Same mistakes, same results: Coaching at heart of Colorado’s season spiral
- Xavier Michnewicz
- 2 minutes ago
- 4 min read
After back-to-back blowout losses for the Colorado Buffaloes, coaching continues to fail a squad that desperately needs it.
The writing has been on the wall since week 1. When the Buffs’ defense allowed Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King to rush for 156 yards and three touchdowns, the blueprint on how to dice up the CU defense was laid out.
All season, Colorado has seen the same offensive schemes. The Buffaloes have dealt with read-options, play-action passes and zone reads, but they have failed to recognize and stop them.
Four quarterbacks have rushed for career-high numbers against defensive coordinator Robert Livingston’s unit: King, Houston’s Connor Weigman, BYU’s Bear Bachmeier and Utah’s Byrd Ficklin.
But the failure to communicate and recognize is more on coaching than it is on the defensive front. Even head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders agrees, and he has made changes by stripping Pat Shurmur of play-calling duties. But he still fails to own up to the questions.
“I might have already changed it, and you don't know,” Sanders said Tuesday. “I don't make major announcements. I don't do that kind of stuff, and I let you guys still take shots, even though you may be shooting at the wrong target, because there is information you are not privy to.”
The Buffaloes have no excuse not to have run-stopping prowess with the NFL experience in the defensive line room. Most notably, they have NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp coaching the group. It’s no secret that they have the talent, but coaching falls short.
Offensively, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and fifth-year starting quarterback Kaidon Salter failed to get on the same level all season. The Salter experience has been a rollercoaster, where one moment he looks pro-ready, and the next, he looks like an FCS quarterback and not a good one.
After being named to Pro Football Focus College’s National Team of the Week for a stellar performance against Iowa State, he was benched in back-to-back games. But is his inconsistency because of his lack of skill or lack of coaching?
All season, Shurmur’s offense looked like unseasoned boiled chicken. The patented Shurmur screen and two-yard zone run on first down are still the cornerstones of the Buffaloes’ offense. So, is it Salter’s side-armin’ dual-threat style of play or the failure to design an offense to his strengths?
It’s not all Salter’s fault. It is a little bit of both, but it has been more on Shurmur than on Salter.
We must remember that Salter is capable of success. Just two seasons ago, he led his former team, the Liberty Flames, to their first undefeated season in program history. His 2023 offensive scheme was that if his first option isn’t open, take off, some RPO and even the triple option.
The Buffaloes tried to execute this scheme early in the season, but failed to do so with a lack of coaching. When the Buffaloes would run these option plays that fit Salter’s style of play, they looked lost. Turnovers and empty possessions stemmed from a lack of leaning into Salter and the entire offense's strengths.
When the Buffs moved the ball, Shurmur was creative and used wildcat formations that got struggling wide receiver Dre’lon Miller rolling, but after they would score, he would return to his cornerstones on the next possession.
The solution? Put Salter in the quarterback Shedeur Sanders-style offense of sitting back and passing. Respect to Salter, he does not have the arm talent or strength to do the same. Shurmur and Coach Prime’s infatuation with the past is to blame for failing to design an offensive scheme for Salter.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Coach Prime has rolled out the same coordinators week after week when wholesale changes needed to be made after their blowout loss to the Utah Utes.
While moves were made on the offensive play-calling front, the Buffaloes’ offense still looked stagnant against Arizona.
Colorado’s defense looked even worse on home turf than at a tough Rice-Eccles Stadium. After the third quarter against Arizona, the Buffaloes had 10 more minutes of possession than the Wildcats, but were down 52-14.
It’s almost unheard of to have the ball for more time and be down by 40 points. It can’t be the players' fault when the play-calling lacks consistent creativity or nuances based on past struggles.
This season is becoming a wash, and it’s starting to feel like coach Karl Dorrell’s days. Coach Prime knows it, that’s why quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis is getting the starting nod against West Virginia. So, the Buffaloes must give fans something to cheer about. Let JuJu show off his potential against an abysmal Mountaineer defense in Morgantown and air it out.
Defensively, Livingston needs to pick up the pieces. He needs to coach up his defense and his assistants so as not to allow another true freshman quarterback, Scotty Fox Jr., to gash them for yet another career performance.
Look ahead to the future, Buffs, and take this season with a grain of salt(er). Learn from this season, renew the culture and set a standard to never spiral like this again.