This win was very different for the Colorado Buffaloes than their season opener against Georgia Tech. It was not in question that Colorado would win this game, especially after scoring two touchdowns on their first three offensive snaps. Their defense did not play as well, allowing the Wildcats three touchdowns. Still, the Buffaloes finished with a 52-21 win over Weber State.
Colorado still has several things to clean up ahead of its next game against Northwestern, which beat South Dakota State in its season opener. Colorado's pass defense also needs to improve, but they still receive a good report card overall.
Here is the report card from the Buffaloes' week 2 win:
Quarterback
Grade: A+
I am not sure if any quarterback in the Big 12 performed as well this
week as Julian Lewis. After a mostly rocky start last week, Lewis came out on fire this game with a 66-yard touchdown on the first offensive snap followed by a 63-yard touchdown two plays later. He finished the game with a career-high in passing yards (366), yards per attempt (15.9) and passing touchdowns (four). Lewis also has yet to throw an interception in his college career, which is quite impressive. A game like this can help a young quarterback build momentum he can carry through the rest of the season.
Running Backs
Grade: A
The running backs did not play as much of a role in this game as they did last week. However, Colorado finally had their first 100-yard rusher in the Deion Sanders era. Micah Welch was one of many Buffaloes players who had an explosive touchdown in this game. Overall, the offense finished the game with 180 rushing yards and 4.7 yards per carry, capping off another strong game, especially since this is the second game of this young season with at least 180 rushing yards. Colorado's running backs will continue to play a major role in their offensive scheme this season.
Receivers and Tight Ends
Grade: A+
The tight ends did little as receivers, but the wide receivers made a splash. They accounted for four touchdowns - two from Joseph Williams, one from DeAndre Moore Jr and Ernest Campbell who had a touchdown. Williams and Moore also finished the game with over 100 receiving yards, making this the third time ever and the first time since 2018 that the Buffaloes had two 100-yard receivers and a 100-yard rusher in the same game. Colorado's scores came in multiple forms. Moore's touchdown came on a deep shot downfield, while Williams' first touchdown came because of yards after the catch. This dynamic group of skill players will help the Buffaloes stay competitive in every game this year.
Offensive Line
Grade: B+
Like last week, the offensive line performed better in run blocking than pass protection. For the second week in a row, the run game found a lot of success behind this offensive line. Julian Lewis was sacked only once in the opener, but the offensive line allowed three sacks in this game, including one that led to a turnover in Colorado territory. That wasn't consequential because the Buffaloes still won by 31 points, but it could prove costly in other games this season.
Defense
Grade against the run: B+
Grade against the pass: C-
Similar to last week, the defense performed better against the run than the pass. They allowed more rushing yards this game, totaling 127, but that is still far below their average last season. Watching the game, the defense missed some tackles and allowed four different rushers to get at least a 10-yard run. Colorado still has a solid run defense, but there are areas to improve.
The pass defense was frustrating to watch. Everyone knew going into the game who Weber State's top receiver was. Yet, the Buffaloes were not able to stop him as Noah Kjar finished the game with seven receptions for 121 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yard pass to set up a touchdown in the second quarter. Cornerback Randon Fontenette's interception was a highlight for Colorado's defense, though.
Special Teams
Grade: B
I think the Buffaloes found their kicker in Elliot Arnold, who successfully made a 52-yard field goal, although he missed a 47-yard field goal. Boo Carter also muffed a punt near the end of the first half. In fact, Carter had only six yards on his two punt returns, which is rather dismal. Still, the Buffaloes have some special teams issues to address. However, the special teams player of the game probably belongs to punter Damon Greaves. On his three punts, Greaves averaged 51 yards per punt, with his longest punt being 57 yards.
Coaching
Grade: B-
My frustration with the coaching is that some problems from the first game carried into the second. Colorado still struggled in the pass game, and they still had issues on special teams. Penalties were also a major problem in this game, more so than in their season opener when they had six penalties for 60 yards. The Buffaloes finished their game against Weber State with 13 penalties for 107 yards. It is hard to win a lot of games when you have 13 penalties. That is a problem the coaching staff needs to address before their game against Northwestern.
Overall
Grade: B
The offense is certainly Colorado's best phase this season. Their defense needs to improve, particularly in the passing game, and special teams remain a problem for the Buffaloes. However, Deion Sanders has put together a stellar offense that can compete with every team they face this season and potentially make a run at the Big 12 title.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Grading Colorado football's dominant Week 2 win over Weber State
