Colorado looked good, but not great against BYU, here's why you should be concerned about that and more before they play TCU.
The Colorado Buffaloes fell to 2-3 after a 24-21 loss to BYU, which was both encouraging and disappointing.
The Buffaloes finally found an offensive identity, but like a recurring nightmare, the same issues that have plagued them all season held them back from a truly stunning upset. After five weeks straight of games, the gauntlet doesn't stop there. Colorado heads to Fort Worth to face a TCU team that was ranked as recently as last week.
There are reasons to be excited about Colorado, but I've already covered those. Plus, when you're 2-3, there's a lot more negative to go over.
Should we get a to-go box?
The Colorado Buffaloes have not played well in the second half of any of their games. Against Power 4 opponents, they have a measly 23 points over three games, averaging under eight points per game. That's asking an impossible task of your defense to play perfectly and they don't have the team to do it. Until the Buffaloes can string together four straight quarters of competent offense, there will always be a reason to doubt them.
Why not let it fly?
Led by Josh Hoover, the Horned Frogs command the 11th-best passing attack in the nation by yards per game. If there's one thing TCU is going to do, it's throw the ball, and they've got talented and speedy wideouts to make defenses pay. Colorado has struggled to stop explosive pass plays with a hurt secondary leaning on ever-fading depth. The secondary that is playing hurt would need to play a near-perfect game to give the Buffaloes a chance at stopping the Horned Frogs' passing attack.
The 2008 Dolphins got figured out
The Dre'lon Miller wildcat formation was a revelation for the Buffaloes against BYU. It created a surprising and creative element for Colorado to use as an offensive spark. It looked so good, you might be asking why doesn't everyone try this out? Well, it's easy to surprise a defense with something they've never seen before, but now there's tape on Miller, and the Horned Frogs will be keyed into it. If you think it's easy to scheme the wildcat when teams know it's coming, ask Nick Saban how that went.
Who can even play?
Colorado's injury report remains two things: concerning and long. The Buffaloes should have a majority of their secondary back, but on the defensive line, they'll be hurting for depth. There are five defensive linemen listed as either out or doubtful to play, including key contributors like Tawfiq Thomas and Tavian Coleman. Playing TCU isn't the week to depend on a depleted pass rush.
Get the washing machine ready
Kaidon Salter creates outside of structure and, because of that, takes a lot of sacks. On the other side, TCU generates a lot of sacks. Do you see where I'm going with this? Salter is due for a back-breaking sack at least once a game, and I don't think the Buffaloes will be able to afford more than one. He's got to be smart getting the ball away when TCU gets pressure, and we haven't seen too much of that from him this year.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado vs. TCU: Concerns before TCU matchup
Category: General Sports
