Colorado’s season has slipped to 3-6, and with No. 14 Houston coming to town Friday, the conversation in Boulder has shifted. Bowl eligibility is a long shot now, which means the final stretch may be less about salvaging the present and more about protecting the future.
That’s where tight end Zayne DeSouza comes in.
DeSouza arrived at Colorado with real pass-catching credentials. At Loveland High School in Loveland, Colorado, he put up 776 yards and seven touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons, according to MaxPreps. As a senior, he was a major part of the Red Wolves’ offense, finishing with 446 yards and six touchdowns on 51 catches.
At 6-6 and 260 pounds, he has the kind of frame and receiving background that could matter in Colorado’s offense. But that hasn’t translated in Boulder.
Through two seasons, DeSouza has yet to record a catch. He redshirted after not seeing the field at all as a true freshman, and while he has appeared in all nine games this season, his role has not included much, if any, use as a receiver.
That’s where the concern starts to creep in. In today’s college game, players move quickly when they aren’t getting the chance to show what they can do, and DeSouza has three remaining years of eligibility. He hasn’t said anything publicly about transferring, but his profile would make him an attractive option if he ever did decide to look elsewhere.
Colorado may not need to look far for a solution, though. If the Buffs are going to use these last two games to build toward what comes next, giving DeSouza more snaps would make sense. It would give the staff a clearer read on what he can offer and give the player some confidence that there is still a place for him in the program.
It would also help Colorado get closer to the two pass-catching tight ends it expected to have this season. Zach Atkins’ likely season-ending injury changed that plan early, leaving Charlie Williams as the only tight end who has been a true receiving threat. Getting DeSouza involved would restore some of that look and add another layer to the ‘Go-Go’ offense that has been missing it.
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Colorado Win Still Exposed A Buffs Problem That Could Get Costly
Colorados latest win over San Diego came with a familiar script, and it was one the Buffaloes would rather stop repeating. The early stretches have been a problem all season, with slow first halves forcing the Buffs to spend the rest of the night digging out of holes instead of playing from ahead. Even in a victory, the issues that have lingered around the group were hard to miss, especially in the way the game exposed some of the same rough edges that have shown up before.
Tad Boyle has pointed to offensive rebounding and foul trouble as the kinds of details that can swing games the wrong way, and those concerns are tied directly to Colorados defensive consistency and work on the glass. The frontcourt has to hold up better, and the team has to manage fouls more cleanly if it wants to avoid turning winnable nights into tighter battles than necessary. For a team trying to build momentum, those are the kinds of problems that can become costly in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Faces Another Tough Home Test Against A Surging Houston Offense
A rough season has left Colorado searching for answers, and the next challenge does not get much easier. The Buffaloes are back home for a Big 12 matchup with No. 17 Houston, a team that has steadily built momentum behind a 7-2 record and a 4-2 mark in conference play.
Houstons offense has been one of the more efficient units in the league, and quarterback Connor Weigman has been central to that rise with sharper passing numbers and fewer interceptions than he threw a year ago. For Colorado, now 3-6 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12, the task is as much about slowing down a surging attack as it is about finding some stability of its own on a difficult November night. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Womens Soccer Has A Painful Chance To Echo History
Colorado womens soccer has been here before, with a season good enough to stir memories of 2006, when the Buffaloes pushed into their first NCAA Sweet 16. That run was built on timely goals and a team that kept finding ways to survive in the postseason, with Nikki Marshall delivering some of the biggest moments along the way. Two decades later, this years group has put together a strong case of its own, carrying a 15-4-2 record into the NCAA Tournament selection process.
Hope Leyba has been the face of much of that progress, adding another milestone to a career that has already left a mark on the programs record book. Now the question is whether this team can turn a promising season into something that echoes the standard set in 2006, or whether the latest postseason setback becomes the moment that keeps the comparison just short of complete. [Read more 🡒]