True freshman Owen McCown had Colorado’s best passing performance in the last two years -- the best since Sam Noyer’s 258-yard game in 2020 against Utah -- and following McCown’s 258-yard output vs. UCLA on Saturday, he will maintain the starting job again this week against Arizona, coach Karl Dorrell said Monday.
McCown's emergence, as he completed 26 of 42 passes with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the loss to the Bruins, qualifies as relative progress for the Buffaloes' lagging offense.
But the first-year QB can't alone deliver the Buffs the breakthrough they so badly need this week against a still-developing 2-2 Arizona team that got blown out by Cal last weekend.
While McCown represents some hope at the QB position, there are still of course various other problems on both sides of the ball that are the reason Colorado has lost all four of its game by 25 or more points.
“Some positive notes on the offensive side,” Dorrell said. “We got to continue to get better with our production and efficiency, and then defensively, we just have to have the consistency and the execution in our calls. The call should be the same every time whenever the call is being made, and a guy's doing the same role. So we got to get everybody on the same page doing those things. So we feel like we're heading in the right direction, but, obviously, a tremendous amount of work to do.”
Last year, Colorado shutout the Wildcats, 34-0, but Colorado now stands as a 17.5-point underdog. That encapsulates just how much the Buffs have struggled through the first four games.
This should be a winnable game for Colorado -- Arizona just allowed 599 yards, including 354 rushing yards, in a 49-31 loss to Cal -- but the Buffs haven't even come close to beating anyone yet this fall.
They also are dealing with a significant injury list as RB Alex Fontenot, S Isaiah Lewis and WR Chase Sowell are “doubtful” to play in Tucson. TE Brady Russell is also operating on a day-to-day basis after enduring a low-grade ankle sprain against UCLA.
Dorrell and the Buffs continue to uncover any remaining stones that could shift the tide of this team, but any potential offensive sparks -- or a chance at a win -- have been extinguished by defensive errors.
“We felt five plays were the result of 28 points last week,” Dorrell said. “Five plays and we know what they are -- missed tackles. We're a little thin up front, where balls are pushing through quickly getting to our safety, and we're not making those plays. So we have a lot of things to clean up.”
One doesn't need to watch the tape of the Buffs' latest lopsided loss to concur.
The need to play better football and shore up the many issues that plague the team are familiar talking points each week for Dorrell. The ice at Dorrell’s feet grows increasingly thin as signs of any progress are few.
Arizona is in the second season of its rebuild under coach Jedd Fisch, after going 1-11 last fall. The Wildcats have showed signs of an upward trajectory, though, with eaarly wins over San Diego State and North Dakota State, led by QB transfer Jayden de Laura (from Washington State) and WR transfer Jacob Cowing (from UTEP). de Laura has passed for 1,149 yards (albeit with an 8/6 touchdown-to-interception mark) while Cowing has 28 catches for 386 yards and 6 TDs.
With Lewis out at free safety, sophomore Jeremy Mack Jr. is next in line to step in and try to limit the Wildcats’ passing game on Saturday.
As it has been to this point, however, the Buffs' biggest challenge is within. The staff and players have taken a close look at film and scrutinized what's gone wrong so far. Whether they can fix it remains to be seen ...
“Our Sundays, when we dissect and diagnose the game, we really go through every detail,” Dorrell said. “The good, the bad, and really, we're trying to build off of the things we've done well, to try to build some consistency, some in our execution, so that our production is better.”
The fan base resoundingly blames Dorrell for Colorado’s dismal start to the season, but ILB Josh Chandler-Semedo sees it differently.
“All the blame should be toward [the players],” he said. “We’re putting the product on the field. Be mad at us; don’t be mad at any coaches.”
