A sense of urgency to obtain the Buffs’ first win is settling in. Midway through the week, head coach Karl Dorrell is optimistic that come Saturday, the game won’t be a repeat of the last two weeks.

“I'm very happy with where we are at the midpoint of the week,” Dorrell said. “We're going to play better. I know that we're gonna play better on Saturday. I know that we're excited about that, getting a chance to show that's not what we normally would do in these first couple of games, so hopefully we'll get something that's a breakthrough for us.”

OL Casey Roddick mentioned Saturday that Colorado's practices are not translating into its games. In efforts to change this outcome, Dorrell and the staff integrated more competitive elements focused on fundamentals and detailed work to get the offense on the same page.

“We got different schemes out there so we’re all trying to be on the same page and we’re rotating a lot of guys in, but once we get that going, we got to continue to get that going and make sure that we handle our game plan to the highest [level],” WR R.J. Sneed said.

One player taking it easier in practice this week is RB Alex Fontenot. He bruised his chest during the Air Force game, but, “there is a chance” he’ll be active for Minnesota according to Dorrell.

Even if Colorado’s preparation is more thorough and effective than in weeks prior, the Gophers outmatch the Buffaloes by a significant margin on both sides of the ball.

Minnesota currently has the No.1 defense in the country allowing 142.5 total yards per game and the No.1 offense averaging 582 yards per game.

Colorado’s practices truly need to be game-changing offensively in order to compete with the Gophers' defense. They also have the No. 2 scoring defense (5.0), third-best rush defense (36.5) and the fifth-ranked passing defense (106.0). No other defense in the country ranks in the top-20 in each of those four categories.

Minnesota’s schedule so far is — comparatively — much easier than Colorado’s resulting in these top ranks in multiple categories. However, from the Buffs’ and the Gophers’ last encounter and CU’s offensive production this season, another demoralizing loss is most likely on the horizon for the Buffs.

“Our practices have been fairly efficient regardless, but you can see the heightened awareness about really trying to hit every pass and team periods, things like that,” Dorrell said. “I'm encouraged with how their antennas are up higher and with more urgency about learning and getting things cleaned up.”

Colorado does have Minnesota’s previous offensive coordinator Mike Sanford and tight ends coach Clay Patterson on its sideline now. They’re providing valuable insights on personnel and some perspective on the Gophers' defensive tendencies.

The Buffs may have a coaching advantage, but it ultimately comes down to the players’ execution. Minnesota possesses an upper hand in that front returning 10 of its 11 starters this season. It will be a similar, if not better, team from when it took Folsom in 2021.