INSTANT ANALYSIS: Colorado takes care of Texas State, 37-3
Colorado didn't play their sharpest game against the Texas State Bobcats in Folsom Field on Saturday afternoon, but the Buffaloes still won comfortably at 37-3. The game was close throughout the first half, but Colorado put up 17 points in the third quarter on their way to routing their Sun Belt opponent.
Buffaloes' quarterback Steven Montez completed 19-0f-31 passes for 299 yards and a touchdown. He had the offense's first touchdown as he pounded in a rushing score.
Colorado ran their workhorse early and often, but Phillip Lindsay struggled to break free as he did not have a single run eclipse ten yards. He finished with 87 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries - averaging just 3.3 yards per carry.
Bryce Bobo and Shay Fields led the way receiving for Colorado as Bobo hauled in seven pass for 75 yards and a score, and Fields caught five passes for 110 yards.
Defensively, Drew Lewis and Evan Worthington led Colorado in tackles with Lewis racking up 10 total tackles and Worthington recording nine total tackles as well as two tackles for loss.
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SLUGGISH START: Texas State started the game with a 55 yard rush from Anthony Taylor, but kicker James Sherman gave CU a break as he missed a 32-yard field goal wide left. The Colorado defense didn't look sharp in the first quarter, but it was the offense that was very sluggish.
The Buffs punted the ball on their first three possessions but were bailed out on a near-disaster punt return when Isaiah Oliver fumbled and Laviska Shenault recovered it and ran for a touchdown.
Colorado's offense was jump started with a 44 yard connection from Montez to Fields and a 28 yard completion to Bobo was a highlight reel reception. Montez capped the drive off with a 2 yard score to give the Buffs a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. The Buffs' offense was stagnant the following two drives though as they mustered just one first down and went into the locker room with a lead of just 14-0.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Texas State only gained 283 yards on the day, but they absolutely had some success running the ball in the first half. They had 106 rushing yards in the first half, so when the score was at 17-3 in the third quarter, there was still some worry that Colorado wouldn't blow the game open. Colorado was struggling to run the ball too.
After Oliver's beautiful interception, Colorado had great field position at the Bobcats' 35 yard line. Colorado ran Lindsay three straight times but did not pick up a first down - facing a fourth and one. The Buffs went for it at the Texas State 26 yard line, and when Lindsay converted the run in the I-formation, that's when the game was over and Texas State seemed to lose hope. Lindsay capped off the drive with a 7 yard score and the Buffs never looked back with the 24-3 lead.
SURPRISING PERFORMANCE I: The Colorado special teams. James Stefanou knocked in field goals of 35, 34, and 40 yards and did not miss an attempt. Punter Alex Kinney had an excellent first half when Colorado struggled to move the ball. He had six punts resulting in 298 yards. Two punts were downed inside the TXST 20 and three punts went for 50+ yards. Colorado also had the "right place at the right time touchdown" with Shenault taking the Oliver punt return fumble to the house.
SURPRISING PERFORMANCE II: Leo Jackson came into Saturday's game with two career sacks, and he wrecked havoc in the Bobcats' backfield and totaled three sacks. Along with his three big sacks, Jackson added two solo tackles. He was impressive, but you also have to credit the CU defensive backs for their excellent coverage - allowing Jackson to get those sacks.
THE STATS DON'T LIE: I mentioned this earlier, but it was puzzling that Lindsay was bottled up all afternoon. The stat that shows his struggle against TXST was his longest run on the afternoon went for nine yards. 26 attempts for 87 yards against a Sun Belt team left much more to be desired for Lindsay. The Colorado offensive line did not have a great showing in the run game.
UP NEXT: Colorado hosts Northern Colorado next Saturday (9/16) and will look to improve their record to 3-0 before Washington comes to town on September 23. The UNC-CU matchup will kickoff at 12:00pm MT in Boulder and can be seen on the Pac-12 Network.