A victory for No. 9 Colorado over No. 22 Utah on Saturday will give the Buffs the Pac-12 South Division championship and a berth in next week’s conference title game. Here are Denver Post college football reporter Nick Kosmider’s five keys to victory for the Buffaloes:
- Ground the ground game. Since running back Joe Williams came back from a brief midseason “retirement,” the Utes have had a nearly unstoppable rushing attack. Williams has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in the past five games. He’ll get his yards, but the Buffs must limit explosive runs and make Utah grind out tough yards.
2) Spread the wealth. Seven different players caught passes in CU’s victory over Washington State last week. Four different players had a carry. The balance that has shined in CU’s offense the past couple weeks has made life difficult for defenses. The Buffs need to keep getting everyone involved to make it difficult on Utah’s defense.
3) Disciplined special teams play. CU has largely righted the ship on a special teams units that was a disaster early this season. Utah has historically been excellent on special teams. Expect the Utes to bring pressure in both the kicking and punting games.
4) Let Liufau lead. CU senior quarterback Sefo Liufau grabbed control of the Buffs’ biggest game of the season last week and produced one of the best games of his career. In an even bigger game this week, the Buffs will be in good shape if their quarterback rises to the moment.
5) Control your emotions. Senior day. A sold-out Folsom Field. Nationally televised game. A Pac-12 championship on the line. The stakes and the atmosphere couldn’t be much bigger. But these Buffs have rarely let the moment get too big for them this season, the exception being a penalty fest against UCLA, which they need to avoid.