends representing eight different sports. Those set to join the Hall of Fame are:

  • Donnie Boyce, Basketball (1991-95)
  • Chris Brown, Football (2001-02)
  • Nikki Marshall, Soccer (2006-09)
  • Chris Naeole, Football (1992-96)
  • Mickey Pruitt, Football (1984-87)
  • Dathan Ritzenhein, Cross Country & Track (2001-04)
  • Richard Rokos, Ski Coach (1987-2021)
  • Jack Ryan, Gymnastics (1966-68)
  • Lee Willard, Football, Basketball, Baseball & Track (1918-22)

The cost to attend is just $50 a seat, or $500 for a table of 10.  Registration deadline is at the close of business this Monday (Nov. 1); the link to register can be found here: https://cvent.me/d9Wzqb.

The nine will also be featured in the Pearl Street Stampede parade on Friday night and will be introduced at halftime of the CU-Oregon State football game on Saturday as part of CU’s annual Homecoming festivities.  Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at Folsom Field.

For complete information on this year’s Hall of Fame class, visit this link:
https://cubuffs.com/news/2021/5/24/general-cu-athletic-hall-of-fame-to-induct-nine-in-2021-class.aspx.

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October 27th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Dorrell on O-Line : “They all expressed to me that they’re learning more in the last couple of days than they have been in quite some time”

From the Daily Camera … After what has been a difficult first seven games for the Colorado offense, and the line, in particular, the Buffaloes are apparently going through some big changes upfront.

On Sunday, head coach Karl Dorrell chose to fire offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue. Quality control coach William Vlachos and graduate assistant Donovan Williams are now leading the linemen and it’s been a busy week.

“They all expressed to me that they’re learning more in the last couple of days than they have been in quite some time,” Dorrell said after practice on Wednesday. “So I’m encouraged with what they’re saying and the work that they’re doing.”

… “There is renewed energy right now just because it’s a different voice,” Dorrell said. “William and Donovan are closer in age (to the players) and I think they’re probably relating a little bit better with them too, in terms of teaching their technique and skill and being able to demonstrate it themselves.

“I feel like it’s really created at least a positive work ethic of what’s going on right now. We’ve had a good week of practice with those guys.”

Continue reading story here

**Video – Karl Dorrell post-practice talk with press**

From YouTube, courtesy of CUSportsNation … Offensive line responding favorably … replacement coaches closer in age, relating better to players … Nate Landman out: “He’s pretty sore” … “We’re hopeful that he will be able to bounce back, but he’s out this week” … Ashaad Clayton, who has missed the last few games, may redshirt (he has played in four games so far this season, so would still be eligible for a redshirt season) … Dimitri Stanley (who missed the Cal game) a game time decision …

Mehki Blackmon: “We’ve got to get more turnovers if we want to be like a good defense”

From Brian Howell at the Daily Camera

Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon on the mood of the sideline during the game: “Well, I can’t really say so much on the offense side but for defense, me, Nate, (Terrance Lang), a bunch of guys are still harping on, ‘Get a turnover, we can potentially score, create some points for the offense.’ Help them out a little bit because we really weren’t stopping the ball until the second half. People are going to continue to talk about the offense (struggling), but don’t give up the points, we don’t lose. We’ve just got to get more turnovers. I keep harping on the same thing; we’ve got to get more turnovers if we want to be like a good defense.”

Blackmon’s view on keeping players engaged during the last month: “It’s not the only game I’ve ever lost. What is this, Game 7? We still have more to go, so you never know. We could win out and the situation would be way different. We always look at it like this. How would people act if we were 6-1 or whatever? You’ve got to be the same person regardless of the situation. That’s what I try to preach for the team. … Remain confident. You’ve got to be the same person regardless of the situation. I’m just preaching to younger guys like this is not the worst thing you’re going to ever go through. It could always be worse; that’s what I stand on.”

Receiver Brenden Rice on feeling close to breaking a kickoff return for a touchdown: “Definitely, definitely. I think that top-end speed, I could have beat (the Cal defender) out. I should have made a move. There’s a lot of things you wish you could have done, but you’ve got to do it in the game.”

Read full story here

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October 26th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Brady Russell on firing: “I think it is refreshing for the team”

From the Daily Camera … Like the rest of his teammates on Saturday, tight end Brady Russell wasn’t in a great mood when he left Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.

By Tuesday, he was smiling and ready to help the Colorado Buffaloes take on their next challenge. The Buffs (2-5, 1-3 Pac-12) will visit No. 7 Oregon (6-1, 3-1) on Saturday in Eugene, Ore. (1:30 p.m. MT, TV: Fox).

“I feel a lot better than the other day,” Russell said after Tuesday’s practice. “You’re never gonna be happy after a loss, but getting that Sunday to kind of recuperate, watch film, see what you could have done better and readjust and spend some time with God, go to church, get things done. It helped lighten the mood up a little more.”

The mood of the team also changed when head coach Karl Dorrell chose to fire offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue after Saturday’s 26-3 loss at California. It’s the first time in recent memory, if ever, that CU has fired an assistant coach during the season and it sent a bit of a jolt through the team.

“I think people were not excited coach Rod was gone but just excited for a change,” Russell said, “because obviously, we’ve been awful on offense. I think it’s 130th in yards per game – worst in the nation. So (players) are excited to see a change and hoping that might change how we come out on Saturday. I think it is refreshing for the team.”

Continue reading story here

Buffs in search of player leadership: “We need more guys to step up”

From the Daily Camera … There are a lot of things needed for the Colorado Buffaloes to turn their season around on offense.

Head coach Karl Dorrell addressed one of those areas on Sunday when he fired offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue. On Monday, he agreed with freshman receiver Brenden Rice, who said after Saturday’s 26-3 loss at California that “the people that are leading the offense, their voices aren’t heard enough or loud enough.”

The loss to Cal dropped the Buffs to 2-5 (1-3 Pac-12) and the offense now ranks among the worst in the country in major statistical categories. CU plays at No. 7 Oregon (6-1, 3-1) on Saturday in Eugene, Ore. (1:30 p.m. MT, TV: Fox).

“Yeah, we do need more player leaders, for sure,” Dorrell said during his weekly press conference.  “Most of our playing experience — veterans — are on the defensive side. Kary (Kutsch), our starting left guard, is really our oldest player, and he’s been playing really the most consistent of anybody up front on the offensive line, but Kary doesn’t say much. He lets his leadership work by example, with how hard he plays and how proficient he is, but we do have some good young leaders.”

Dorrell said he’s trying to encourage all players, regardless of their age, to step up and take some leadership.

“There’s no age standard to become a leader,” Dorrell said. “Let’s not wait to be a senior to lead. Leadership takes guys doing the right things and keeping guys accountable to doing the right things. We need more guys to step up and do those things.”

Continue reading story here

Dorrell: Offensive line “moving forward with a new attitude”

From CUBuffs.com … Another lackluster offensive performance proved to be the breaking point for Colorado coach Karl Dorrell.

Monday, Dorrell announced the dismissal of offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue, saying the Buffs “needed new energy and a new voice.”

Rodrigue’s departure comes in the wake of CU’s 26-3 defeat at Cal on Saturday, a game in which the 2-5 Buffs finished in single-digit scoring for the third time this season while compiling just 104 total yards offense. CU finished with only 35 yards rushing against the Bears — the Buffs’ third game under 100 yards this season — and yielded 12 tackles for loss, including six quarterback sacks.

“We just haven’t been able to put it all together on a consistent basis,” Dorrell said. “That brought me to the conclusion that I needed to do something to hopefully give us a new approach and to kind of refocus and reset the button for us as we have these five games remaining. I felt it was the right time to do that, try to give our players some energy, some redirection and some focus.”

Quality control assistant William Vlachos, a former Alabama offensive lineman, will take over the lead duties with the line and graduate assistant Donovan Williams will continue to work with the group as well for the remainder of the season.

Dorrell met with CU’s offensive linemen Sunday night and told them of the change. He said the players “responded favorably” to the news.

“They understood the decision I made,” he said. “They respected it and they’re moving forward with a new attitude and hopefully some new efforts to get some things shored up.”

Last season, Dorrell’s first at the CU helm, the Buffs had one of the best rushing attacks in the Pac-12, averaging 218.4 yards in five regular season games. Running back Jarek Broussard, who earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors, had four 100-yard-plus games, including a 301-yard performance in a win over Arizona.

Colorado also gave up just six sacks in five regular season games in 2020.

But this year, CU is averaging just 121 yards on the ground per game and has yet to produce a 100-yard rusher. Broussard leads the Buffs with 337 yards in seven games (48.1 per game), and Colorado has already yielded 22 sacks.

Continue reading story here

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October 25th 

… CU in a few minutes … 

**Video – Karl Dorrell Press Conference**

From BuffsTV …

Neill Woelk’s Takeaways from Cal game

From CUBuffs.com … Back to square one.

That’s where Karl Dorrell‘s Colorado Buffaloes find themselves this week after a 26-3 loss at Cal ended any hopes CU had of building some momentum in a season that has had precious few promising signs and far more difficulties.

But Saturday’s loss may have been one of Colorado’s more inexplicable performances this year. The Buffs were coming off maybe their best overall performance in the Dorrell era, were facing a 1-5 team and had put together a very good week of practice by all accounts.

All those good vibes, however, hit a brick wall at FTX Field. Now, the Buffs offense is flirting with historically bad numbers, the defense has its own set of issues and the Buffs must now prepare for a trip to No. 7 Oregon next Saturday (1:30 p.m. Fox).

Takeaways from Saturday’s loss (short list this week):

1. Fourth-down conversions have been critical roadblocks for the Buffs. It all started in the second quarter against Texas A&M. The Buffs had a 7-0 lead on the Aggies and two shots at gaining 1 yard from the A&M 5-yard line for a first down.

Two CU runs netted zero yards and the Buffs came away empty. Colorado ended up dropping a 10-7 decision after a late A&M touchdown and the CU offense hasn’t been the same sense.

For the season, Colorado is 1-for-8 on fourth-down conversion attempts. That includes a fourth-and-1 at midfield Saturday, with the Buffs losing a yard on the play in what was a 3-0 game at the time.

Cal then went 50 yards in three plays for a touchdown and 10-0 lead and the game was never in doubt.

This isn’t to say the game would have ended differently had the Buffs gained 1 yard. But looking back, it’s hard not to wonder what would have happened had Colorado managed to gain 1 yard against A&M way back in early September — or even what might have transpired Saturday had the Buffs managed to pick up a yard against Cal.

Continue reading story here

Kickoff time for CU Homecoming game v. Oregon State set

From CUBuffs.com … The Oregon State at Colorado football game on Saturday, Nov. 6 (part of CU’s annual Homecoming Weekend) will kickoff at 5:00 p.m. MDT and will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.

Two games that Saturday will be determined on 6-day notification by the Pac-12 TV partners (Oregon at Washington, USC at Arizona State); the other game that Saturday (California at Arizona) will be on the P12N with a 1:00 p.m. MDT start.  Utah at Stanford (Friday night) was previously announced (FS-1, 8:30 p.m. MDT).  UCLA and Washington State are idle.

CU Statement on Mitch Rodrigue: “The appropriate time to make a change”

From CUBuffs.com …  University of Colorado head football coach Karl Dorrell announced Monday that he has relieved offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue of his duties, effective immediately.

Coaching the linemen for the remainder of the season will be handled internally.  Graduate assistant Donovan Williams has been working with the line for the better part of the last two seasons and has previous experience coaching linemen as a graduate assistant.  Also on staff is William Vlachos, who has been in quality control, specifically as the defensive blitz and offensive front specialist; he was an All-American center for Alabama as a senior in 2011 and has spent the majority of his coaching career working with the offensive line.

Rodrigue joined Dorrell’s original Colorado staff in March 2020 and coached 13 games for the Buffaloes.  He signed a two-year contract at the time of his hiring that runs through Feb. 14, 2022; athletic director Rick George said the school will meet the terms of the contract.

“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.”

CU bio for William Vlachos …  

Quality Control/Defensive Blitz & Offensive Front Specialist

William Vlachos in his second year on the Colorado Staff, his first as the quality control/defensive blitz & offensive front specialist.  He originally joined Karl’s Dorrell’s inaugural staff in quality control for the defense in March 2020.

Vlachos, 33, came to Colorado from the Buffalo Bills, where he was an offensive assistant for the 2018 season.  He previously worked in quality control for the offense for the University of Alabama, his alma mater, for three seasons (2015-17).  He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Crimson Tide, working for the offense in 2013 and 2014.

He was a first-team All-American center at Alabama as a senior in 2011, when the Crimson Tide won their second BCS national title when he was a starter, defeating LSU, 21-0 in the Sugar Bowl; as a sophomore, Alabama defeated Texas, 37-21, in the Rose Bowl which completed a perfect 14-0 season.  He earned a third national championship ring with the Tide as an offensive graduate assistant for their 2014 team, when Alabama defeated Clemson, 45-40, in the first College Football Playoff championship game in Glendale, Ariz.  He then won a fourth ring for the 2016 season after he was promoted to the quality control position with the Crimson Tide, who rallied to defeat Georgia in overtime, 26-23, in Atlanta.  (He actually missed out on a fifth title with ‘Bama, when Clemson scored with one second remaining to win the 2016 CFP title game, 35-31, in Tampa).

Also a two-time, first-team All-Southeastern Conference performer, Vlachos redshirted as a freshman at Alabama in 2007, but was on the sidelines when the Tide held off a furious Colorado rally to defeat the Buffaloes, 30-24, in the Independence Bowl.  After seeing limited action in 2008, as a sophomore he started every game in 2009, blocking for Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, who rushed for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns; he also helped Greg McElroy throw for 2,508 yards and 17 TDs en route to winning both the SEC and BCS titles.  He started every game as a junior, that season ending with a 49-7 victory over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl. And as a senior, he once again helped pave the way for another prolific running back, Trent Richardson, who rushed for 1,679 yards and 23 touchdowns and finished third in the race for the Heisman. He ended his career starting 40 consecutive games and played in 48 games overall.

Alabama was 55-12 when he was a player, and 64-7 when he was on its staff for a combined record of 119-19; he was named to Alabama’s second-team All-Decade (2010-19) squad.  He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans and was with the club through the preseason in 2012.

Vlachos earned two degrees from Alabama, his bachelor’s in Consumer Economics in 2011 and his Masters in Sport Management in 2012.

He was born May 26, 1988 in Athens, Greece; his family moved to the United States when he was a year old.  He graduated from Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Ala., where he lettered in football.  His hobbies include hunting and fishing.  His maternal grandfather, Bill Nichols, was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Alabama for 22 years (1967-88).  (Last name is pronounced vlay-hoas, as in dose.)

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October 24th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue has been fired

From a tweet from Vic Lombardi at Altitude TV … Just got word the fired one of their assistant coaches today. An offensive assistant. Need a spark. The Buffs offense has been less than good.

Followed by … Sources tell me coach Karl Dorrell has relieved offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue of his duties.

Followed by this from Brian Howell at the Daily CameraA BuffZone source has confirmed this to me. Mitch Rodrigue has been let go

Followed by … from the Daily Camera … The time for subtle changes has passed for the Colorado Buffaloes.

BuffZone.com has learned through sources that CU head football coach Karl Dorrell has fired offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue. The move was first reported by Vic Lombardi of Altitude TV.

Rodrigue, 56, was in the second year of a two-year contract that was set to expire in February. Per the terms of his contract, Rodrigue is owed the remainder of his $400,000 salary for this year.

The move comes a day after the Buffs (2-5, 1-3 Pac-12) were blown out by California, 26-3, on the road. In that game, the Buffs managed just 35 rushing yards on 28 carries and quarterback Brendon Lewis was sacked six times.

Continue reading story here

Some Buffs not buying in: “It’s super, super frustrating” 

From the Daily Camera … Outside of the locker room on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., Colorado receiver Brenden Rice spent some time talking with his father.

Jerry Rice, regarded as the best receiver in NFL history, gave his son some advice on how to get better following the Buffaloes’ 26-3 loss to California.

Moments earlier, Brenden proved he’s got some ideas of his own, spending several minutes during a post-game press conference showing some frustration, maturity and resolve to help CU (2-5, 1-3 Pac-12) turn things around.

“It’s super, super frustrating because when you have a set plan or desire and a goal, and you feel as though the whole team is heading towards that goal, you see a couple things that just take apart from that and those little things add up,” said Brenden Rice, a second-year freshman receiver. “You see that some people are buying in and some people are not fully in; it takes apart from us. And that’s what we need – we need a full buy-in just to head towards that goal.”

Following another blowout loss, the Buffs are fighting not only their opponents but a battle within their own locker room to keep an eye on the goal of winning.

Continue reading story here

Seems like old times: CU a four-touchdown underdog to Oregon

From VegasInsider.com

Pac-12 lines … 

  • Washington State at Arizona State … Arizona State is a 16.0-point favorite … Saturday, 1:00 p.m., MT, FS1
  • Colorado at No. 7 Oregon … Oregon is a 26.0-point favorite … Saturday, 1:30 p.m., MT, Fox
  • Oregon State at California … Oregon State is a 2.0-point road favorite … Saturday, 5:00 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks
  • Arizona at USC … USC is a 20.0-point favorite … Saturday, 5:00 p.m., MT, ESPNU
  • UCLA at Utah … Utah is 3.5-point favorite … Saturday, 8:00 p.m., MT, ESPN
  • Washington at Stanford … Stanford is a 2.0-point favorite … Saturday, 8:30 p.m., MT, FS1

Rooney: If CU’s staff can’t identify problems up front, what faith should CU fans have that they can fix them? 

From the Daily Camera … The question posed to Karl Dorrell was a rather obvious one for anyone who has watched even a quarter of what has been a mostly dreadful 2021 Colorado football season.

What in the world is going on with the offensive line?

“Can’t quite put a finger on that,” Dorrell said after the Buffaloes limped through another woeful offensive performance in a 26-3 loss at Cal. “I’m trying to figure that out. We’re going to have to really look at that and see what’s going on there.”

The look-out-below loss in Berkeley was made doubly troubling by the tone of these postgame remarks by Dorrell. Seven games into a 2021 season sitting at 2-5, with offensive line woes troubling the Buffs the entire season, and the Buffs’ brass apparently is at a loss as to how to fix things.

That’s after finally enjoying a regular set of spring drills, preseason practice, seven game weeks and an extra bye week thrown in for good measure. And working with a unit along the offensive line that, for the most part, has been filled by veteran players. Minnesota burned the Buffs up front with stunts in game three. Cal did the same five weeks later. While the offensive line is just one of a grocery list of problems that ail the Buffs, CU fans have every right to wonder that if Dorrell and his staff haven’t been able to even identify the problems up front, what faith should they have that this coaching staff can fix that, or any, of the team’s issues?

… About 46 percent of the plays the Buffs ran went either nowhere or backward. When you’re done choking that down, think on this one: CU ran all of 15 plays — 15! — in the entire second half. That total includes the let’s-get-the-heck-out of here handoff on the final play. Cal ran 14 plays during a single drive in the first half. The Buffs posted all of 13 yards of total offense in the second half…and 14 of those came on their first play of the third quarter, a 14-yard pass to Brady Russell.

The next 14 plays “netted” minus-1 yard.

Continue reading story here

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49 Replies to “Colorado Daily – Oregon Week”

  1. wow
    cant watch any more. Nat Landman was the entire D. Late arrival to the ball, wet noodle tackling and the Duck QB could have opened a text book and studied for a test before he had to pick a receiver and get in almost 160 yards in the first half. I dont remember one blitz in the first half. Any in the 2nd? did the Buffs even deny the Ducks from scoring on even one series?
    I know its big bad Oregon but now that the D “embraces the suck” the Buffs get nothing but worse…..even when that didnt seem possible.
    A very telling lengthy split screen during one time out or review with KD on one side and Cristobal on the other. While Cristobal is talking to his players and then on the mike to the box he is constantly trying to earn the ungodly amount of money they are paying him. One other screen we see the Buff HC stonefaced and motionless the entire time, not uttering a word to anyone. Got news for ya KD. the Landry style doesnt work real well with 18 to 22 year olds.
    I used to get POed whenever someone suggested going to the MWC. Now? Blow it all up. Fire every single one of the yahoos getting to paid to coach or support of any kind. Hagan should be able to easily find another job on a real team. The rest of em? pffft. And forget the MWC. The Big Sky might give the Buffs all they can handle.

  2. The new Oline coach from ‘Bama…he’s the type we need to give the program to. Intrigued to see the online play today.

  3. “Our challenge has been tremendously the same challenge every week,”

    Ya its been your totally incompetent offense.
    The Real Mac would have fired his arse………..meaning the OC

    Go Buffs

    Note: Speaking of the Real Mac….Earache where the hell is the dissertation on why you hate the Real Mac? Yur babbling on the different articles but nada on what you promised to be the big expose.

        1. We all wish for the days of 5 and 7 with being competitive and having a chance to win every weekend, with an occasional breakthrough season.

          Especially coming from 2012. Stoked we are back there, are you?

          Why are you always living in the past? Who are you anyway? Mein gott.

          Go Buffs

          1. Write yur “why you hate the real Mac” mister. Your mouthed now back it up.

            That is all.

            Buffs.

            Note: figures you would like 5 and 7 yur favorite coach had two of em. 2016 thank the DC.

          1. Agreed. I am just a dude with opinions. I think it is hilarious that the verliner cares so much about them. I think he was a promise keeper. And that’s ok. If it helps, it helps.

            I will get my thoughts on mac etc out at some point. Some may agree, others may not. Funny thing about opinions.

            Go Buffs

  4. Neil says “play with abandon.” While that may be the consensus, and it would definitely help Lewis, It may not mesh with KD’s “baby step” program…….or with Chev’s allowing Lewis in the huddle to say “same ol thing again.”
    Along with the current duck game film I would show Lewis the highlights of the Montez win over them in 2016.
    What I dont want to see, and afraid I will, is chev’s continuing practice of insanity. I can just hear him saying to himself…”they wont be expecting me to run straight at em cause they think I have to make some changes.”
    That being the case, I hope, and I would think the other players on offense would too, endorse Lewis to call his own plays….shoot, even improvise new ones. What they gonna do? kick him off the team…….before chev?
    Play with abandon. Damn right!

    1. They know that I know that they’ll expect a run. But they also know that I know that that! So they’ll expect me to not do that! And then I’ll do it! But they’ll know that I know that… What…? Play clock is already at ten? F it. Run up the middle I guess!

  5. Welp we will see
    the Oline coach gets fired.
    Players are fired up
    New attitude
    New techniques
    New blocking schemes
    Learning more now than they have in………………….quite a while.

    We will see what we will see from the Oline

    and

    We will see what will see from chev
    Continually repetitive
    Continually being out schemed by the Duck DC

    The Oline might be prettier, but offensive scheme will be the same.
    poor play design
    poor overall scheme
    poor situational play calling
    and
    Yup less than great execution (Again coaching)

    Buffs

    Note: Funny how the comments by the players get poo pooed.

  6. We’re just not good enough for the Pac12 in football. Post Gary Barnett downward spiral continues. College football has become “Haves” and “Have nots”. Teams with 4 and 5 star recruits and $9 million dollar coaches are in a different league. That isn’t changing. CU is a “Have not”. We should be in the MWC. Embrace the suck! Ski team is good.

    1. problem is we would get our arses shredded in the MWC this year as well. We might as well “embrace the suck” right where we are until this blind pig of a program finally finds an acorn coach

      1. Yes, Embrace the Suck! The football program is sponsored by Hoover for the foreseeable future…….
        My son goes to Utah, so go Utes. They have some issues too.

  7. Interesting? It’s insane. He is completely admitting he doesn’t even know what is going on with his own coaching staff. It is an indictment of how clueless Karl Dorrell Is. He should be fired for saying this. It is unbelievable. He’s admitting that he, as the head coach wasn’t even aware that his offensive line coach wasn’t teaching the offensive line anything. How does he not realize admitting this only reflects poorly on him? I am dumbfounded how this guy has a job. How do you say that and not get fired? This is our coach. Unbelievable. What an embarrassment. He gets paid millions. I’m blown away. Is he even at the practices and if so wtf is he doing?

  8. Am I the only one who finds this interesting? “ They all expressed to me that they’re learning more in the last couple of days than they have been in quite some time”

    So is Karl, as the head coach, not that involved? Not listening? Is there more to it given that last year wasn’t terrible?

    I don’t know. Seems odd though.

    Go Buffs

    1. I agree it seems odd. KD also “hinted” that Mitch wasn’t a good for CU’s offensive approach. It took 7 games to figure this out…WTH!

      1. The O line played well last year, but much like 2016 it was an aberration. The only hope here is that HCKD will be able to take a more reasonable time frame to identify appropriate coaching candidates. Unlike after MMT slunk away. This should include all coaches especially the OC.

    2. Well it’s more than just odd, he’s indicting his own choice for a coach and admitting he has been paying little or no attention to what and how he was coaching the o-line. Karl would have been better off saying nothing. Now he has given the fan base, the administration and most importantly his players even more reason to doubt his head coaching abilities. This just makes no sense.

  9. Changes were needed and the O-line coach is an ok place to start. The new guy has a short but good resume so maybe given a chance he is legit. It also shows the players KD is serious and changes will (finally) be made to improve things, so maybe they stick around and help build this thing.

  10. Here is a little optimism. The transfer portal might be just what the Buffs need. A player stuck behind great players might want to come to CU where they will get immediate playing time. Lets pull it together the rest of the year, play respectable, make some coaching changes on offense, and show that CU can be a great place to play football.

  11. I can’t say how relieved i am that the Oregon state game will be at 5pm. I’m so tired of starting tailgates at 8am and (since my seats on are the east side) getting destroyed by the sun for four hours of terrible football.

    At least in two weeks I’ll have a beautiful view of the flatirons as the buffs get smashed

          1. Earache,

            Why do you hate Lance so much?
            You blame him for Lingering leaving
            You blame him for getting your WacMac fired
            You blame him for protecting Chev
            You blame him for hiring HCKD
            Blah blew.

            Is it because he caught that touchdown that beat yur Kornholers.

            Asking cause well all the hate toward the successful buffs
            The Real Mac
            Barnett
            Lance
            Rick

            Pretty consistent and strange

            Now Earache you can get all defensive but your dislike for the above is on record on this site.

            sooooooooooooooooooo Fess up….Who are you.

            Fakebuffearachetroll

            Note: The Buffs will score 24 points this fine day. Cause of the weather.

          2. No hate. But definitely not a Lance fan. I will add that to my why I hate McCartney and love the Berliner piece.

            Go Buffs

  12. Rodrigue getting his walking papers is proof to me, that they’re just flicking the crumbs off an ugly sweater and hoping everybody will now be fine in supporting the baby step plan.
    We’re not fine. We can still see the ugly sweater.

    This team needs substantial change, or it will not be able to climb out of the basement in the foreseeable future.
    Yes…the quarterbacks coach has had a difficult situation, no doubt, but c’mon man …really? …seriously?
    We need an OC that can be creative and situationally agile. Chev has proven over time, that he is unable, or unwilling to do so.
    I’m sad that the wide receivers have been so neglected. Mr. Rice has excelled, despite it all. Good for him. His father will undoubtedly extract him from this dumpster fire soon enough.

    We need a head coach with fire in his belly and the ability to make hard, meaningful changes in real time; when something obviously isn’t working. I am now confident that KD cannot, or will not. I am over his stubborn, seething anger. It’s not a good look and doesn’t win games or fans.
    It is now crystal clear that his, “arms length” personality does not gel the team, or make them want to come together, or buy in.
    Say what we want about Mel… at least his teams know that he is passionate to win and that passion is contagious and translates to success on the field. (His overall loyalty is another subject of course.)

    At this point, the team will no doubt lose quality athletes and recruits anyway, so why not take this opportunity to make sweeping changes? GET CREATIVE. We have nothing to lose!

    RG needs to demand sweeping changes that the fan base can recognize as valiant, real attempts to correct this run away train. OK… I get that he can raise money, but if we can’t get this runaway train on track soon, the stadium will soon look like one of the ghost cities in China anyway.

    We’re watching Rick. Time to remove the ugly sweater…

    1. Thing is… Firing a coach mid season doesn’t help your team win. It just generates excuses for when they lose.

      Which, i guess, is an improvement from not having excuses at all?

  13. Those stats about the offense in the second half are INSANE. 15 plays total, and if you exclude the very first play the buffs had NEGATIVE yards in an entire HALF? 46% of runs were for losses, most with completely unblocked dudes just blowing up plays before they even had a chance?

    Wow. That dude very much deserved to get fired. Chev probably does, too, but you have to keep in mind that firing someone doesn’t mean you’re fixing a problem, you’re just making an existing problem worse.

      1. Dude, you’re giving me way too much credit for the offensive genius (see what I did there) that I am. But, since I think it’s mostly the players, maybe I could have done better? Except I’m not impressed w/ our QB’s current abilities. But, that’s not the entire scope of the problem. I think we all agree on that.

        And, I’m of the increasing belief that it’s beyond Karl, into Lance, and possibly Rick, too. I think Chev and Karl lie at their feet, as did the Tucker debacle. Particularly Lance’s. Rick’s too busy raising and managing money to get too directly involved in football ops.

        But hey, maybe our Buffs are the team that crushes the Pac 12’s hopes of a playoff bid. That would be about perfect, I guess.

        Go Buffs

  14. Rodrigue was the only one? Still going with the baby steps.
    Looking at what his dad accomplished I have to think Rice would like to at least make it to the NFL. Its pretty clear it wont happen here….and unless things get real better real fast he wont be the only one to transfer.

    1. I’m betting the bigger changes are still to come, fire too many people at once and too early and who do you have to fill in? Maybe someone else gets play calling duties on offense sometime soon, but I bet the Buffs have new OC next year, just like they got a new DC last year. And if the offense was doing their part, the defense would be doing a lot better, but you can’t have the defense on the field so much due to the offense sputtering.

  15. I love Chev as much as anyone, I was his RA for a semester and him and his roommate Jeremy Weisinger (not sure on sp) lived directly across the hall from me; hell they backed me up one night when I needed the assist. So, I’ll always want good for the guy, but right now the conversation would be: You are being demoted, pay and all to WR coach/recruiter. If you utter one word of contempt or anything negative about this your terminated! Period!

    And I’d only give him that because he has bled black & gold and is a great recruiter that just may be better if it’s shown that the Buffs are a family first… including his buying into the demotion as best for the team. He just found his ceiling that’s all.

    Look he may be a better OC one day if all of the pieces are in place, but a great OC will make the good pieces great. We all can’t think 3, 4, or more moves head in chess and all of the possibilities too, maybe he just needs to be a really good position coach and study other aspects of the game too, he can still find his thing in a career where some are 60-70 and still coaching.

    As for Mitch, we/I thought he was great last year when things were going well with the line, short season, low expectations, unprepared competition, covid, but we now know why he was a HS coach and not someone we stole from a college team.

    If Chev has to go because he’s too proud or can’t buy in so be it. But I’d like to see him stay in the family if he takes a demotion… So, he tried and failed… miserably, he’s not a mercenary that just came in for a year or two, so I’d give him that option; but with strict rules and no animosity for the new guy or your out, the buy out would reflect that too in it’s being non nonexistence for the next year or two.

    1. Agree with you on Chev, positive and negatives

      Hat’s off to you for being an RA, I saw some tough nights for our RA in Smith hall back in 85 as a frosh ( as the Buffs were beginning to rise ) and know it is a challenging position at times.
      I worked at the Rec Ctr and later for CU Rrecycling, man good times 🙂

  16. That’s it? The O line coach only? He deserves to go but the problem is deeper than that. Ok, back to accepting things. I really thought there would be more substantive changes but I guess I should stop fooling myself.

    1. Thoughts on HCKD press conference : yeah, the defense played well in the second half. Wooo special teams. Yay.

      This dude just looks tired and beaten up emotionally. This might be the saddest looking press conference I’ve seen since Mike MacIntyre blew the game against Oregon State. But even then, MacIntyre was at least passionate in how he thought he shouldn’t be fired and how he thought they had the game won blah blah. This one is just… Man. I feel like I just watched someone that was grieving a recently deceased family member and then got splashed with mud waiting for the bus.

      As far as exactly what might change : the bulk of the offense is still going to be intact (#SubtleChanges), but that both fundamentals and OL scheme needed to be improved. He feels it’s made a big positive impact in practice already (lol). Says he’ll continue to assess continually and “everything is still open” and “offensively, coaches have a sense of urgency”. So… Basically Chev can still be fired later, don’t worry.

      LaVontae Shenault is back practicing again so there’s that.

  17. Well, it’s never fun seeing someone get fired. I guess the rodrigue gumbo wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Good luck to him going forward.

    Go Buffs

  18. So the Buffs watch other teams and see the plays they are running and then see what plays they are running. What?

    So the Buffs watch other teams and see the OC calling plays in a manner that makes sense to down and distance, game situation etc etc and see the play calling of Chev.

    Double Puke

    Note: Sorry Chev I overestimated you abilities. Please help your Buffs and resign.

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