Pac-12 play for Colorado kicks off Saturday with a matchup against UCLA at Folsom Field, the Buffs’ first home game in more than three weeks.
Reeling from an unsightly 0-3 start, plenty of questions still surround Colorado, from what it might look like against the Bruins to larger, more existential quandaries about the program and its leadership.
To get you ready for kickoff, CU Sports Report staff writers Nicolette Edwards and Craig Meyer break down the Buffs’ convoluted quarterback competition, coach Karl Dorrell’s job security and attendance projections before offering up their score predictions for Saturday.
As we must ask every week, who plays quarterback this week for the Buffs?
Nicolette: Similar to head coach Karl Dorrell, I’ve run out of options. Neither J.T. Shrout nor Brendon Lewis are playing well.
Dorrell took freshman Owen McCown off the bench in the fourth quarter after Shrout’s final drive and only score. In those last 4 minutes, and his first drive this season, he threw for more yards (52) than Lewis and Shrout combined (38) vs. Minnesota. McCown provided a very small glimmer of offensive hope, but now rotating three quarterbacks, I believe, hinders the goal of getting the offense on the same page.
The offense yearns for continuity and having three quarterbacks puts it at a further disadvantage. Lewis, Shrout and McCown possess different play styles and I believe neither Dorrell nor the players know what to anticipate when either one of them takes the field.
The play begins with the quarterback, and for Colorado plays cannot progress further due to unstable nature at this position group. They need one QB leader who is able to orchestrate the offense so the other 10 men can accurately and effectively follow suit.
I am still pointing to Shrout to take the starting role. He is still finding his footing. He played in mostly suboptimal conditions. Give him a full game against UCLA and Arizona, and depending on his progress, reevaluate during the bye week before Cal. Shrout should start to continue his development, but I think Dorrell will start McCown to further evaluate his capabilities and see if he can create that spark the offense desperately needs.
Regardless of who starts, “we still have a lot of work to do,” Dorrell said on the QB situation after Minnesota. “We got a ton of work to do. I know.”
Craig: I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve given up trying to guess. Much of what Karl Dorrell has done at that position this season has perplexed me and gone against what would seem to be conventional wisdom.
What was a two-quarterback carousel has recently added another passenger in Owen McCown, as Dorrell noted this week that the 175-pound freshman has taken first-team reps after impressing on Colorado’s final drive of the afternoon in a loss last Saturday at Minnesota. In that game, Dorrell made the befuddling decision to alternate between J.T. Shrout and Brendon Lewis, never giving either quarterback more than one drive at a time. I can’t imagine the Buffs coach would try something similar but with three quarterbacks this time, but I’ve become numb to surprises with the way that position has been handled a quarter of the way through the season.
Does Karl Dorrell last the whole season as coach?
Nicolette: In any potential friendship or relationship, red flags become apparent the more time spent with the person. In a football context, Dorrell raised various red flags as the season progressed because his words do not match up with his actions.
Dorrell provides insufficient reassurances that himself and the program will do better, but in the following week, he’s repeating the same statements that he did the week prior. Let’s look at his comments after games and at his Monday press conferences this season
TCU postgame: “We’re going to have to get better so it’s one game down and 11 to go and we know in that locker room we can get a lot better.”
Sept. 5 Monday presser: “We feel that we’re gonna get ourselves back on track with a good week of practice and hopefully showing that improvement on Saturday.”
Air Force postgame: “The same story I keep talking about right now. I’m tired of really talking about it. We need to put it out front and play and we need to coach better. We need to play better.”
Sept. 12 Monday presser: “We’re in a hole, but we can get ourselves out of it. We can if we play better football. We’ve had good practices. We’ve got to make sure…we actually play that way we do in practice in games."
Sept. 14 Wednesday presser: “We’ve had really good practices. The details heightened. The execution has been heightened.”
Minnesota postgame: “Sometimes it takes a little longer than my expectations. And evidently that is the case right now, but we got to continue to work. Continue to coach them well to get them to improve and play better football.”
Sept. 19 Monday Presser: “We have to play better football, but we're capable of playing better football and we can be the type of team that we all envision ourselves to be.”
Sept. 21 Wednesday presser: “Good energy, good practice, good work.”
These alleged “good practices'' produced immediate turnovers in the past two games, only three touchdowns – and two of those came in garbage time – the worst rush defense in the country and being outscored 128-30. I personally don’t know anyone that approves of Dorrell as head coach other than athletic director Rick George.
From George’s statement last week, the department is not willing to buyout the rest of his approximate $8.7 million dollar contract. The department has the option to pay out the rest of his contract through monthly installments (~362,500 per month) over two years while he seeks a new coaching position. If he does find a new position, more of that $8.7 million allowance will lessen from the income of his future employer, according to Dorrell’s contract with Colorado.
