Colorado’s defense bounces back from slow start to down Houston
The Colorado Buffaloes faced No. 14 Houston Cougars on Friday night and pulled off an impressive 42-32 upset. The Buffs defense helped fuel the offense by holding the Cougars to 62 total yards and forcing two third-quarter turnovers.
To open the game, the Cougars controlled the game with 12:51 in possession time, 65 rushing yards, 86 passing yards and a ten-to-zero start.
Houston’s rushing offense ranked third in the Big 12 and first in passing and looked completely dominant over a Colorado man-coverage defense that allowed easy, missed tackles to extend the play for the Cougars.
The second quarter opened with a Colorado 38-yard touchdown from JaQuail Smith, which sparked a momentum shift on the offensive side for the Buffaloes, who would score 3 touchdowns in the second quarter. The scores gave the Buffs a one-point lead over Houston entering the second half.
While the offense was keeping up with Houston’s sixth-ranked defense in the Big 12, the Colorado defense was still struggling.
The defense would end the half by giving up 283 total yards, 142 rushing yards and 141 passing yards and almost zero pressure on future NFL prospect Connor Weigman.
Entering the game, CU were 0-4 when facing off against opponents who rush for over 150 yards, so despite a close halftime score, something needed to completely switch in the second half defensively for the Buffs to pull off an upset win.
“We were in man during the beginning of the game,” Colorado defensive back Boo Carter said. “We changed the coverage... the d-line started to like what they were getting, and we started to see pressure.”
That defensive shift began during Houston’s sixth drive of the game.
Colorado’s defensive back, Randon Fontenette, forced a strip sack, which ended the Cougars' drive after just six seconds. The fumble marked Colorado’s first turnover since their Week 7 matchup against Utah. Earlier in the week, Fontenette specifically mentioned himself and the team as “starving” for their next turnover.
Colorado continued to build momentum throughout the third quarter. After forcing a punt during the Cougars' seventh drive of the game, the Buffs held Houston to just 16 yards on their eighth drive. During their ninth possession, Boo Carter ended the third quarter with Colorado’s second turnover of the game and his first interception of the season.
Houston would finish the third quarter with just 62 yards accumulated, an extreme turnaround from the Cougars ' first-half performance.
The Buffs pivoted from this defensive momentum by creating opportunities on the other side of the ball. Following the interception, Joseph Williams immediately delivered an impressive 53-yard touchdown to improve the score to 28-20.
Later in the quarter, freshman Kaneal Sweetwyne replaced Issac Wilson as he left the field with an injury and, during his first snap of the game, rushed in the end zone for a Buffs touchdown. The 35-20 lead was Colorado’s first two-score advantage since Week 5 of last season.
“When you come after scoring a touchdown, and you know your defense can come up with a stop, that just puts more confidence in you,” Williams said. “After I score, I go up to some of our defensive guys and tell them, go get me the ball back, and I’ll put it in the end zone for y’all.”
In order for the Buffs to contend for a bowl game, they must continue to trust each other. Step one was completed Friday.
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