After grading film of last weekend’s 41-point loss at Stanford, Colorado defensive coaches officially credited junior Ray Polk with a whopping 17 tackles (10 unassisted) and senior Anthony Perkins with 14 stops (eight unassisted).
That’s the good news.
The bad news? They are safeties.
It’s never a good sign when the back end of a defense is forced to make so many drag ’em-down tackles. That can be an indication that a) Colorado’s pass rush didn’t put enough pressure on Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, b) the Cardinal didn’t face many short-yardage situations, c) Colorado’s cornerbacks needed a lot of help, or d) all of the above.
“All of the above” is the most likely explanation — in addition to Luck’s exceptional talent, and Polk and Perkins being active and turning in fine performances.
“You just have to help out where you can,” Polk said.
Colorado (1-5, 0-2 Pac-12) needs to be much stronger and stouter at the point of attack today in Seattle against an improving Washington (4-1, 2-0) team appearing on the verge of cracking the national top 25.
It’s another week, another challenge for a Colorado defense that has yielded an average of 38.3 points to its three Pac-12 opponents thus far, including the Sept. 10 game against California that did not count in the league standings.
Like Stanford, the Huskies strive for balance between the run and the pass. When a defense focuses too much on one, it can get burned by the other. Luck threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns in the 48-7 win against Colorado, but Cardinal backs also scored three times, on 161 yards rushing.
Washington features a similar, perhaps comparable, two-pronged attack with sophomore quarterback Keith Price and junior tailback Chris Polk. Price ranks second to Luck in Pac-12 pass efficiency; Polk’s 122.2 rushing yards per game is second only to Oregon blur LaMichael James (170.4).
“It’s like every week in the Pac-12 — you’re going to face a team with big-time talent and a big-time scheme,” Colorado defensive coordinator Greg Brown said. “Washington is just that. Their running back, I mean, Chris Polk (5-feet-11, 222 pounds) is as good as it gets. To tackle that guy, he’s a monster.”
Equally impressive is the job Price has done at quarterback in filling the shoes of Tennessee Titans first-round draft choice Jake Locker. Price has thrown a conference-leading 17 touchdown passes against just four interceptions. He also is a threat to scramble.
Combine Washington’s exceptional skill players with the offensive mind of third-year Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian and it may not even seem fair. A Brigham Young quarterback during his playing days, Sarkisian previously served as offensive coordinator at Southern California under Pete Carroll.
“Sark is a big-time offensive coach,” Brown said. “They know what they’re doing.”
Colorado pass rushers didn’t get to Luck, but Washington’s offensive line can be vulnerable. The Huskies have yielded 11 sacks, which ranks eighth in the conference.
“We have to put some heat (on Price),” CU defensive line coach Kanavis McGhee said. “We have to make him have happy feet.”
Washington is coming off an open date. But for CU and especially its defense, there is no rest for the weary.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
