Go Joe Bruin continues to look at the 2016 UCLA Football opponents as we check out their battle in Boulder with the Colorado Buffaloes.
On October 31st, 2015 the Buffs gave UCLA their own personal Halloween scare in what might be one of the more bizarre games in recent Bruin history. In 2016 UCLA looks to repeat history, albeit hopefully more decisively.
Despite being the perennial doormat of the Pac-12 South, Colorado has given UCLA more than one scare in recent years. In 2014 the Bruins eked out of Boulder with a 40-37 double overtime win.
2015 was truly a bizarre game in which the Bruins had to overcome a 4th quarter deficit despite being up 21-6 at halftime. The defense in particular was in for a long day after having to stay on the field for 114 snaps due to a series of unusual occurrences. However, in the end the Bruins were able to prevail with a 35-31 win
In 2016 the Bruins are hoping for a more decisive win, in part due to an improved run defense and the development of Josh Rosen on the offensive side the ball.
Next: 2015 Record and Recap
2015 Record and Recap
Colorado Buffaloes, 4-9 Overall, 1-8 PAC-12
The Buffs kicked off their 2015 season in a disappointing fashion, losing to Hawaii 20-28 in an ugly game that featured numerous turnovers on both teams and ended with the Buffs being unable to spike the ball on 8 and goal to try and tie the game.
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Colorado quickly rebounded to beat the UMass Minutemen and then followed it up with a 27-24 overtime win over rival Colorado State before finishing up their non-conference schedule with a 48-0 thrashing of Nicholls State.
The rest of the season didn’t go as well as Buff fans would have liked. They started off the conference schedule with three strait losses to Oregon, ASU, and Arizona. After their loss to the Wildcats, Colorado was able to pick up its first conference win in over a year by defeating the even more pitiful Oregon State Beavers.
This would end up being the last victory of 2015 season as Colorado finished with consecutive losses to UCLA, Stanford, USC, WSU, before finally falling to the Utah Utes in the “Rumble in the Rockies”.
Despite the horrendous 1-8 conference record, the Buffs were actually fairly competitive in a number of their games. However, they had a habit of making errors in key situations (like Adam’s pick in the red zone at the Rosebowl) that prevented them from getting more than one conference win.
Next: 3 Players to Watch and Stats
Three Key Players
QB- Sefo Liufau
Liufau returns to Boulder for his senior season looking to leave the Colorado program in a better state than when he found it. In the up coming season Liufau will be looking to use his experience as a 4th year starter to lead the Buffs offense as Luifau threw for 2418 yards on 62.2% while throwing for 9 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in 2015.
These numbers were actually lower than his 2014 campaign (3,200 Yards on 65.3%, 28 TDs,15 INT), although this is largely due to a Lisfranc injury he suffered early in a game against USC.
While Liufau is far from a Heisman contender, he’s a decent quarterback who can hurt you with his arm and his legs and with 3 years of experience under his belt will pose a credible threat to the Bruins in the upcoming season.
WR- Shay Fields
The Buffs lost one of the best receivers in the conference in Nelson Spruce to the NFL, who actually leads the PAC-12 in all time career receptions. Filling in for him is Fields who was thrown the rock 42 times last season and averaged 14.2 yards per catch. His numbers will likely skyrocket as he becomes the Buffs #1 target, and shutting him down will likely be a key to UCLA curtailing the Colorado offense.
Awuzie comes off the 2015 season receiving 2nd team All-Pac 12 honors, and looks to begin his senior campaign as a potential All-American in the Colorado secondary. He finished 2015 with an impressive 72 tackles (12 for loss), 2 interceptions, 4 sacks, and 7 pass break ups. With 8 returning starters on the Buffs defense, Awuzie figures to be a leader on a defense that’s tired of being stepped on by the rest of the conference.
Stats
- UCLA leads the all-time series against Colorado, 9-2
- The Bruins are currently on a 5-game win streak vs the Buffs
- In offensive and defensive stats, Colorado only fracked the top 50 in one category: Pass Defense (49th, 240.6 ypg)
Next: Offenses Vs Defenses
UCLA Offense vs Colorado Defense
The new UCLA offense will be looking to establish a bruising running game while simultaneously exploiting the talent differential of its receivers vs the Colorado secondary.
In the bout last year, Josh Rosen had a relatively quiet game for his standards with 262 yards on 57.6%. Provided Rosen continues to develop, he should be able to improve on his performance from last season.
Last year UCLA was able to get notable touchdown runs by Paul Perkins, and Soso Jamabo, and altogether the Bruins ran for a respectable 138 yards on 5.3 yards per carry.
With the inclusion of fullbacks, including the 300 pound freight train Ainuu Taua, the Bruins should be even more successful on the ground, particularly in short yardage situations. This will help UCLA more consistently move the chains and keep the defense off the field, which was a problem against the Buffs last season.
Advantage: UCLA
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UCLA Defense vs Colorado Offense
The Bruins faced some difficulty last season stopping the Buff’s run game, particularly in short yardage situations as the Buffaloes rushed for 242 yards against the Bruins.
Colorado was also able to throw for another 312 yards on primarily short passes, attacking the Bruin’s conservative defensive game plan. Fortunately for UCLA, the Buffs had a problem capitalizing in the red zone, throwing an interception and being forced into field goals.
Last season, the Bruins were suffering a severe manpower shortage due to injury. The Bruins became so short on personal that they burned Josh Woods redshirt, and moved safety Randall Goforth to corner, to try to piece together personal. It’s worth watching Jim Mora’s press conference after the game to truly appreciate how hectic and crazy things got.
Heading into next year the UCLA defense should be much improved over the previous season with the majority of starters returning and improved depth.
Additionally the Bruins have hit the weight room and have made it a mission to #stoptherun2016. Even in the unlikely event UCLA were faced with a similiar situation, the team would be much more prepared to handle it.
If the UCLA defense can live up to it’s preseason hype, the buffs will be hard pressed to move the ball down the field.
Advantage: UCLA
Next: Final Analysis and Prediction
Final Analysis
Its difficult for Colorado to go anywhere but up in the PAC-12, and this year is primed for more success. With mass turnover in the conference at the quarterback position, the Buffs are in position to finally win a couple conference games.
Against UCLA however, the Buff will be facing off against a more talented, superior squad. However, the same was true in 2014 and 2015 when the Bruins had more trouble than UCLA fans expected. While I’m expecting UCLA to be victorious, the Buffs are undoubtedly hoping the third time’s the charm against UCLA.
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
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Final Prediction
UCLA comfortably wins, but not in a blowout.
UCLA 24, Colorado 10