For those who missed Colorado’s unusual Friday night season opener against UNC and perhaps scrolled around online, coming across a box score from the game that showed a 35-7 final score in favor of CU, seeing that likely would have indicated a sound victory by the Buffs over a visiting FCS foe.
After all, most of the betting odds had the Buffaloes as at least a 35-point favorite heading into Friday night. CU won by 28;Cu didn't cover the spread, but close enough, right?
Well, a deeper investigation into the Buffaloes’ (1-0) first game of 2021 would reveal a number of concerning aspects.
For starters, Colorado was undisciplined for the entirety of the contest; CU racked up an alarming 117 penalty yards on 12 flags, with numerous 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties being assessed on the Buffs.
As the third quarter came to an end, Northern Colorado saw a drive extended twice by two Colorado penalties: the first being an unsportsmanlike conduct by junior defensive lineman Jalen Sami, while junior safety Isaiah Lewis was flagged for defensive pass interference shortly thereafter.
Sami’s transgression extended the Bears’ drive on fourth down from Colorado’s 29-yard line while the play directly after Lewis’ DPI, UNC signal caller Dylan McCaffrey found Kassidy Woods for a 34-yard touchdown, which went for the Bears’ only points of the evening.
At the end of the day, the Buffs won in a blowout but for Karl Dorrell, the hefty amount of penalty yards had to have been frustrating if not concerning as CU now prepares to face No. 6 Texas A&M in Denver next Saturday.
“We were fortunate enough to make a few more plays than (UNC),” Dorrell said after the game. ‘I’m really disappointed in the discipline of our team right now. That’s where I’m frustrated. We should have played a lot cleaner...it’s very uncharacteristic of the type of team that I’m coaching and we’ll get those things fixed.”
Secondly, if Colorado’s win over UNC proved anything, it was that second-year freshman Brendon Lewis still has a ways to go in terms of progressing into a trustworthy starting quarterback.
Lewis had less passing yards (102) than the Buffaloes did penalty yards (117).
By game’s end, Lewis had produced a stat line that read 10-of-15 with 102 yards and a touchdown through the air. He also rushed eight times for 44 yards.
Lewis’ main infractions were less with what he did and more with what he did not.
Throughout the game, he was hesitant to throw any passes of significant distance and missed open men (junior wideout Daniel Arias was victim of this on multiple occasions) more than once.
Ultimately, Lewis’ downfield vision looked to be a second-plus on delay at times; with and without facing pressure, Lewis proved to be slow on some occasions in identifying open men.
“It felt good getting the win but I felt I didn't — I played decent, but I definitely could have played better,” Lewis said. “I was kind of disappointed in way (because) I missed a few throws. I’m just going to come back next week and get better and better.”
That being said, Lewis didn’t have any interceptions or interception scares throughout the game.
His final stats were modest but clean and looking down the barrel, at least for now, all that was proven Friday night is that CU’s freshman signal caller has some areas to improve upon.
Certainly, he is not alone in that regard amongst quarterbacks his age and even those with multiple years of college ball under their belts.
After all, most of the betting odds had the Buffaloes as at least a 35-point favorite heading into Friday night. CU won by 28;Cu didn't cover the spread, but close enough, right?
Well, a deeper investigation into the Buffaloes’ (1-0) first game of 2021 would reveal a number of concerning aspects.
For starters, Colorado was undisciplined for the entirety of the contest; CU racked up an alarming 117 penalty yards on 12 flags, with numerous 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties being assessed on the Buffs.
As the third quarter came to an end, Northern Colorado saw a drive extended twice by two Colorado penalties: the first being an unsportsmanlike conduct by junior defensive lineman Jalen Sami, while junior safety Isaiah Lewis was flagged for defensive pass interference shortly thereafter.
Sami’s transgression extended the Bears’ drive on fourth down from Colorado’s 29-yard line while the play directly after Lewis’ DPI, UNC signal caller Dylan McCaffrey found Kassidy Woods for a 34-yard touchdown, which went for the Bears’ only points of the evening.
At the end of the day, the Buffs won in a blowout but for Karl Dorrell, the hefty amount of penalty yards had to have been frustrating if not concerning as CU now prepares to face No. 6 Texas A&M in Denver next Saturday.
“We were fortunate enough to make a few more plays than (UNC),” Dorrell said after the game. ‘I’m really disappointed in the discipline of our team right now. That’s where I’m frustrated. We should have played a lot cleaner...it’s very uncharacteristic of the type of team that I’m coaching and we’ll get those things fixed.”
Secondly, if Colorado’s win over UNC proved anything, it was that second-year freshman Brendon Lewis still has a ways to go in terms of progressing into a trustworthy starting quarterback.
Lewis had less passing yards (102) than the Buffaloes did penalty yards (117).
By game’s end, Lewis had produced a stat line that read 10-of-15 with 102 yards and a touchdown through the air. He also rushed eight times for 44 yards.
Lewis’ main infractions were less with what he did and more with what he did not.
Throughout the game, he was hesitant to throw any passes of significant distance and missed open men (junior wideout Daniel Arias was victim of this on multiple occasions) more than once.
Ultimately, Lewis’ downfield vision looked to be a second-plus on delay at times; with and without facing pressure, Lewis proved to be slow on some occasions in identifying open men.
“It felt good getting the win but I felt I didn't — I played decent, but I definitely could have played better,” Lewis said. “I was kind of disappointed in way (because) I missed a few throws. I’m just going to come back next week and get better and better.”
That being said, Lewis didn’t have any interceptions or interception scares throughout the game.
His final stats were modest but clean and looking down the barrel, at least for now, all that was proven Friday night is that CU’s freshman signal caller has some areas to improve upon.
Certainly, he is not alone in that regard amongst quarterbacks his age and even those with multiple years of college ball under their belts.
