Colorado Daily – Arizona Week

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Colorado Daily – Arizona Week

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November 1st – Game Day!

… CU in a few minutes … 

Daily Camera: Arizona Scouting Report

From the Daily Camera …

5 Wildcats to Watch

LB Taye Brown: A leader in the middle of the defense, he has 46 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception. Since the start of 2024, he has recorded 116 tackles.

QB Noah Fifita: Third-year starter has completed 66% of his passes for 1,829 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions. In his career, he’s thrown for 7,784 yards, 61 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.

RB Ismail Mahdi: A transfer from Texas State, Mahdi leads the Wildcats in rushing with 445 yards on 77 carries (5.8 per rush). He rushed for 2,322 yards and 14 touchdowns the last two years at Texas State after beginning his career at Houston Christian.

S Genesis Smith: One of the better safeties in the Big 12, he has 42 tackles, one interception and seven pass breakups. Last year, he recorded 63 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and six pass breakups in his first year as a starter.

DB Treydan Stukes: Sixth-year senior missed the first two games, but has posted 24 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups in five games. In his career, he has played in 47 games, posting 178 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 29 passes defended.

When Arizona has the ball …

Junior quarterback Noah Fifita is playing a lot more like he did during his breakout freshman year in 2023 than he did last year. That’s helped the Wildcats to significant improvement offensively, from 21.8 points per game in 2024 to 31.6 this year. Fifita has thrown 17 touchdown passes and has done a good job spreading the wealth. Seven Wildcats have at least 10 catches, five have at least 223 receiving yards and those same five all have multiple touchdowns. “This kid (Fifita), to me, he is a pro,” Sanders said. “He could play. He can spin it. He can throw it. You give him time, he’s gonna make things happen.” Arizona has been balanced with its run game, though, with 247 passes to 239 runs. Ismail Mahdi leads that charge, but Quincy Craig and Kedrick Reescano are threats, as well. CU’s defense has played well at times, but the Buffs have been dreadful against the run, ranking 134th nationally in allowing 217.25 yards per game. Arizona will present another challenge. “We’ve got a lot of respect for Arizona and what they do,” CU defensive ends coach George Helow said. “Same thing for the quarterback. He’s a 5-foot-10 guy. He’ll make you miss. We’ve got to be good on our edge mechanics. He’ll look to scramble, he keeps his eyes down field, does a good job, looks to throw the ball. … We’re excited about the opportunity; looking forward to it.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 31st 

… CU in a few minutes … 

Friday injury updates: Cornerbacks upgraded to probable

Defensive tackle Tawfiq Thomas from doubtful to out… CBs Teon Parks, RJ Johnson & walk-on Braden Keith upgraded from questionable to probable… WR Sincere Brown, OL Yahya Attia & DT Brandon Davis-Swain from probable to available …

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DE Arden Walker: “We’ve got to respond” 

From the Daily Camera … While defensive end Arden Walker, a Cherry Creek High School graduate, has an eye on the 2026 NFL Draft, his primary focus is helping the Buffaloes (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) turn the page on a disastrous performance last week at Utah and make a push for a bowl game. That push continues against Arizona (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday at Folsom Field (5 p.m., FS1).

“We’ve got to get to six wins, really,” Walker said. “That’s the bowl eligibility number, so that’s what I’ve been preaching to a lot of guys in the locker room. We’ve got to get there. For us to play in December, we’ve got to continue to make sure we can get wins. We’ve got three wins we need to get and they’re pretty crucial.”

The Buffs are coming off an embarrassing 53-7 loss at Utah, but Walker is one of the leaders hoping to get them back on track.

“We’ve got to respond,” Walker said. “We didn’t do what we were supposed to, clearly by the score and how we played. We’ve got to make sure we come back out, and it’s a new week, so throw it out the trash and get ready for this weekend, make sure we respond to just getting a win.”

Prior to the loss against the Utes, the Buffs upset then-No. 22 Iowa State, 24-17, on Oct. 11. The Buffs’ season also includes one-score losses to undefeated, top-10 teams in No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 10 BYU.

Those results suggest that CU can turn the page from last week and make a bowl push. Getting there would be big for the program and individual players such as Walker, he said.

“I think in terms of me, like the trajectory of where I’m trying to go, where I’m trying to be, I have a few games left,” he said. “So I want to make the most of my situation, if anything, because like I said, the unknown is coming up pretty soon.”

As head coach Deion Sanders has preached to his players, more wins will often lead to more exposure and better opportunities in the NFL.

Walker has a potential NFL future, and is a key player for the Buffs as they search for bowl eligibility.

Walker is one of CU’s best edge defenders, but doesn’t have the numbers he’s been hoping for this season. Through seven games (he missed the Iowa State game with injury), he has 32 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, along with four QB hurries.

… Continue reading story here …

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Thursday night injury update 

Movement since the initial report posted Wednesday night … DT Amari McNeill has been moved from doubtful to out. WR Sincere Brown from questionable to probable. ATH Isaiah Hardge from questionable to doubtful. TE Zach Atkins, OL Larry Johnson III, LB Jeremiah Brown and S Carter Stoutmire from probable to available.

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October 30th 

… CU in a few minutes … 

Defensive end Keaten Wade: “I know I can make plays versus this team”

From the Daily Camera … Keaten Wade had a goal this season of becoming a valuable three-down player for the Colorado defense.

While it hasn’t been a perfect season, Wade has achieved his goal.

The senior defensive end has been one of the most consistent players for the Buffs (3-5, 1-4 Big 12), who will host Arizona (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday at Folsom Field (5 p.m., FS1).

“Yeah, I’ve enjoyed it,” Wade said of his expanded role. “Definitely a new opportunity for me and I feel like I filled in the role pretty good. Just fitting the run, playing first and second down.

“Definitely feel like I left some opportunities out there in the first eight games. So, you know, just keeping my head and knowing that I can make those plays and I’m that type of player.”

A third-down specialist in 2024, Wade was injured the first half of the year and played in just six games. He was on the field for only 105 snaps (17.5 per game), but was remarkably productive in those snaps, with 20 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.

This year, Wade has played 371 snaps (46.4 per game), posting 30 tackles, six TFLs and 2.5 sacks. He also has a team-high seven QB hurries.

… Continue reading story here …

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DE coach George Helow on Utah blowout: “We’ve got to own it and correct it and get better”

From the Daily Camera … In nearly 15 years of coaching college football, George Helow has seen a lot.

Last Saturday night was something new for the Colorado defensive ends coach, however, as the Buffs gave up 422 rushing yards during a 53-7 loss to Utah.

“Well, first off it was embarrassing, something I’ve never been a part of before,” Helow said Wednesday after the Buffaloes’ practice. “We’ve moved past it. We’ve got to own it and correct it and get better.”

As Helow and the Buffs (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) prepare to face Arizona (4-3, 1-3) at Folsom Field on Saturday (5 p.m., FS1), getting better at stopping the run is a priority.

CU ranks 134th out of 136 FBS teams in rush defense, allowing 217.25 yards per game. That number has skyrocketed in the last two games, as CU has allowed 658 rushing yards (329 per game).

The Buffs had given up more than 200 rushing yards to four previous opponents, but Utah exploited every hole in the defense.

“We’ve got to move past it, bury it, make the corrections,” Helow said. “We’ve had really good talks as a defensive staff about what we need to do moving forward. We’re going to do that and play really good these next four games.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 29th 

… CU in a few minutes … 

Initial Injury Report: Seven Buffs “Out”; two more “Doubtful”

Xavier Hill is listed as “out” on the initial participation report for Arizona at Colorado, a game that will kickoff shortly after 5 pm (MT) with television coverage on either FOX or FS1. A transfer from Memphis this past off-season, Hill has graded out as CU’s sixth best offensive player, among those that have played at least 290 offensive snaps so far, by Pro Football Focus. He started each of the Buffs’ first eight games this season at left guard.

True freshman edge Alexander McPherson will also miss his first game due to injury as a Buff this weekend, after getting hurt out in Salt Lake City. McPherson ranks tied for fourth on the team with nine quarterback pressures, despite the fact he has only been on the field for 154 defensive snaps.

Senior defensive tackles Amari McNeill and Tawfiq Thomas were both listed as “doubtful” on Wednesday night of Arizona game week. Thomas (80.0, 95 defensive snaps) and McNeill (79.2, 291 defensive snaps) have graded out as Colorado’s two best players this season on PFF.

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Coach Prime vague on coaching changes: “We’re always looking to improve in every area”

From the Daily Camera … Asked if there’s been any changes in coaching responsibilities, Sanders said, “Well, you always do that. We do that from game to game anyway. It’s not something that we don’t do. We just don’t tell you all the time that we do it.

“We’re always looking to improve in every area of getting the guys prepared, and not only that, what’s being called from play to play, situation to situation.”

While Sanders leads the operation, coordinators Pat Shurmur (offense) and Robert Livingston (defense) have been calling plays since the start of the 2024 season.

CU also has defensive ends coach George Helow as a defensive run game coordinator and cornerbacks coach Kevin Mathis as the defensive pass game coordinator. And on offense, line coach Gunnar White is the run game coordinator and tight ends coach Brett Bartolone the pass game coordinator.

“That’s being challenged all the time,” Sanders said. “And I challenge these guys all the time and I challenge myself all the time to get it right. We’ve just got to get it right. We’re not achieving what we’re capable of achieving at this point.”

Sanders also said after the game he wanted to identify all the “whys” from what happened against the Utes.

Asked if he got those answers, he said, “Yeah, most definitely. I don’t want to share those. Most definitely I found out the whys.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 28th

… CU in a few minutes … 

**Coach Prime’s Weekly Press Conference**

From BuffsTV … “Last week was a surprise because we practiced so well … The team has responded tremendously … You want to see that tenacity out of the team … We’re always looking to improve, in every area, including the play-calling. That’s being challenged all the time … We’re not achieving what we are capable of achieving … We found out the ‘why’s’ – but I’m not going to tell you … Monday morning and today, you’ve got to know what you are dealing with, and I know. I know which buttons to hit, and I’m going to hit them … We just didn’t get it done. You can’t just pinpoint one thing. That just happened to be a game in which we didn’t do well in any area … They understand the mission. We just got our butts kicked. Just flush the toilet and move on” …

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Linebacker Jeremiah Brown: “We didn’t show up. It’s as simple as that”

From the Daily Camera … Utah embarrassed the Buffs with 422 rushing yards – the fourth-most allowed by CU in the last 40 years – in a 53-7 rout. Ficklin had 151 yards, Parker had 145 and Johnson 58.

“We just didn’t play fast,” CU linebacker Jeremiah Brown said. “We didn’t show up. That’s as simple as it is. We didn’t come to play. We had a great week of practice, was physical all week at practice, and I guess we got complacent. When it came to game time, we didn’t show up.”

While the Utes exposed the Buffs, and their rushing total was a figure not often touched, it was the latest example of CU’s struggles against the run. And, it’s an area that will remain a concern as the Buffs (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) prepare to host Arizona (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday (5 p.m., FS1).

CU ranks 134th out of 136 FBS teams in run defense, allowing 217.25 yards per game. Only five teams allow more per rush than the Buffs (5.27).

Utah was the fifth team this season to finish with more rushing yards against the Buffs than their season average. And, the Utes were the fifth team to top the 200-yard mark against CU.

The Buffs felt they made some progress against TCU on Oct. 4, holding the Horned Frogs to 94 yards on 35 carries. TCU is the worst rushing team in the Big 12, however.

Since the TCU game, the Buffs have allowed 658 rushing yards on 88 attempts (a whopping 7.48 yards per carry), in two games.

As Brown said, maybe the Buffs didn’t show up against the Utes, but injuries and inconsistency in the front seven have plagued the Buffs all year.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 27th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Breakfast in Morgantown: CU at West Virginia will kick off at 10:00 a.m. MT

Press release from CUBuffs.com … The Colorado at West Virginia football game on Saturday, November 8, will kickoff at 12 PM ET (local)/10 AM MT and be televised nationally by TNT and simulcast on truTV and HBO Max.

• BYU at Texas Tech, 12:00pm ET on ABC or ESPN – network designation after the games of 11/1
• Colorado at West Virginia, 12:00pm ET on TNT (simulcast – truTV/HBO Max)
• Iowa State at TCU, 3:30pm ET on FOX

• Kansas at Arizona, 3:30pm ET on ESPN2 – Homecoming

• Fri., 11/7: Houston at UCF, 8:00pm ET on FS1

• Arizona State, Baylor, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Utah

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Buffs looking to put Utah debacle behind them: “We can’t quit”

From the Daily Camera … Following arguably the most embarrassing defeat of his three seasons at Colorado, Deion Sanders kept his composure in a postgame press conference Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

That’s not unusual for Sanders, who handles losses publicly better than many head coaches. Inside, however, the Buffaloes head coach was fuming.

A 53-7 loss to Utah – which moved into the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 24 on Sunday – exposed a plethora of CU’s flaws and Sanders said this isn’t the type of loss to just flush and move on from, at least not right away.

“No, no, not right now,” he said. “Did you see my tone? I love you guys (in the media). You guys are wonderful and I’m trying to be as pleasant as I can, but it is what it is. You know I don’t sugarcoat nothing. It is what it is. You know we gonna start with me.”

For the Buffs (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) to salvage their season, however, they’ll have to get past this one quickly.

Arizona (4-3, 1-3) will be in Boulder on Saturday. The Big 12 announced Sunday that the game is slated for a 5 p.m. kickoff at Folsom Field and will be broadcast on FS1. After a solid start to the season, Arizona has lost two in a row and three of four.

That game is followed by a trip to West Virginia (2-6, 0-5), which has lost five in a row.

Both games are winnable, if the Buffs can bounce back from Saturday’s debacle.

“We just can’t quit,” quarterback Kaidon Salter said. “I feel like this is a team that won’t quit and is just going to keep on going hard as we can go and just being us, man.

“We’ve just got to go out there and have fun with the game, go out there and execute the game plan, just keep on practicing hard and just go out there and play football. I mean, that’s what we’ve got to do and I feel like we’re capable of finishing this season off strong.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 26th 

… CU in a few minutes … 

Game time set for CU v. Arizona: 5:00 p.m., MT, FS1

• UCF at Baylor, 10:00 a.m. MT on ESPNU –Homecoming
• West Virginia at Houston, 10:00 a.m., MT on FS1
• Arizona State at Iowa State, 11:00 a.m. MT on TNT (simulcast – truTV/HBO Max)
• Texas Tech at Kansas State, 1:30 p.m., MT on FOX
• Arizona at Colorado, 5:00 p.m., MT on FS1 – Homecoming

• Cincinnati at Utah, 8:15 p.m. MT on ESPN

• Oklahoma State at Kansas, 2:00 p.m., MT on ESPN+ – Homecoming

• BYU, TCU

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Buffs confused by Utah’s defensive scheme: “They blitzed us to death”

From the Daily Camera … Leading up to Saturday’s game at Utah, Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter said he watched a lot of film to prepare for the Utes.

When the game began, he saw something different.

“I watched over 10 hours of film and a lot of the pressures that came up today was nowhere to be found on tape,” the Buffaloes’  senior said. “I feel like today they schemed up the pressure just for us for this game and no other team might see it if they played them.”

Utah was all over Salter, sacking him five times and harassing him all night in a 53-7 rout of the Buffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Salter completed just 9-of-22 passes for 37 yards and an interception. Many of his incompletions came with Utes chasing him, leading Salter to throw the ball away to avoid a sack. Utah finished with seven sacks overall, as it got to CU backup Ryan Staub twice.

“I felt like they were sending one more than we could handle every play,” Salter said.

CU had given up just 14 sacks all season before Saturday. Johnathan Hall had two for the Utes, while six others were in on sacks.

“They blitzed us to death,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said. “They’re still blitzing us right now and we’re inside. They still blitzing us right now. And guess what I just told them? Be ready for the next week (against Arizona). Cat’s out the bag. Be ready for it.”

… Continue reading story here …

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