Colorado. UCF. Week 5 at the Bounce House. Black, white, and gold vs black, white, and gold.
Colorado currently stands in a seven-way tie for first place in the Big-12 Conference with a 1-0 conference record and 3-1 overall in 2024. CU has the second-best passing offense (335.0) in the conference, but is in the bottom half in total offense (403.8) due to the work-in-progress rushing offense and second-last in offensive points-per-game (26.8).
Ace quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way superstar player Travis Hunter are gaining well-deserved consideration for the Heisman Trophy. Sanders earned a spot on the Manning Award Star of the Week for his commanding performance last week.
With another solid performance last week, Hunter continued to rack up the weekly awards with his third Paul Hornung Award Player of the Week and Honor Roll nods of the season. After tallying 130 receiving yards in seven catches, Hunter became the first Buffs receiver to tally five straight 100-yard games.
Colorado must allow Shedeur Sanders to power Buffs offense
One of the vital keys to the game for the Buffs is establishing a more potent offense and providing better protection. Although Sanders and the offense produced a valiant effort against Baylor, the offensive line regressed last week, allowing eight sacks by the Baylor defense.
The rushing game left much to be desired at times during the game, averaging only 2.2 yards per carry on 42 attempts. Sustaining a running game will be another arduous task, as the UCF defense has the conference's best run defense, allowing only 64.0 yards per game.
However, Sanders can engineer a clinical outing against the UCF passing offense, which was lit up by TCU quarterback Josh Hoover's 402 passing yards, four-touchdown performance two weeks ago.
The Buffs' defense needs to sustain an all-around, solid defensive effort against one of the country's most lethal offenses in Week 5. Coming into the matchup, the Knights are at the top of the conference in most offensive categories. UCF is No. 1 by averaging 45.7 points per game, 375.7 rushing yards per game, and 570.7 yards per contest.
UCF running back RJ Harvey is the leading player to watch for the Buffs' defense. Harvey has carved opposing defenses in their first three games of the season, averaging a monstrous 7.6 yards per carry and scoring nine offensive touchdowns (eight rushing, one receiving). Harvey is ranked ninth in the nation with 488 rushing yards. Their offensive kryptonite is the passing game, with 195.0 yards per game, which is the fourth worst in the Big 12.
Conversely, the Colorado defense is consistently among the top ten in the conference, with 359.3 yards allowed per game. Still, it is tenth in passing defense with 208.5 yards allowed per game and eleventh in run defense with 150.8 yards allowed.