3 keys to victory for Coach Prime and Colorado vs. Colorado State

After losing to the hated Nebraska Cornhuskers 28-10, it’s been a week of tough, honest conversations and evaluations for Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes. Sitting at 1-1 with their final non-conference game against another rival this weekend, the Buffs need to prove that this year’s team will not succumb to the same issues that doomed last year’s.

The Colorado State Rams await the Buffs’ return to Fort Collins where both teams have something to prove after last year’s double-overtime instant classic. The talent level of Coach Prime’s roster has undoubtedly improved since then but the Buffs must execute in three key areas this weekend to maintain their dominance in the Rocky Mountain Showdown.

Shuffling the offensive line

Shedeur Sanders was constantly under duress and was sacked six times by the Cornhuskers. Offensive line coach Phil Loadholt had his linemen playing at multiple positions over the offseason and already in Week 2, the Buffs will have to reshuffle the deck. In his weekly press conference, Coach Prime hinted at the changes coming to Colorado’s offensive line.

“I feel like we got the right guys,” said Coach Prime. “You may see us shake something up a little bit.”

The interior and right side of Colorado’s offensive line have been the Achilles heel for the Buffs’ offense early in the 2024 season. Jordan Seaton will remain at left tackle but every other position along the offensive line is subject to change heading into Colorado State. Buff Nation has been waiting for former Houston guard Tyler Johnson to make an impact in black and gold. On Tuesday, Coach Prime did not give a timeline when asked about Johnson’s Colorado debut.

“Tyler’s coming, he’s coming,” said Coach Prime.

Colorado could start any combination of three from Justin Mayers, Kahlil Benson, Kareem Harden, Tyler Johnson, Yakiri Walker, Hank Zilinskas or Tyler Brown along the interior offensive line for Colorado State. The competition at right tackle heading into Fort Collins will be between Kahlil Benson and Phil Houston.

Finding a run game

While the offensive line’s struggles have certainly affected the effectiveness of Colorado’s run game, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur must show greater dedication to running the ball for the Buffs to be successful against the Rams and moving forward.

Former Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden proved he deserved to see carries earlier and more often than he did against Nebraska but the Buffs’ best running back was ruled out with a foot injury by Coach Prime on Tuesday. Charlie Offerdahl will continue to see a substantial workload but the question going into Colorado State is how much work will Micah Welch and Isaiah Augustave see against the Rams? Freshman athlete Drelon Miller should also factor in for Pat Shurmur and the run game after taking the first handoff of the season from Shedeur Sanders against NDSU.

Coach Prime spoke about Colorado’s need to establish a run game and what he told the Buffs’ offensive line after the loss to the Huskers.

“It just depends on the flow of the game, but we got to do a better job of running the football that takes a lot of pressure off your quarterback and makes things easier for Pat,” said Coach Prime.

“It’s an attitude, it’s a straight attitude. You got to whoop your guy on that particular play and I think we’ve committed to [the run] on certain plays. We just got to do a better job in getting to first down.”

Against the Huskers, Colorado’s running backs rushed the ball 11 times for only 42 yards. Colorado’s first designed rush against Nebraska was called on a fourth and one from the Nebraska 28-yard line resulting in a turnover on downs. The Buffs are currently ranked 134th out of 134 FBS teams in terms of rushing yards per game (37.5 ypg). There’s nowhere but up to go.

Next man up

Colorado’s depth is already being tested and we have yet to hit the halfway point in September. Multiple players must step up for injured starters as the Buffs turn the page from Nebraska to Colorado State.

Shilo Sanders was quickly taken to the locker room and ruled out after breaking his forearm in the first quarter against the Huskers. Shilo revealed in a YouTube video on his channel that he had already undergone surgery and should be back sooner than later but must heal from the incision of the operation. Coach Prime said the timeline for Shilo’s return will be two to three weeks.

Defensive linemen Chidozie Nwankwo and Taurean Carter also left the game against Nebraska with injuries with the former being seen in a sling after the game. Coach Prime did not share an update on Carter’s status but gave an optimistic timeline for Nwankwo.

“We’re praying for [Nwankwo] that he can make it back. I like to see one good day of practice before we put those guys out there,” said Coach Prime.

Isaiah Hardge also suffered an injury against the Cornhuskers and was ruled out by Coach Prime ahead of Colorado State.

LaVonta Bentley has been one of Colorado’s best defensive players so far but also came out of Saturday’s loss banged up. Linebackers coach Andre Hart provided an update on Bentley’s status on Wednesday.

“I tried to keep him out a little bit [on Wednesday], he fought me on it,” said Coach Hart. “We’ve gotten with the trainers and we put a plan together to hold him out and just get some mental reps. That’s the biggest thing for him, get back there, get some mental reps, make sure the foot is ready to go when we get ready to play so you can play at your absolute best.”

If Coach Prime can iron out Colorado’s issues and the Buffs can hold on while recovering from early season injuries, CU could be hitting their stride before the toughest stretch of their schedule hits.