Colorado's defense will need to improve its pass coverage against Northwestern, which had a 100-yard receiver in its first game of the season: Griffin Wilde. Wilde is someone the Buffaloes will need to contain to get their third win of the season.
How Griffin Wilde can change this game
Colorado is at a bit of a disadvantage for a Week 3 game because Northwestern has only played one game, a 34-18 win over South Dakota State, and is coming off a bye week. In their season opener, Wilde had three catches for 107 yards, including a 71-yard catch that set up a touchdown on their opening drive.
Wilde is Northwestern's downfield threat and can change the game by getting the Wildcats into the end zone and turning it into a shootout, which Colorado does not want. Their go-go offense relies on tempo,
and Wilde can change the game's tempo and speed in one play.
How Colorado slows Wilde down
First, they need to be better in pass coverage than they were against Weber State last week. In that game, they allowed Weber State's top receiver, Noah Kjar, to have seven receptions for 121 yards, including a 70-yard reception. They cannot allow Wilde to put up numbers like this.
Double-teaming Wilde would help slow this offense by forcing quarterback Aidan Chiles to target other receivers, and no one else on the roster has over 50 receiving yards. Since none of the other receivers have proven themselves so far, it would be smart for Colorado to force Chiles to go elsewhere with the ball.
Prediction
I do not believe a team can go from allowing over 120 receiving yards to Noah Kjar to shutting down Northwestern's top target. Wilde will get some receptions, but the Buffaloes will be able to prevent him from having too many yards after the catch and will ultimately not be too much of a problem for Colorado.
This could force Northwestern to lean into their run game, which features some talented running backs. But Colorado has been significantly better against the run than they were last season.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: One player Colorado must contain in Week 3 matchup vs. Northwestern
