CU Buffs scouting report vs. Oregon – Boulder Daily Camera

Colorado Buffaloes scouting report

Head coach: Deion Sanders, 1st season (3-0, 30-6 career)

2023 season: 3-0, 0-0 Pac-12

Last week: Defeated Colorado State, 43-35 in 2 OT, at home

Rankings: No. 19 (Associated Press); No. 19 (Coaches)

5 Players to Watch

• CB Omarion Cooper: With Travis Hunter out, Cooper leads the cornerback group and the Buffs need him to step up. He’s recorded 12 tackles and one pass breakup this season.

• RB Dylan Edwards: After a breakout game in his collegiate debut at TCU, Edwards has been relatively quiet the last two weeks. He does lead the Buffs in rushing and is second in all-purpose yards (120.0 per game) and he touches the ball 13 times per game.

• RB Alton McCaskill: It’s not clear that he will play, but Sanders hinted that the Houston transfer could make his Buffs debut this week. The 2021 AAC freshman of the year missed all of last season with a knee injury.

• DL Amari McNeill: He’s shown some knack for being able to wreak havoc up front. He’s recorded five tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss. He’s also batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.

• S Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig: He’s intercepted a pass in each of the last two games, showing off his ball-hawking skills. He’s also registered 12 tackles.

Colorado offense

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been sensational through the first three games, ranking among the national leaders in passing yards (1,251), passing touchdowns (10) and completion percentage (78.7%). Sanders has also been great at utilizing different weapons at receiver, tight end and running back. With him leading the way, the Buffs have scored a lot of points. They’ve done it without a great run game, though, and they’ve done it despite Sanders being sacked more than any other quarterback. They’ll hope to get the run game going finally this week.

Colorado defense

The opposition, in general, hasn’t had too much trouble moving the ball on the Buffs. They rank last in the Pac-12 in yards allowed (460.3 per game) and 11th in points allowed (30.3). They have, however, been opportunistic and made a lot of big plays. The Buffs are tied for the national lead with 10 takeaways. In the last two weeks, the Buffs have also been much better and getting into the backfield and picking up tackles for loss.

Colorado special teams

The kicking game has been solid most of the time, but the Buffs need more consistency. Kicker Jace Feely was doing well until a badly missed field goal attempt against CSU. Alejandro Mata came in and made both of his field goals. Punter Mark Vassett has been fairly consistent most of the season, averaging 44.0 yards per punt and putting five inside the 20-yard line.

How Colorado can win

A fast start could be crucial this week. Oregon has won 18 straight when scoring first and the Buffs can’t afford to fall behind early in this one. Getting the run game going could be key, but whether through the run or pass, the Buffs simply need to get to the end zone early and often. Defensively, they have got to slow down the run game and try to make Oregon QB Bo Nix uncomfortable.

Buffs notables

• This will be the 129th conference opener in CU history. The Buffs are 83-43-2 in conference openers, including 5-7 in the Pac-12.

• From 1999-2017, Colorado never had a 4-0 start to a season. The Buffs are now seeking their third 4-0 start in the last six seasons. They started 5-0 in 2018 and 4-0 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

• Going back to 2002, CU is 2-35 in its last 37 road games against Associated Press Top 25 opponents. Those two wins came on Sept. 21, 2019, at Arizona State, and three weeks ago, Sept. 2, at TCU.

• Shedeur Sanders is the second player in CU history to have three consecutive 300-yard passing games, joining Steven Montez in 2017. Sanders could become the first to have four in a row.

• Linebacker Marvin Ham II leads the Buffs in tackles, with 20, which already matches his career high from 2021. Ham had 34 tackles in four previous seasons with the Buffs.