“T.I.P.S.” for CU at Arizona / Plus: Owen McCown: Savior, or Hail Mary by CU Coaching Staff?

Welcome to our weekly review/preview episode. I am joined for this episode by Neil Langland, as Brad Geiger is currently hanging out on a beach in Hawai’i, trying his best not to check the internet for yet another negative story about CU. On our own, Neil and I will work out way through the 45-17 loss to UCLA, and discuss the debut of freshman quarterback Owen McCown.

We will then discuss the status of head coach Karl Dorrell. Are Dorrell’s days at CU numbered, or will the CU administration ride out the rest of the season with Dorrell as head coach?

Not neglecting our duties, we also will go through our “T.I.P.S.” progression for the CU/Arizona game, reviewing the Talent for both teams, what Intangibles may be in play, how Preparation will play a role, and then look at which Statistics will factor into deciding the winner.

So … Do the Buffs – as 17.5-point underdogs – have a chance against a team which went 1-11 last year, including a 34-0 loss to Colorado? … Have the Buffs found an answer at quarterback with Owen McCown – or will the Arizona defense expose him as an inexperienced freshman making his second career start? … Can the Buff offense finally find a second gear, going up against a defense ranked 108th in the nation? …

… Let’s find out …

Most recent episodes (All of the CU at the Game NIL Interview Podcasts can be found here):

Below is Episode 35 of Season 3 for the CU at the Game Podcast. You can listen to the podcast simply by clicking on the play button below, or listen it to it here at Buzzsprout, or at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio … or wherever you find your podcasts!

2 Replies to “CUATG Podcast: “T.I.P.S.” for CU at Arizona”

  1. Stuart,

    Great pod-cast. Any thoughts on the Defense’s regression?? 10 straight games over 400 yards is hard to do. Is it just not working under Wilson for whatever reason? I mean this is the 2nd year with the same system–I think they had 2 spring and fall camps installing the present system, thus the install should be done. They are young, but on the front 7 they have some experience. From a coaching perspective, I’m just surprised it remains so basic/vanilla up front, even with the young secondary. No real blitz packages; not showing different looks, etc… It seems like Defense 1.0…

    When I think back to Summers, by the time he was sort of into the 2nd half of the 1st season; the guys were still learning the system and exposed regularly; but it felt like there was definite progress on some plays. It was defense 1.0, then to 1.5 by season’s end; and 2.0 the next season. To me, it looked like the players enjoyed playing in that attacking system (they were learning new things), and many seemed to improve. Also, they forced turnovers… Presently, it just seems to be read and react, which I think is weird.

    I knew the offense would be a work in progress from a coaching perspective, but I saw some improvement, new looks etc… in Week 4. I don’t think that was just the QB. The Oline is still a real concern; as is the play-makers ability to get open regularly.

    Any thoughts that you have are appreciated.

    1. Definitely the biggest surprise – of many.
      We were all concerned about the opposition exploiting the young secondary, but were confident that the defensive front, with seniors across the board, could be the best unit on the team.
      Instead, they are being gashed, and Dorrell consistently talks about players being out of position. Sami and Lang are sixth-year players, so you would think that they would understand the defense.
      It is also quite clear that opposing teams make adjustments at the half – and CU does not. CU was competitive in the first half against TCU, Air Force and UCLA … but got boat-raced in the second half.
      But, you are correct, the next offense which is stymied by CU’s schemes … will be the first.

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