Boulder – The first thing the Colorado football team has eliminated as a concern over its failed attempt to stop the Texas passing game in a 42-17 loss Oct. 15 is problems with the scheme.
There are few to none, CU coaches and players say.
So beyond a couple of new wrinkles, and perhaps additional coverages to give CU a different look, don’t expect the Buffaloes’ defensive game plan against the Longhorns’ aerial attack to change much Saturday in the Big 12 championship game at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
“As a defense, we made them good,” CU secondary coach Craig Bray said. “They’re good, but we made mistakes. We got them into more third-down situations than anybody they’ve played, and we just had so many mental busts it was un- believable.
“So, the question is why? Why do you play such good assignment football and then you go and just totally blow assignments? It wasn’t just the secondary; it was a linebacker, it was a defensive end in a zone drop, it was a number of things. But compounded, they always happened at exactly the wrong time.”
The result was Texas quarterback Vince Young’s best day of an 11-0 season. He completed 25-of-29 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns.
CU coach Gary Barnett begrudgingly joked at the time that missing just four passes in 29 attempts was “hard to do against air,” let alone against live competition.
Young also ran for three touchdowns in that game.
CU cornerback Lorenzo Sims said much of the Buffs’ problems in the secondary that day stemmed from conservative play.
“We didn’t want the big play made on us,” Sims said. “It seemed like everyone was out there playing for themselves. We didn’t play as a team.”
Texas marched 90 yards for a touchdown in 16 plays on its first possession against the Buffs in the teams’ first meeting, with Young completing seven passes for 81 yards. Two of the completions came on third- and-6 and third-and-13 plays, respectively. Another, a 24-yard pass to flanker Brian Carter, came on a fourth-and-3 play.
“I think there were misreads and we just weren’t in it mentally,” CU cornerback Gerett Burl said. “We just got in that first series and just mentally broke down on some of the stuff.”
In addition to more focused coverage, Bray notes an improved pass rush would go far to help the defensive backs cover.
“Pass coverage is a total defensive effort,” he said. “You’re only as good as the pressure you put on the passer, and your pressure is only as good as the coverage you put on the back end. It’s all relative.”
Colorado’s pass coverage also broke down Friday in its 30-3 loss to Nebraska. Huskers quarterback Zac Taylor threw for 392 yards and two touchdowns, his second-highest yardage total of the season.
For the most part, CU’s pass defense has been improved in 2005. The Buffs still are 11th in the Big 12 in yards allowed – 255.7 per game – but noticeably absent are the parade of big plays that used to occur on a regular basis against CU.
And because opponents haven’t been able to run effectively on CU, they have turned to the pass. Opponents attempted 436 passes against the Buffs this season, compared with 410 last season.
Still, stopping Young is the key, and it won’t only be CU players taking the task more seriously. Bray will as well.
“He probably had the best passing game of his career against us the last time, something I didn’t think he was capable of doing,” Bray said. “I was wrong. As ugly as that throwing action may look, it’s pretty effective.”
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
