Colorado faces Houston in its first road showcase: Preview

The Colorado defense takes the field versus Delaware in Week 2. (Photo by Zachary Geisenschlag/Sko Buffs Sports)

Heading into their first game of conference play, the Colorado Buffaloes (1-1) face the Houston Cougars (2-0) on the road for Week 3.

Head coach Deion Sanders would not confirm, but all signs point to quarterback Ryan Staub getting the start in Texas. In his third year with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, Staub has gained the confidence of his coaches to sling it on the road. 

Colorado is not expected to rotate quarterbacks again, but performance could dictate that decision. Offensively, Colorado can help its quarterback by continuing to establish the run. The Buffs eclipsed 100 yards on the ground in both of their previous games, and hope to get a boost with the potential return of Dallan Hayden tonight.

Playing at TDECU Stadium, the Buffs will have to limit Houston’s quarterback Conner Weigman, who’ll have home-field advantage. His number one target will be tight end Tanner Koziol, a vertical threat that has 13 receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown on the year. 

During practice, emphasis has been put on the Colorado defensive line to stop the run, an area the Buffs struggled with during their first contest. Against Georgia Tech, they gave up 320 yards, while improving to 84 against Delaware. 

Although Colorado only limited Delaware to 7 points, the nearly 400 yards of offense given up raised concerns about the defense’s consistency. Jeremiah Brown was a standout at linebacker with eight total tackles and will look to echo his performance against Houston. 

Once again, they will face a formidable rushing attack that will require attention. The Buffs will have to key in on running back Dean Connors, who had 132 yards along with two touchdowns, against Rice last week. Although they started off slowly, the Cougars' offense had a burst in the fourth quarter. 

“We've just got to make sure we have great pass rush lanes for their quarterback, number one, but also their running back No. 44,” defensive line coach Domata Peko said. “He’s a hell of a player; he has a little bit of a burst to him.”

Lineman Anquin Barnes felt similar emotions to his coach, remembering the GT loss in Week 1. Colorado feels the heavy emotions on defense can translate to physical play on the road. 

“Anytime someone comes in your house and has 300 yards rushing, you’re going to have a bad taste in your mouth,” Barnes said. “You want to make sure that never happens again. Just never want to feel that feeling again.” 

Beginning conference play, Houston will be a challenging and physical opponent with the home-field advantage over Colorado. The Buffs will need to play a flawless game, establish the run, and rely on their defense to escape victorious. 

“We just have to dominate the line of scrimmage, when it comes to every guy,” Peko said. “We’re starting to get the rundown now, the first game we gave up too much…We just gotta go out, put hands on people, maintain our gap leverage and we’ll be alright.” 

Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MT on ESPN. 

Cover photo by Zachary Geisenschalg/Sko Buffs Sports