Colorado’s Week 6 bye arrives with plenty to sort through after a 29-7 loss to then-No. 12 Texas Tech, but Santana Hopper walked away from that game with a performance that says plenty about where the Buffaloes’ defense stands right now.
The defensive lineman was everywhere against the Red Raiders. Hopper finished with 10 total tackles, including six solo stops, and added 5.5 tackles for loss. He spent the night living in the backfield and making life miserable for Texas Tech’s run game.
That kind of outing could have given him something to hang onto heading into the bye. Instead, Hopper made it clear he wants the result erased.
“My mentality is to flush this loss,” Hopper said postgame. “I did have a decent game today, and I just want to flush it.
[A good performance] doesn’t matter if you lose. So I’m going to flush this and get it out of the way.
We’ve got people banged up. We need people to get back, be a little more healthy and just get ready for Utah.”
Colorado’s next challenge comes in Week 7 against No. 12 Utah, and the Buffaloes know the defense will have to carry a heavy load if they’re going to bounce back. Hopper said the bye week is about correcting mistakes, getting healthier and then moving on without dwelling on what happened Saturday.
“It’s a little hard to go lose and just let something go,” Hopper said. “You’ve always got to take that with a grain of salt, fix what you know you got beat on and stuff like that. So we’ll go watch film, fix what we do on Sunday, probably do some more corrections on Tuesday and after that just flush it, we don’t talk about it, it’s [onto] the next.”
The Buffaloes’ offense never found a rhythm against Texas Tech, and that left the defense carrying the load for most of the night. Colorado held the Red Raiders to 15 points until the final 3:09, which stands out even more against an offense that averages 34.8 points and 406.4 yards per game.
Still, the Buffaloes were undone by their own struggles on offense. They managed just seven points and also surrendered a touchdown on a pick-six.
Even with that, Hopper believes the defense gives Colorado a path forward.
“Yes, yes, yes,” said Hopper when asked if Colorado’s defense gives them a shot to win out. “We’re going to get some things fixed on offense and … coach [Chris] Marve preaches about getting takeaways. So we’re going to fix the stuff on offense, start getting more takeaways on defense and hopefully- not even hopefully- we’re going to turn this thing around.”
Colorado will face a ranked opponent in three of its next five games, so the road ahead is steep. But if the defense keeps playing like it did against Texas Tech, the Buffaloes believe they still have something to work with as they head toward Utah.
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Colorados Offense Just Raised A Bigger Concern For Deion Sanders
The Red Raiders left Boulder with more than just a road win, they left with a defensive statement. After Colorado opened with a touchdown, Texas Tech settled in fast and turned the rest of the night into a showcase for its secondary and its adjustments, forcing four interceptions that directly produced 20 points. John Curry and Brice Pollock were among the defenders making plays as Joey McGuires group erased any early doubt and kept Colorado off the board the rest of the way.
For Texas Tech, the result said as much about the defense as it did about the final score. Shutting out Colorado after that first drive gave the Red Raiders a clear formula on the road, one built on tightening up quickly and taking advantage of mistakes when they come. McGuire was quick to credit the way his team adapted, and it was hard not to see the bigger takeaway for Colorado in the process, since the offense never found an answer once Texas Tech started to close the door. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Keeps Pulling Huge Audiences Despite Results Fans Hate
Colorados homecoming loss to Texas Tech drew a surprisingly big national audience anyway, with the FOX telecast averaging 2.51 million viewers and landing as the 10th most-watched college football game in Week 5. It was another reminder that, for all the chatter around the Buffaloes on-field slide, they remain one of the sports most visible and talked-about programs.
The attention has held even as the results have gone the other way, with Colorado now 2-3 after its third straight defeat. The viewership trend has softened in recent years, but the Buffaloes still keep pulling numbers that few teams in the country can match, which says plenty about the pull of the program even when the football is frustrating for its fan base. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Is Showing Promise But One Concern Could Change Everything
Five weeks into the Big 12 race, the leagues unbeaten group is still crowded, with BYU, Utah, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Baylor all standing out early. Baylor has made one of the clearest statements lately with its win over Arizona State, while Houstons victory over UCF pointed to a program that may be settling in. Even Texas Techs own profile fits the leagues split personality right now, with a defense that has traveled well enough to keep the Red Raiders in the mix even as the offense has not matched that same standard.
Iowa State has entered that conversation as one of the more interesting teams to watch because the Cyclones have moved the ball well enough to stay dangerous. The issue, though, is what happens when the other side gets the ball back. In a conference where Baylor is gaining traction and Colorado is still searching for answers on offense, Iowa States defense is the piece that could determine whether its promise becomes something bigger or fades into another what-if by midseason. [Read more 🡒]