Home Football Colorado Post-Game

Colorado Post-Game

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Curious to hear what you all take away from this game.

I thought the game would be closer, so I don’t know if I should be impressed by the D, chalk it up to a horrible CO squad, or a mix of both (probably). They played well, which I did not expect, but it was versus an immobile QB who couldn’t throw, either.

Did OSU turn a page today and are this good, or CO is just atrocious. Did we learn anything? Was this a case of program that’s stable and further along beating up on one that’s rebuilding from scratch?

Things that lead me to believe all is the same is that when CO picked up the tempo, OSU folded and gave up two TDs (out of three drives, I believe). Looked status quo to me. The Beavs have a legit passing game (obviously, with a couple future pros at WR and possible TE, QB, and C). But I expect more like 280 yards and 2 or 3TDs (and likely more turnovers) once the competition picks up. Liked what I saw from Chris Brown…a bit of a shifty, slashing style with size and decent speed. Why wait 5 weeks to give him carries? Caleb Smith is another standout. He has a pro body and now the production to back it up. If he can roam the middle the passing game will be that much more effective.

Finally, is “pass every down” OSU’s identity, and are you okay with that and think it’s a winning strategy going forward? My opinion: they need to at least run enough to set up play action and convert short yardage. So something like 60-70 yards per game with a fairly high (4.5+) ypc. If they run that effectively they can probably keep passing this much. If not, no.

123 COMMENTS

  1. What I think we know at this point:

    Losing, or winning, Riley is a smiling idiot. It’s nice Mannion got the single game TD passing record, but pursuing it with a 5 TD lead when you’re entire season rides on your passing game is just stupid. I’m glad Mannion got it safely, but….

    USC’s Lee is not the best receiver in the Pac. He may be tied with Cooks, but he’s not better. Cooks is a monster. Curious if anybody here watches USC and what they think about which is the top WR in the conference.

    Didn’t Brown – admittedly probably playing some second string defenders – look like a threat to take it the next level? Refreshing.

    Any team just needs to run up tempo agains OSU. OSU simply does not respond well, and does not look well-conditioned against up tempo offenses. OSU needs to change this systematically in practice and run both units up tempo for conditioning and prep against a Pac slate that featers a slew of up tempo offenses.

    Mannion looks extremely draftable. His current pace is unlikely in the upcoming schedule, but he looks great. 2,000+ yards and 21(?) TDs already?!? Therefore, Vanderveen needs to start getting reps if/when possible. Riley claims the kid could play now if needed. Vaz is a known commodity and “relief pitcher” in my opinion. Start getting Vanderveen some experience. Even if Mannion doesn’t leave next spring, Vaz won’t be back next year and Vanderveen needs game time.

    CU will likely lose out.

    OSU should get to a mediocre bowl, as they are capable of beating WSU, Cal, USC, and a toss up game. I see no reason to trust the defense at this point and blowout losses are ahead.

  2. It looked like the handful of plays where CU’s QB kept the ball and ran it, we struggled to stop him. Luckily that only happened twice (once, Johnson I think made a nice td saving tackle)
    I still think any mobile qb is going to have a field day running on our D. So basically we should be ok vs Cal/USC. Stanford might be a closer game than people think. ASU/UW will be shootouts and UO will still he a blowout.

    • I think OSU’s D is really going to struggle with the upcoming schedule. I think they will compete with Stanford, but UW, ASU, and UO could be blowouts, certainly UO.

      OT, but maybe one of the more intriguing game on the Pac slate is UO at UW. UW has Duck envy, up tempo offense, “chrome” helmets. But they seem to be effectively applying the up tempo offense and buying into Wilcox and his coaching. The expanded stadium will be full of duck haters, and we’ll see how UO handles flattery (imitation).

  3. Colorado is bad. And we did what we should have done to them (finally). Defense played well, I didn’t see anything that was bad; they tackled better, good coverage down field, good pass rush. I think today Mannion (although he set the record, great accomplishment) I think he missed a lot of throws that he was making in the first games. I was at the game and the weather was not ideal for throwing (or kicking) the wind was really swirling today and when it was raining, the rain was coming down sideways, but stayed dry most of the game. Good going into the bye after a win.

    • I was there and concur. Mannion overthrew alot of receivers and was just a bit off. The receivers (other than Cooks) didn’t help much as they dropped a number of balls they should’ve caught.
      The only time Colorado moved the ball was when the second unit was in. The D finally put pressure on the QB that led to the two INTs and when there was a Colorado receiver open the QB just didn’t make a good throw. Encouraging signs on D but they didn’t seal the edge well enough. Even though Colorado ended up with 300 yds at the end of 3 Qs they only had 124.

      • Virginia scored more points on Oregon’s D than they did on Pitt today (only 3).
        Nicholls state shouldnt have scored at all. Tennessee blows for an Sec team. Scoring disparity isnt surprising

  4. Nobody should be doing cartwheels, but I’ll admit it feels pretty damn nice to get a drama free, takin’ care of business type win. It was great to see Brown get into the mix, and it looks like everything might be starting to slow down a bit for Bolden as well. The turnovers today didn’t really bother me, Uzo-whateverhisnameis is a big time player, and a crazy good edge rusher, so that’s gonna happen a couple times per season if he’s out there. The other one was a bit of an anomaly, because Mullaney’s got great hands but it’s likely the beavers will be playing in the rain again so he’s gotta be able to deal with it better.
    As for the defense, as nice as it was to see them play well it really doesn’t change anything for me. That quarterback is below average if you’re being generous, with a poor offensive line plus no mobility to speak of, and they only get two sacks? To me this is concerning. It’s worth acknowledging that there’s been improvement, Murphy was a beast today, Mageo is miles better than Skotte, etc. but it’s hard to say if there’s been enough to warrant more success, or if Colorado is even worse than Hawaii. I still have faith in the running game, one because I like Brown and Ward as runners, both guys are shifty and powerful with open field speed, and two because I’m sure the beavers are gonna be seeing more and more nickel to try to account for Cooks. W’s a W though go beavs.

  5. How soon is too soon for the “HeisMannion” talk? Still hasn’t played an elite defense, but he’s looking so solid right now. Curious how he’ll handle the teams with a good pass rush like Stanford. His completion % took a dip today, but thats understandable with the windy conditions.

    • The ewu loss will squash any heisman shot for mannion unless you’re talking about next year. That trophy is so political it’s silly but it would be nice exposure for our program to at least have someone invited.

  6. I’m ok with the passing ratio because it’s probably all the team has anyway. Most pro teams consider it a success to get 100 yards rushing in a game, so if they can improve just a little it will help.

    It’s the D that really needs to improve if there are going to be some upsets, but in the end this team is pegged for a second tier bowl game at best, so I’m enjoying the crazy passing stats for now since it gives the Beavs a little notoriety for the time being.

  7. Bowl hopes took a huge step forward with this win. Just 2 to go!
    Our D still sucks, but there were some good things from them today. Didn’t hurt that we played Colorado, though.

    Riley trying to go Mike Shanahan with Mannion up 28… Not sure what that was. Thank goodness he didn’t get hurt.

    • I’m guessing they thought they could get Sean a receiving TD. Not sure if I’ve ever seen a qb get one before. Its the type of play that would have gotten him noticed on the national sports scene, but way too risky and the cons far outweigh the pros on that type of call.

        • I’m not going to get on Riley’s case with the throw back to Mannion. I can be as critical of Riley as the next guy (yesteday’s case in point; the missed FG was emminently predictable; team was late
          getting out on the field, slow to line up, clock ticking down; should have called at TO. Romaine distracted = miss) but not here. We’re always criticizing the guy for his predictability here. Well,
          that wasnt’.

          • I noticed Riley’s comment about the bye and installing new stuff. Given some of his more daring play calls recently, I wonder if his degree of confidence in playmakers is a governing factor in how aggressive he decides to be. While Mannion and Cooks inspire confidence, to go creative with a patched up line seems out of character.

            Any thoughts on what new stuff might be installed? I’m wondering if something in the fake onsides/pooch kickoff might be in store. We’ll know he is serious about something really new if he closes practice for a few sessions.

  8. The wind was real stiff, Mannion missed quite a few intermediate passes. Mullaney had two just doink off his chest, but Mannion was rifling threw the wind. It was nice to see the run game back, butthey still ddidn’t have a lot lanes to run in. Brown looks promising, lucky he didn’t get benched after fumbling on his first touch.

    Colorado was bad, rusty and didn’t look comfortable in the conditions which were tough. I don’t think either of their lines are good, and we controlled both all day. Richardson only had one catch for 2 yds going into the fourth quarter where he got a few more and a td on Marble our 3rd string corner.

    I thought our defense turning the corner, still the corners were beaten a couple of times (Nelson) but the pass was either poorly thrown or the wind got it. But the DL started getting pressure and Johnson Had Mageo each had great games.

    I am really hoping in two weeks we see an OL that can create more lanes. Also, Manniob took a couple of more shots today. Teams will figure out to get pressure on him. He was 27-52 slightly over .500, and his worst accuracy this season, but a few drops and the condition were tough. But he also missed some throws, he could play better. I too thought vanderveen should have played.

    Good solid win. The crowd was lame and atmosphere compressed. Hope the recruits were not effected by that?

  9. Colorado was in a tough spot. 3 weeks off in bad conditions. They’re bad to begin with, and worse with the layoff. Not a good barometer for OSU. But seeing as how Riley uses nonconference as a preseason…we might be seeing a transformed squad. To be determined.

    CU is a few years out. But with macintyre, they’ve got a bright future, I think…

  10. 4 turnovers for Cal in the first quarter! 34-0 ducks and the Cal QB looks like a freshman. Don’t know how he put up the earlier numbers.

  11. Standford should be ahead by more. Wazzu playing tough, but are limited.
    Usc controlled the game for the most part, but turnovers have given it right back and Asu up 6 at half,but some bad luck or they would have two td’s instead of field goals.

      • Not sold on Sumlin. He lucked into Case Keenum and Johnny Manziel. His defense sucks. Give him a QB like Cody Kessler, and… yeah.

        So yes, give them Sumlin please :)

          • Wilcox will likely be a head coach within 2 years and I anticipate USC would interview him but wonder if they might be a tad gunshy to go with someone quite so young. Kiffin’s problems were not because of his age but if I was betting money I suspect they would rather have someone 44 or 45 then 38 or younger. That said I think Wilcox would be plenty capable at USC. Will be interesting to see how vocal the fanbase gets in support of who they want.

          • That would be hilarious. It could be a way for USC to stick it to the NCAA as well since he’s on the third year of a five year show cause penalty. And the timing is such that he can be hired and serve the five game suspension while just recruiting. It would just be funny as hell.

  12. On Friday, Scott toured Oregon’s month-old Hatfield-Dowlin Complex for football operations and said he was “incredibly impressed,” adding he considered “much of it” was over the top.

    No shit. And water is wet. Fortunately for me Dish will be here on Tuesday for installation and I can tell directv to suck my cock and why I am dropping them.

    http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2013/09/pac-12_commissioner_larry_scot_1.html#incart_river_default

      • concur. Chris Childers said on his national radio show he enjoyed hanging out in Corvallis on his own time than he did his assignment in covering the death star.

        • Yeah, I heard that Childer’s show. He also mentioned something about actually liking the OSU complex better because it felt like a football faciltiy. Oh course, tell that to a 17 year old kid who’s impressed by bells and whistles.

  13. A few thoughts I haven’t seen mentioned:

    Maybe it was because CU’s defense had already given up, but when we started running behind Ortiz more, lanes finally started opening up. Maybe we need to utilize a blocking fullback more to compensate for the o-line’s deficiencies.

    Also, the Brown-Ward I formation on third and short was awesome. I hope we see more of that if Anderson still can’t play in two weeks.

    Mannion was the nation’s leading passer this week and the game he had with Cooks is about as good as you could hope for with some big WR recruits in town. The crazy thing is, Mannion easily could have been close to 500 yards and 7TD’s on the day if it weren’t for the all the drops from our receivers.

    The HB pass with Ward has been run twice now and has produced a roughing the passer call both times. Maybe that’s the real intention of the play? When you have DE’s and LB’s pursuing the ball carrier, they’re not trained to let up on the RB like they are on the QB.

  14. Any chance Riley gets a call from usc? If he does we can guarantee another contract extension.

    This game was fun to watch. Seeing Cooks’ skill at making adjustments while the ball was in flight was amazing. 2 of the bombs were thrown in my direction allowing me a great view, very entertaining.

    As others have said, Brown fumbling on his first collegiate touch is an ominus start but it didn’t hurt us so maybe that’s the best scenario to get his attention and make him focus on ball security.

    Ward is a great 2nd hitter and I love his work ethic and attitude. He’s no Woods in the receiving hands department but the dude just grinds it out. Happy to see him get lots of touches today but realistically we’ll need Woods back soon for the remainder of our schedule.

  15. I was at the game yesterday and mannion can compensate for the wind quite easily; CU QB on the other hand, could not compensate for the wind. Hence why they tried running more vs passing. The other thing I saw was the defense is a wall in the middle, but outside contain is terrible and will frustrate us all season. I credit the wind storm as the 12th man yesterday for our defense.

  16. InsideUSC @InsideUSC
    Current #USC coaching candidates: 1. James Franklin (Vandy), 2. Jeff Fisher (Rams), 3. Jack Del Rio, 4. Chris Petersen (Boise)

    “Vanderbilt coach James Franklin, a brash, energetic 41-year-old who has turned a dismal Commodore program that went 2-10 before he arrived into one that finished in the Top 20 one year after he took over. Franklin’s a big personality, who like Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald has thrived in a high-academic environment while in an underdog program. My sources say if offered, Franklin would jump at the job.”

    • I think that naming Mike Riley to this list is just lazy journalism, but if he wants the job at this point more power to him.

      Kiffin is a complete asshole, but am I the only one who would like to see that smug smile knocked off of Pete Caroll’s face as he prances around the Seahawk sideline? Destroy an elite college football program and then become the darling comeback story of the NFL, nice work if you can get it. Great lesson in accountability.

      • With an NFL team that seems to enjoy its PEDs, so Pete’s success continues to be questionable….Watching Jim Harbaugh refer to Seattle as cheaters is kind of funny; I find it difficult to believe PED use isn’t a common practice in the NFL, including SF.

        Going off topic here but saw an article pointing out the use of PEDs in sports, and how it would be a nightmare for the NBA if they too started investigating and reporting the problem more responsibly (Dwight Howard’s growth cited as an example). The article went on to say that with all of the realities of pro/college sports (cheating, scandals, steroid and PED use), they don’t provide the escape they once did.

  17. Reading how Lane Kiffin was pulled off the team bus before leaving for the airport and fired on the spot. Team wemt home without him.
    Reminds me of some war movie where they pull the prisoner out of line and shoot them in front of everybody to send a message and everybody else goea about their business on their beat behavior. Seems a little unnecessarily dramatic

  18. @InsideUSC
    Throw Oregon State coach Mike Riley into mix. He would work for Pat Haden, didn’t really want to work for Mike Garrett #USC

    Mike Riley: “See Bobby, I am a lock for USC if I want the job.”
    Bobby D: “Mike, what will it take to keep you from greener pastures?”
    Mike Riley: “2 year extensions for every New Mexico or Kraft Bowl and immunity for Banker?”
    Bobby D: “Sold. But on one condition..”
    Mike Riley: “What’s that?”
    Bobby D: “Keep the spring games as scrimmages. We don’t want to bloat expectations when 6-6 is a job well done. I want an extension too come 2016.”
    Mike Riley: “Right, family atmosphere Bobby. Corvallis is too small for fireworks or spring games. Tell Ed Ray hi for me”
    Bobby D: “Of course. Well, Mike, I got you inked through 2027 now. Didn’t we just do this a few years ago?”
    [laughs]

  19. Yesterday’s game gave me some hope in that it looks like our defense is finally tackling. I know Colorado sucks right now but still D was actually wrapping up more times than not.
    I can only assume the wet mixed with Mannion’s 300 mph throws was causing the missed catches.
    I really liked Brown but I question if he was running against a gassed already defeated D so he looked good. One thing I noticed he did that was awesome was cut around to the outside when there were no holes.
    The bye timing seems good to me. Getting guys back on the field and allowing time for guys to heal.

  20. Top 25 ballot:

    1. Oregon
    2. Stanford
    3. Alabama
    4. Clemson
    5. Ohio State
    6. Louisville
    7. UCLA
    8. Georgia
    9. Miami
    10. Oklahoma
    11. Texas A&M
    12. Florida State
    13. Washington
    14. South Carolina
    15. LSU
    16. Baylor
    17. Northwestern
    18. Florida
    19. Michigan
    20. Arizona State
    21. Oregon State
    22. Fresno State
    23. Texas Tech
    24. Oklahoma State
    25. Maryland

  21. Nice to see Chip Kelly is already setting records in the NFL. He just helped Denver set their franchise high of 52 pts in a game, with 7 minutes still to go.

  22. Holy crap are people way off base. Reading different sites about people thinking of Riley going to USC and making way for the Beavs to hire a new young coach, all good so far, but then they all are salivating and chomping at the bit for a flashy spread option offense. Idiots! There is nothing wrong with OSUs offense (save for play calling and personnel). It the DEFENSE that needs a makeover. DE FENCE. It’s the rusty old defensive scheme that requires too much thought and further slows down underdeveloped players. We don’t need to get rid of Riley for a new offense. We need to get rid of Riley because DeCarlolis is a lousy AD that won’t demand replacement of Banker as D coordinator.

  23. This game was what was expected at the beginning of the year. Colorado is not a good team but the beavs made them look much worse. The weather only really came into play in the punting game and Colorado should know how to play in adverse conditions.

    The defense shutdown the running game early and didn’t let Richardson get any touches. Colorado went with an up tempo no huddle during the early part of the game and the defense held. The defense is playing with a little bit of swagger now and looking like they know what they are doing.

    • This is pretty much how I feel. That it took five games for the defense to finally look competent is another issue. And there were still problems here and there on both sides of the ball. But this is how they should have looked from day one.

      Mannion’s % took a hit because of the wind and how he adjusted to it. Boundary throws had to have a little extra on them, and still they were blown off track. So typical touch passes were just out of the question. He also put some extreme mustard on throws up the middle. I’m not surprised less experienced receivers dropped some of them since they needed to practice throws at that speed first. It’s the same difference when trying to hit a low 80’s fastball and a 95 mph one. They both look the same, but one gets there a lot faster and is spinning a lot harder.

      OSU is undefeated in September over the last two seasons. I think we now have to talk about the August effect.

  24. So does anyone else besides me hope that Riley doesn’t turn U$C down this time? Pipe dream I know. But at the same time if Riley does bolt (which I seriously doubt he will) does Banker go with him or would they seriously consider handing the reigns over to him here. Yikes!

    • Talking Riley gives them credibility and time to look for their coach. Naming him is a diversion for the SC faithful because he checks off all the boxes on their provincial list for candidtaes. So he would be the baseline or benchmark which they need to surpass in order to make everyone happy. Petersen would be the same. Both are always possible, but I highly doubt either leave green pastures for the scorched earth of SC.

      Pat Fitzimmons and David Shaw are similar because they’re alums of their programs and have extreme roots where they are.

      Mike Bellotti has removed his name from consideration for the USC job.

      Jeff Fisher will not go there. Gruden? Puhleeze! Del Rio is possible, but can he go college and recruit and all that? Roman would be the same except that he hasn’t had any head experience, and doesn’t have SC connections

      James Franklin? The rape thing brings baggage. Booby Petrino? Baggage? But rumors have Todd Graham saying USC is his dream job… unless the Texas job opens first… then that’s his dream job. No baggage there.

      Sark? I wish. SEC head coaches? Maybe Sumlin or Miles, but I doubt it. Assistants? USC doesn’t hire assistants.

      I think they end up with one of Del Rio, Roman or maybe Whisenhunt. But if I’m Haden I’m going after someone who is sitting at home looking for something to do. Maybe someone looking to get back in the game after taking time off to actually be with his family when his family needed him.

      My first call would be to the agent of Bill Cowher.

  25. Here’s an encouraging quote from Riley:

    “On team’s performance Saturday: “I don’t think offensively they played that great yesterday actually. But they made a lot of plays. You know, we had 11 explosive plays, which is a lot in a game. Gains of over 20 yards. So there was some really good football plays, but it wasn’t real crisp throughout. We had poor third-down percentage because we dropped some balls. We had more three and outs than we’ve had all year. We weren’t perfect in the red zone. There was some stuff. But the good thing is I’ll point that out to them and they’ll understand. They’ll understand win or lose there’s stuff that you need to work on. They know there’s more out there for them if they work hard and work to get better at it. And they also know that the schedule will get harder and harder as we go.”

    We scored 44 points in a blowout win, but he’s still willing to acknowledge that the offensive performance was far from perfect. Not exactly Riley as the Aww Gee Everything’s Swell coach as he’s imagined around here.

    • I saw another article somewhere saying that he spent 45 minutes begging Haden to let him keep his job. Karma is a bitch, but I also wish Kiffin had the balls to drive up to Seattle and bitch whip Caroll. He might as well, he has nothing to lose at this point!

    • Brown and Riley comparison is apples and elephants. Brown is one of two to three highest paid coaches in College football. Brown was instrumental in Texas Network that broke apart a conference and ruined their natural rivalry. Brown has hired and fired many high priced assistants. He has had many other high priced assistants abandon the ship. Mack is a marketer without a coherent philosophy, other than marketing and branding. Riley, like his system or not, has a coherent philosophy that fits the circumstances. He does not use his assistants as toilet paper, though many of the local critics are of the “off with his head ” French Revolution style of governing. Riley is involved in game planning and game play calling. Texas was making bad judgments in recruiting, letting great players escape, again because of dedication to branding/marketing and forgetting about product.

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