The Colorado Buffalos have just dominated the Utah Utes 49-24 and are two wins away from playing in the Big 12 Championship. Here are my takeaways:
Defense Is Legit:
The Buffs' defense is no joke. In a day where the offense was a bit shaky at times, the defense made the big play to prevent any real shot of a comeback Utah had. An example was early in the game when Shedeur threw an interception on the opening possession, and the defense could hold Utah to just 3 points, preventing them from gaining too much momentum. They finished the game with four turnovers forced. They also had Utah's QB under duress the entire game, causing him to be the catalyst of the four turnovers (3 Interceptions and 1 Fumble). If they can continue to play at this level, they have a real chance of going further than just participating in the Big 12 Championship.
Travis Continues Heisman Run
I know that Ashton Jeanty is fun to watch, but so is Travis Hunter. He doesn't take a playoff and can compete at a high level on both offense and defense, which speaks volumes to his work ethic. He had an interception and receiving TD today. He continues to make plays that don't make sense, and if Colorado can advance to the college football playoffs, it will be because of Hunter and his greatness. He deserves that Heisman Trophy.
Winning is an Expectation
The Buffs, for the first part of Coach Prime's tenure, were looked at as the scrappy team that would compete hard and give their opponents their best shot but fall short in big moments because of their lack of experience in big games. That has now changed. The team is now an offensive powerhouse with a defense that makes timely plays. They are no longer the underdogs. They are a legitimate threat to the top teams in the nation. Joe Klatt, former Buffs QB, said it perfectly on the broadcast today. He said that the Buffs haven't looked their best for large stretches of this game and still put up 49 points on arguably the best defense in the conference. Fun fact: the last team to score 49+ against Utah vs Oregon back in 2014, and they made it to the National Championship. That's the sign of a team that comes into a game expecting to win rather than hoping to win. The cultures have completely shifted over these last 2 years, and it's exciting to see what they can do to end the season.
It's unfathomable that this team lost 11 games two years ago with an average margin of 29 points. And now they control their destiny to make the Big 12 Championships with a good chance to advance to the college football playoffs. I've said it 1,000 times, and I will say it for the 1,001th time: give Coach Prime his flowers!
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