Colorado’s home opener against Weber State sets up as the kind of game that can do more than pad the win column. It also gives the Buffaloes a chance to expand the roles of players who barely got on the field against Georgia Tech, and Richard Young looks like the clearest candidate to benefit.
The Alabama transfer flashed in a small sample last week. Young carried the ball three times for 10 yards against the Yellow Jackets, and the burst he showed was enough to stand out.
On his first carry, Georgia Tech linebacker E.J. Lightsey came up to make the tackle and was injured on the play, a moment that underscored Young’s power.
That kind of physicality gives Colorado another interesting option in the backfield. The Buffaloes already have Micah Welch as their hybrid mix of power and speed, but more touches for Young would give them another back with a similar skill set and make the offense less predictable.
Weber State, meanwhile, doesn’t look like a matchup that should force Colorado to keep anything under wraps. The Wildcats are an FCS team, have gone 4-8 in each of the last two seasons and already lost their first game this year to Southern Utah, another FCS opponent. ESPN Analytics gives Colorado a 98 percent chance to win, so if the Buffaloes build a comfortable lead, this is the kind of spot where Young could get extended work.
There’s also a practical reason to lean on him. Colorado hasn’t had much of a chance to see what Young can do in practice because of the summer setback that kept him out for a substantial stretch.
Running backs coach Johnnie Mack explained that on Aug. 20.
“Richard Young, he came back from injury, so he missed a lot of the summer, and a lot of people don’t understand that,” Mack said. “Like, he missed a lot of the summer, which kind of had him behind a little bit.
So now, he's starting to figure out the system, learn the system a lot more, and I think he's starting to get comfortable. So it's going to take some time for him, but he's growing every day.”
Young’s talent has never really been in question. He was a dominant high school player and was rated a consensus four-star recruit by all of the major recruiting services. At Alabama, minor injuries and a crowded backfield made it hard for him to carve out much room, but he showed flashes whenever he did get opportunities.
Colorado’s backfield is already pretty well defined. Damian Henderson II is the bruiser, JaQuail Smith and DeKalon Taylor bring the speed, and Welch handles the hybrid role. Giving Young more snaps against Weber State would not only let Colorado see more of what it has in him, but also take some of the load off Welch while keeping that same versatile look in the offense.
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Kirby Smart talked after the game about depth, but he also had to address a sloppier side of the performance, with penalties and a special teams mistake leaving room for correction even on a day that otherwise belonged to Georgia. For the Yellow Jackets, the takeaway is less about Tennessee State and more about the fact that the Bulldogs already look dangerous in the area that usually travels best as the season gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]