Previewing the Colorado Buffaloes

The Buffs were impressive against what could be an awful Colorado State squad last weekend.

By the time CBS was able to switch from the Syracuse game to Colorado’s game against Colorado State last Friday night, the Buffs were up 14-0 and well on their way to a blowout victory over their cross-state rivals. An impressive start, to be sure, but it needs to be tempered by the knowledge that Colorado State is really, really struggling this season. The week prior, the Rams used the “Week Zero” rule to open the season against Hawai’i, who has resurrected their explosive run-and-shoot attack that got the Warriors to the Sugar Bowl during the BCS era. Hawai’i rolled up over 600 yards on the Rams and took a commanding 37-7 lead in the third quarter. (Only to struggle to hold the lead, like many run-and-shoot teams do, down the stretch.)

So with that perspective, Colorado’s 596 yards of total offense isn’t quite THAT impressive. Quarterback Steven Montez was deadly efficient in the game, completing 22 of 25 passes for 338 yards and four touchdowns. Not to mention opening the scoring with a 38 yard touchdown run. Half of those completions were to sophomore Laviska Shenault (6’1” 200 lbs.) for 211 yards, including an 89 yard touchdown catch. Last season, Shenault only caught five passes as a freshman. Sophomore K.D. Nixon (5’8” 185 lbs.) added six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown last week; he only caught two passes as a freshman.

Senior running backs Kyle Evans (5’7” 175 lbs.) and Travon McMillian (6’0” 209 lbs.) emerged from preseason practices as co-starters; McMillian rushed ten times for 103 yards, including a 49 yard touchdown, while Evans rushed 12 times for 59 yards last week. Junior Beau Bisharat (6’2” 225 lbs.) added seven carries for 52 yards.