As Colorado prepares to welcome UCLA to Folsom Field for this upcoming Saturday's season opener, amongst the defensive staff and lineup, it doesn't matter who you talk to — the Buffs are getting ready for a showdown with versatile Bruins signal caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior became UCLA's starter last season and routinely displayed an ability to hurt opposing defenses through the air, with his legs and many times, in both fashions.
As a sophomore in 2019, he threw for 21 touchdowns and 2,701 yards while also rushing for four more touchdowns.
Against Colorado, he was 21-of-28 with 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns plus 60 yards of rushing on 11 carries.
The way CU outside linebackers coach Brian Michalowski sees it, Thompson-Robinson ended the 2019 season on a high note and thus should arrive in Boulder for his first start as an upperclassman with a good deal of confidence.
Keeping an eye on him in the pocket will be of chief importance on Nov. 7.
“He’s obviously a great quarterback first," Michalowski said. "He can really zip the ball in there and has got elite arm talent. But what he can do with his legs is something that we’re certainly aware of. We have to do a great job of containing him and keeping him in the pocket. That’s always the game plan with quarterbacks of his mobility."
"He’s certainly developed and you see him play with confidence towards the end of the year, especially in — he had a good game against USC, a good game against Cal, as well, after we played them. He was someone that we faced some challenges with last year but we’re up for the challenge this year.”
Sophomore safety Mark Perry knows Thompson-Robinson personally. Being a southern California guy (Rancho Cucamonda) himself, he's acquainted with more than a handful of the Bruins' players.
For Perry, discipline will be key for CU's defensive backs in staying on top of their pass coverage assignments while also properly judging when to break off of coverage and move downfield to engage Thompson-Robinson should he decide to run the ball.
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“It just lets us know that we’re going to have to just really be disciplined with our eyes and stay on our receivers because he can scramble and get out of the pocket," Perry said. "You’ve got to stay with your guy and keep your eyes focused on your man. DTR is a really good quarterback. He has a lot of strengths — he has a good deep ball and can get out of the pocket."
"I’ve known DTR for a little while. We have a personal relationship and I know a lot of these guys that play for UCLA. It’s going to be a good game, especially since we lost last year. We have a chip on our shoulder this year.”
While Perry and the DBs will certainly be expected to be reinforcements to the front seven if Thompson-Robinson tries to flex his legs, senior ILB Nate Landman will have more of a front row seat to preventing that.
Landman led Colorado with 11 tackles last Nov. 2 on the road at UCLA and he also managed to sack Thompson-Robinson twice.
Due to Thompson-Robinson's versatility, Landman and Colorado's defenders have to be sound in both run defense and in coverage.
“You can’t focus on one thing," Landman said. "Some quarterbacks are pocket passers and some guys are just runners. He can do a little bit of both — he can do a lot of a bit of both, actually — he’s a tremendous athlete and we’ve got to focus on containing him and not losing our leverage. That raises issues."
"He's able to extend plays with his feet. Back in our coverage with our secondary, we’ve got to be able to match routes and plaster routes while he’s escaping the pocket. His ability to make plays and extend plays will be a problem."
The Buffs and Bruins kickoff from Folsom Field at 5 p.m. MST on Saturday, Nov. 7.
