The Surprise Team Of The Pac-12, Colorado Is Ready To Run

Nobody outside of Boulder, Colo — and even then some people weren't believers — truly thought that Colorado was going to be this good this fast.

After all, the Buffaloes were on their third head coach in three years when last year's leader Mel Tucker left to take the head job at Michigan State. Karl Dorrell then left his gig as receivers coach of the Miami Dolphins to return as Colorado's head coach, where he served as offensive coordinator and receivers coach back in 1995.

Dorrell's first order of business this season was to establish a culture that his players and future recruits can rely on. Showcase an exciting brand of football and get this team headed in the right direction for future success.

Colorado fans got used to seeing Steven Montez throwing the ball to Laviska Shenault Jr., but both players were now gone and in stepped their replacements. The only problem is that nobody knew who those replacements were going to be.

Now with one game left in the regular season and it appears Dorrell is the front runner for not only Pac-12 coach of the year, but a potential national coach of the year. The Buffaloes have established an identity on both sides of the ball in four games and its led to a perfect 4-0 record, 3-0 in the Pac-12.

“I’m pleased with the foundation we’ve been able to start and establish this year. We put a lot of work into it in the offseason, teaching the culture in our program,” said Dorrell, who served at UCLA's head coach from 2003-07. “The players have done a nice job of making some positive steps in creating that foundation. It’s not completely done but it is progressing.”

A lot of that success comes down to its power running game, and star running back Jarek Broussard. The sophomore has emerged from an injury-riddled last two seasons to become one of the nation's top running backs and most explosive players.

“I am very proud of myself, I must say," Broussard said. "All of the hard work, hours of rehab, and cold nights in the hospital, it is all just paying off. It feels real good.”

He's currently the nation's No. 2 rusher averaging 183.3 rushing yards per game. Broussard took that spot from Oregon State's Jermar Jefferson after running for a career-high 301 yards on 25 carries against Arizona this past weekend.

On the season, he's rushed for 733 yards and four touchdowns on 115 carries. But most importantly according to Dorrell, he's nearing 100% health wise and has stayed that way for the season.

“He’s a dynamite player. We’re just fortunate that he’s healthy and doing the things he’s natural at doing, which is running the football with great vision,” Dorrell said. “He knows seams, he hits it and makes the most of his opportunities.”

The offense is more than Broussard though, or at least that's what Dorrell wants teams to believe. Sam Noyer has taken over the starting quarterback role and performed adequately, throwing for 742 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. He's also added 179 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, as the Buffaloes have the conference's top rushing offense at 245.5 yards per game.

But Colorado wants to be much more than a running team, looking for a good balance against Utah knowing it will have its hands full with the Pac-12's top rushing defense.

Dimitri Stanley and La'Vontae Shenault have emerged as the playmakers out wide, combining for 29 catches and 387 yards — nearly half of the totals amongst pass catchers on the team.

“In their situation, the cupboard was not left bare. They had a lot of good players when the last coach moved on,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “And the last coach moved on on his own accord. He wasn’t let go because of lack of success."

The defense is the most surprising part of the Buffaloes as last year, they were giving up 31.8 points and 441.9 yards per game — all of which ranked in the bottom third of conference standings.

This year is a different story though. The defense is second in the Pac-12 in scoring (24.3 ppg) and fourth in total yards (363 ypg), and this comes without a cupcake nonconference schedule as well. Linebacker Nate Landman ranks in the top 10 in the country in both tackles per game, tackles for loss per game and sacks per game.

"They’re just building upon what was started last year," Whititngham said. "Their players are playing hard. It’s all lined up for them so far. They’ve done a good job. They’ve got a lot of things going for them right now. They’re 4-0. ... So what can you say? They’ve been taking care of business.”

This week's game is still a massive one in the eyes of Dorrell, and not just because of what taking dow the back-to-back Pac-12 South division champs would mean. The eyes of the nation will be watching as the game has been moved to Saturday's 'Big Noon' kickoff on FOX.

It's a great opportunity for the Buffaloes to show the rest of the nation that they're past the rebuilding mode and back into the serious contender stage.

“We’ve gotten some recognition, we’ve got a ranking. All those things are real positives from the work that we put into the season,” Dorrell said. “Definitely stuff that’s deserving for them. But we still have so much work to go. We still want to compete for a conference championship.

“The magnitude of this week for us is vitally important for us to be in that picture. We’re in pretty good shape and we need to take advantage of this opportunity that we’re in. That’s the goal this week in our preparation. We’re still trying to prove to each other the kind of program we have. We’re getting some notice from that with our play.”

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