Weber State walked out of Folsom Field with a 52-21 loss, but Eric Kjar’s biggest takeaway had less to do with the final score and more to do with the way Colorado kept forcing his offense to adapt.
From Kjar’s view, the Wildcats gave the Buffaloes enough trouble early up front to trigger changes from defensive coordinator Chris Marve. Colorado shifted into more four-man fronts, varied its pressure looks, and adjusted how it bracketed receiver Noah Kjar. That, the Weber State coach said, was the difference between one set of answers and the next.
“They changed it up and made it harder on us,” Kjar said.
Kjar said the Wildcats’ protection held up well enough in the opening stages to make Colorado alter its approach. That, in his mind, was a sign Weber State had something working.
“We were able to hold up in protection (early),” Eric Kjar said. “So they went to more of like a four down with pressure-type look, and the bracket (on Noah Kjar). … I think it was a good sign for us, from an offensive line standpoint, that they felt like they needed to pressure.
“It was kind of telling that they felt like they couldn’t just stay in that base bracket, that they needed to do more. And they did, they changed it up and made it harder on us.
We missed some things, protection-wise but also … got better throughout the game of handling and managing the pressure, and I got better as a playcaller.” Kjar said.
Noah Kjar still made plenty happen despite the extra attention. Colorado tilted coverage his way, but he finished with seven catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
Eric Kjar also pointed to Robert Young as part of the offense’s positive signs, and said Weber State needs to keep finding ways to get its outside receivers more involved. He noted that defenses are likely to keep shading toward Noah Kjar, which should open opportunities elsewhere if the Wildcats can take advantage.
“He played really, really good today,” Eric Kjar said. “We need to continue to get him involved more and I think our outside guys, too. We’ve got to do more things to help them get involved in the pass game more, especially because more and more teams will tilt their coverage toward Noah and leave those guys in some matchups that are going to be good for us offensively.”
Colorado still came away with plenty on defense. The Buffaloes recorded three sacks, five tackles for loss, and Randon Fontenette’s first interception of the new season. On offense, Nate Dahle threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns.
Marve, who has been open about calling Colorado’s defense from the sideline where he can see the field and adjust quickly, had Weber State dealing with a moving target all afternoon. Kjar’s comments made clear how that looked from the other side.
Weber State finished with 372 yards and 23 first downs, enough to leave Kjar with things he can build on. The Wildcats moved the ball, protected early, found explosive plays through the air, and kept Colorado changing its plan.
Still, Colorado kept changing, and that was the part Kjar kept circling back to. Once Weber State found one answer, the Buffaloes had another problem ready.
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