The road doesn’t get any easier for the Cowboys after losing 33-6 to Utah last weekend, as they travel to take on fellow Big 12 opponent Colorado and Deion Sanders in their final non-conference tilt of the season.
Get to Know Colorado
The Buffaloes have struggled with an identity–particularly at the quarterback position–in their opening three game swing of the season.
Holding a 1-2 record, the Buffaloes have befell to a now ranked Georgia Tech team and conference foe Houston. Their only win came at home against Delaware, a team in its first year transitioning to the FBS level after previously playing at the FCS level.
The biggest question mark remains at quarterback for the Buffaloes, as the Cowboys will have to prepare for three separate contenders at that position. The Buffaloes rode with Ryan Staub–who was their third string quarterback at the beginning of the season–in their last contest against Houston, as Staub finished with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions while completing a little over half of his passes. That performance hasn’t exactly solidified a starter at the position for the upcoming tilt, leaving the door open for Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter to steal back the starting position or for five-star freshman Julian Lewis to have a stab at it.
“We’ve gotta prepare for all of it,” Sawvel said of the Buffaloes’ quarterback carousel. “I don’t know that they alter their offense dramatically between each one of them.”
The Buffaloes do have more consistent weapons at their skill positions, however, as running backs Simeon Price and Micah Welsh have both rushed for touchdowns so far this season, with Price averaging just over a yard per carry. The Cowboys will also have their hands full covering a deep wide receivers’ group, as the Buffaloes currently have no receiver with over 10 catches, but 10 separate players with four or more catches.
The Cowboy offense struggled mightily against a stout Utah defense, finishing with only 229 yards of offense against the Utes while only finding the endzone once. They will have to be much sharper against the Buffaloes’ defensive unit, which has shown cracks this season after giving up 36 points and 431 yards against Houston.
Special Teams Continues to be Big Factor to Cowboys’ Success
Sawvel has been extremely pleased with the special teams’ unit this season, an often underlooked group that can make or break a team–something Sawvel learned the hard way a year ago.
“A year ago we were just holding on at special teams, but right now we are better in all of those areas,” Sawvel said.
Whether it was pinning the Utes at their own one yard line or blocking a field goal as the first half expired, the Cowboys’ special teams did everything they could to keep the team in a competitive battle in the first half of last weekend’s game, and there is no doubt that group will continue to play hard and be a difference maker for the Cowboys all season long.
“We’ve blocked a kick in each game, so that’s a positive. I don’t know if I can expect that every single week, but that’s been a great thing,” Sawvel said.
Cowboys Need More Receivers Involved in the Offense
While the Buffaloes’ receiving corps has certainly shared the wealth when it comes to their production, the Cowboys’ room looks much different. Chris Durr Jr. has been a clear standout, currently sitting at 16 catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns.
The production takes a nose dive after that.
John Michael Gyllenborg has snagged half the catches Durr has with eight, and has only rolled up 84 yards and a single touchdown. Jackson Holman isn’t far behind Gyllenborg with five catches for 82 yards–but after that, no other receiver has been able to achieve above 40 yards.
“To some degree it’s the fact that you have a number of players that are either new or new to their position,” Sawvel added of the offensive struggles.
The Cowboys’ top receiver from a season ago, Jaylen Sargent, has not yet found his footing this year after leading the Cowboys in receiving yards a season ago. Young receivers Bricen Brantley and Charlie Coenen have shown flashes at times, but haven’t caught more than three balls this season. Experienced transfers Eric Richardson and Michael Fitzgerald have also struggled early in their D-I debuts, as Richardson has only caught one ball for four yards and Fitzgerald has yet to get on the board this season.
That all has to change if the Cowboys want a chance to win in Boulder this weekend.
“We have to be better,” Sawvel emphasized. “We are not where we need to be offensively yet, and we need to get that fixed ASAP.”
