Where did the Buffaloes from the first two weeks go? Colorado showed up to its Week 3 matchup in Evanston completely flat and did everything they could to lose. They generated only one turnover but turned the ball over four times. That never ends well, which is why Colorado suffered its first loss of the season against Northwestern, 41-7.
Defensively, things started well as Colorado forced Northwestern into a punt on the first two drives. However, things were rough for the offense right out of the gate. Despite getting into Wildcat territory on the first drive, they ended up having to punt after failing to convert a third-and-long.
Running back Micah Welch fumbled on the second drive, which set up a touchdown for Northwestern. It was the first
drive of three in a row that ended in a turnover for the Buffaloes. The game still wasn't out of reach for Colorado after their first three turnovers, but the Buffaloes offense did little all game, allowing Northwestern to run away with it in the second half.
Here is everything we learned from Colorado's loss to Northwestern.
Maybe Colorado is not a Big 12 contender quite yet …
After the first two games, the Buffaloes looked like they were going to be a Big 12 contender this year. Nevermind. Good teams lose games, but this is beyond a loss. Colorado had miscue after miscue, including three failed fourth-down conversions. The pass game was out of sync, and the run defense struggled. If they cannot be consistent, they won't be a competitor in the conference this season, even if they can still put up a fight in any given game.
Julian Lewis has some growing to do
He had a great performance against Weber State last week, but took a significant step back in this game. Lewis completed 65.5 percent of his passes but only had 168 passing yards, which is a career-low for him in any game with at least 20 passing attempts. He also averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt, down from 15.9 yards per attempt. This was also his first career interception. With Big 12 play beginning next week at Baylor, Lewis has a lot of growing to do for the Buffaloes to compete against some of their tougher opponents this season.
Colorado can lose even when they run the ball well
The score may not reflect it, but the Buffaloes had another good day in the run game. They ran the ball 33 times for 180 yards with an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Running back Jaquail Smith led Colorado in rushing yards with 91, including a 35-yard run. Multiple running backs got involved, with DeKalon Taylor, Damian Henderson II, and Welch all recording seven carries. That was the recipe they used to defeat Georgia Tech in the season opener, but it didn't work as well when they had four turnovers.
The Buffaloes' pass rush is a problem
They aren't a problem for opponents, but they are for Colorado. Coming into this week, Lamont Lester Jr. led the Big 12 in sacks with four. However, the Buffaloes only had two sacks, neither from Lester. This game suggests that if Lester doesn't get a sack, there will not be many sacks. Colorado went this entire game with only one sack after having three sacks in each of their first two games. It is hard to find much success on defense when you can't pressure the quarterback. Especially with some of the games they have coming up against teams like Texas Tech, Utah and Houston, the defensive line needs to be better.
Ball security is a serious problem
Colorado pulled off the win against Georgia Tech in the opener because they did not turn the ball over. They beat Weber State despite two turnovers. Few teams win with four turnovers. Northwestern scored 17 points off those turnovers and scored another 14 points after the Buffaloes' failed fourth-down conversions, which basically function like turnovers. Ball security has become a serious problem for the Buffaloes, and if they don't address it by next Saturday, they could also lose to the Baylor Bears.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Takeaways from Colorado football's massive loss versus Northwestern
