BOULDER — Speed may kill, but at Colorado, it doesn’t even bruise.
Those speedy new wide receivers you read about all offseason haven’t galloped out of town. All of those transfers — Toney Clemons from Michigan, Travon Patterson from Southern California and Paul Richardson from UCLA — are still around.
You just have to pay close attention to them. Don’t look for them galloping down the sideline or whisking across the field on a post pattern. Chances are they’re catching quick outs, waiting in the flat or running intermediate patterns.
CU’s vertical passing game is almost nonexistent. Considering speed at wide receiver is arguably the Buffaloes’ biggest improvement this year, it’s curious that the three newcomers are almost candidates for the back of a milk carton.
“We’re so focused on the running game and controlling the clock, we haven’t taken more shots,” quarterback Ty-ler Hansen said. “I think we need to change up our tendencies a little bit because defenses are starting to — Missouri, at least — figure us out.”
Defenses have outschemed Colorado (3-2, 0-1 Big 12) to only 18.2 points per game, last in the Big 12 and 107th in the country, right below Ball State. How much is that due to the lack of a vertical passing game can’t be quantified, but numbers indicate it’s more horizontal than vertical:
• Colorado averages only 9.9 yards per completion, ahead of only Iowa State’s 9.8 in the Big 12.
• Not one Buffalo is in the league’s top 10 in receiving yards. Old reliable Scotty McKnight, the school’s all-time leading receiver, leads with 50 yards a game, down from 74.4 a year ago.
• Colorado has only three completions longer than 27 yards: a 73-yarder in which Clemons turned an intermediate route into a long TD run against Hawaii, Will Jefferson’s 46-yard catch against Georgia and a 35-yarder to Brian Lockridge, a tailback.
• Richardson, the undisputed star of August camp, has all of five receptions for 37 yards.
“I’d love to launch the football as much as the next guy but you’ve got to play off where your team’s at and move from there,” coach Dan Hawkins said. “We’ve taken a few shots and we haven’t hit them.”
The wide receivers are getting antsy. The Buffaloes have tried to establish an identity as a power running team even though tailback Rodney Stewart is 5-feet-6 and 175 pounds.
He’s averaging 98.6 yards per game, and the Buffs ran well in wins over Hawaii and Georgia. Yet having to throw after falling behind at California and Missouri, the deep threat wasn’t there.
“We’re just trying to make our running game a big threat and that will open up the passing game,” Richardson said. “But I know even when we do no-huddle, when we speed the game up and keep the ball in the air, the offense flows. We’re just waiting for all the pieces to fall in.”
That has been a problem.
Hansen had no time against California, which sacked him six times. In the first half of Saturday’s 26-0 loss at Missouri, CU’s longest completion was 15 yards, not counting the meaningless 23-yarder to McKnight to end the half.
Colorado did try a long pass in the first quarter, but that came from its own 1-yard line and turned into an intentional grounding for a safety.
“The (safety) just sniffed it out,” McKnight said. “It’s tough, but if you hit it, that’s money. It’s a 99-yard touchdown. When the play was called, everyone in the huddle was like, ‘Great idea.’ If you watch on film, their safeties play super low and they were nosey for the run.”
Offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau said the offense’s identity changes week to week. So pigskins may fly, possibly starting Saturday against visiting Baylor (4-2, 1-1).
“We’ve been trying to get down the field,” Kiesau said. “In fact, the last game we threw four or five. We had deeper routes going but we went underneath because it was open.
“There’s no conscious effort to not throw deep. We want to. It’s just got to be the right timing.”
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
