D.J. Eliot has a challenging task ahead of him in his first game as Colorado’s defensive coordinator - stop a prolific Colorado State offense that has seemingly scored at will since Nick Stevens reclaimed the starting job midway through last season.
Mike MacIntyre, though, is confident Eliot and the Buffaloes defense, which feature several new starters, will get the job done, perhaps not to the same level as last year in the Buffaloes’ dominating 44-7 win but enough for Colorado to capture the Rocky Mountain Showdown for the third straight year and the sixth time in the last eight years.
“We have guys out there that I know can make plays and do things,” MacIntyre said Tuesday during his first weekly press conference of the 2017 season. “The question is what happens when a guy makes a play on you. Are you going to come back and compete or are you going to push back and not fight as hard? That’s something we talk about all the time. That’s something I want to see out of our guys.
“They’re going to make some plays on us. But when they make plays, how are we going to respond? We have some new guys in key positions that are going to get tested. They’ll make plays. I’m interested in seeing how we respond. I think I know what’s going to happen, but they have to go do it in the heat of the battle.”
In preparing for the Rams, MacIntyre, Eliot and the rest of CU’s defensive coaches scouted every game Colorado State played last season on video as well as Saturday’s runaway win over Oregon State in the debut of CSU’s new on-campus stadium. Thus, they’ve digested an enormous amount of data getting ready for Friday night’s clash.
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“I wasn’t surprised at how well they played (vs. Oregon State),” Macintyre said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “They were running the football well and made some plays offensively. I knew they would be excited and sky high playing in the new stadium. What I saw on film is what I’ve been seeing since the middle of last season.”
Besides the coaches, the CU players spent countless hours over the summer watching film of the Rams from last season.
“Our guys have been watching the film,” MacIntyre said. “They saw the plays (CSU) made (in the second half) of last year. Over and over and over. They watched last year’s (RMS) and saw how they improved as the year went along. (Saturday’s game) just put a stamp on it. They’re a good football team. They can make plays. They’re powerful offensively. Our guys understand how good they are. In no way, shape or form will our guys take CSU lightly. It’s a big game and a good rivalry with a lot of intensity involved. You have to come ready to play.”
A year ago, Rams QB Nick Stevens was just 6-of-20 passing for a meager 31 yards in the Rocky Mountain Showdown as CSU managed just 225 total offensive yards and 12 first downs. He was soon benched and didn’t get back onto the field until mid-season when serious injuries struck the players ahead of him on the depth chart.
Twelve months later, Stevens and the Colorado State offense are firing on all cylinders, with Saturday’s 58-27 win over the Beavers just the latest in a series of impressive offensive performances.
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MacIntyre said Stevens looks like a completely different quarterback now compared to last year’s lopsided loss to the Buffaloes when he could do little right.
“The thing I’ve noticed about Nick is he’s making quicker decisions,” MacIntyre said. “I noticed that the other day. He’s getting the ball out of his hands quicker and he knows where he’s going with the ball a fraction quicker. That helps him and his offensive line. We definitely have to get him off his spot some and be able to get to him.
"If we don’t get to him and he sits back there all day, he will have a good day. But he’ll make some plays because he knows where he’s going with the ball. It seems like he’s checking a little bit more. They’re doing more looks to the sidelines to get the right call and get themselves into the right play.”
While affecting Stevens and making him uncomfortable in the pocket is vitally important, Colorado will be without redshirt sophomore defensive end Frank Umu, who has been suspended indefinitely. MacIntyre declined on Tuesday to give a timetable for his return. Umu was named the Buffs’ most improved defensive lineman along with DT Lyle Tuiloma during spring practices, earning the Dan Stavely Award.
MacIntyre, who said Umu was suspended “for not choosing discipline in an area,” believes the Buffs have enough depth at defensive end to offset Umu’s absence.
“We have quite a few guys up there that can play,” MacIntyre said. “That’s the good thing. They have played well and played a lot of snaps. And we have some newcomers that have played really well in fall camp. We’ll rotate about five guys (at defensive end) depending on the personnel and what CSU is trying to do to us. They have multiple personnel groups like we do.”
Colorado State has enjoyed enormous success since switching to a fast-paced tempo, joining many other college programs in the popular trend.
“They’re playing at a higher tempo,” MacIntyre said. “They’re going at a fast paced. They did that on and off before when they would pick and choose. But it looks like they are doing that just about all the time now. In the regular flow of a game, they’re playing at a higher tempo.”
The Colorado secondary held CSU star receiver Michael Gallup to four receptions for 38 yards in last year’s game. But like the rest of the Rams offense, Gallup heated up in the second half of last season and his exceptional play carried over into Saturday’s season opener when he collected 11 receptions for 134 yards against Oregon State’s beleaguered secondary.
“He’s an excellent receiver,” MacIntyre said. “Last year, they tried to get him the ball quite a few times. But weren’t as successful as they were later in the season. He and Nick have better timing and how they’re utilizing him. Even last year, I could he was good. His athleticism, speed and size on the field (are impressive). He’s somebody we’re going to have to watch. He’ll make his catches, but we just have to keep him from being too explosive. Hopefully, we can corral him a little bit.”
