When Northern Colorado visits Folsom Field tonight, it will bring a quartet of former Buffaloes.
Defensive linemen Tava Finau and Austin Williams and defensive backs Uryan Hudson and Dustin Johnson all began their careers at Colorado but now play for the Bears tonight at 7 p.m. (TV: Pac-12 Networks).
Finau, Williams and Hudson were all listed No. 2 on the depth chart at their positions this week.
So, how are the former Buffs doing in Greeley? I asked UNC head coach Ed McCaffrey recently how those four fit in with the rotation and he wasn’t too willing to share much information.
“Well, I’ve promised not to talk about techniques, tactics and procedures until the season gets going,” he said. “I think the first game of the year is going to be different for us and for CU. We haven’t played against each other. I know they have some competitions at certain positions, and so do we. And so I don’t know 100% what their starting lineup is and they certainly don’t know what ours is. And maybe I don’t even know what ours is yet. There’s still a couple of competitions going on.”
So, the former Buffs might get on the field tonight, or they might not. We’ll just have to wait and see.
McCaffrey did make it clear, however, that they are “former” Buffs. In fact, that’s a message he has sent to his team, which is loaded with transfers. In all, there are 17 transfers from FBS schools on the UNC roster, including McCaffrey’s son, Dylan, the starting quarterback who formerly played at Michigan.
“We’re Bears now,” McCaffrey said. “We don’t really look in the rearview mirror. We’re just concerned with where we are now. We try to live where our feet are. Our players do not wear their former schools’ attire around our locker room and we don’t really talk much about what it was like a year or two years ago on the teams that they played for. We’re more concerned with looking forward and growing and playing together now.”
Adjustments on the fly
Although CU has had this game on the schedule for a while, the Buffs really don’t know much about the Bears. With a new head coach – who has no college experience – and a roster filled with newcomers, UNC will be somewhat of a mystery to CU.
CU head coach Karl Dorrell said his team can draw upon a recent experience, however. Last year, the Buffs wound up playing San Diego State on Nov. 28. That game was officially on the schedule less than 48 hours earlier, because COVID-19 issues at Southern California caused the Buffs’ game in Los Angeles to be canceled. CU had one day to prepare for SDSU and didn’t know much about the Aztecs when the game kicked off.
The unknown this week will be somewhat similar.
“I’ve mentioned that to the team a time or two,” Dorrell said. “Just for them to know that (the Bears) are going to do some things that we haven’t practiced. I’m sure of it. So we have to just be ready to make the adjustments when needed and take advantage of our opportunities when we get it.”
Much of CU’s focus this week is on itself and playing good, sound football.
“I want to make sure we function well in terms of I don’t want pre-snap penalties,” Dorrell said. “I don’t want guys jumping offsides, alignments offsides; that’s stuff that is losing their focus. So they need to focus on their job and executing what they’re supposed to do and make every play happen that gives us a chance to make a play.”
A bit of a rivalry
CU tight end Brady Russell is looking forward to this one because his brother, Cody, played for the Bears from 2012-13.
“I’m super excited because this is a little bit of a family rivalry for me,” Russell said. “My brother was the first to go play Division I football and he played at UNC a few years back so it’s kind of fun getting back at them a little bit. A little in-state rivalry. It’s not quite the showdown we usually have (with Colorado State), but it’ll be fun getting back on the field.”
Speaking of the “rivalry” with the Bears, this will be the 13th meeting between the schools, but only the second meeting since 1934 – when UNC was known as Colorado State Teachers College.
Since 1934, the only other meeting was a 41-21 Buffs win on Sept. 16, 2017. There are 14 current Buffs who were on the 2017 team, but only two that played in the game against the Bears: linebacker Nate Landman and tight end Jared Poplawski.
CU won the first meeting, 41-0, on Oct. 8, 1900, in Greeley. UNC at the time was known as State Normal School.
