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Oregon State Football: Opponent Spring Preview - Colorado Buffaloes (Game 7)

From doormat to first in the South, do the Buffaloes keep the momentum going?

By Leo Castaneda
NCAA Football: Oregon State at Colorado
Last year the Buffs blew the Beavs out of the water in Boulder.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Game Information

  • Date: Saturday, October 14th
  • Time: TBD
  • Location: Reser Stadium (Corvallis, OR)
  • TV Coverage: TBD

2016 Recap

Head coach Mike MacIntyre’s year number four was the turnaround year for the Colorado Buffaloes after they had been the doormat for Conference of Champions since their inclusion. The Buffs turned heads with a talented wide receiving core and stellar secondary on their way to Pac-12 South Champs. They finished the 2016 regular season at a 10-2 record, capping what had been a huge success, before getting blown out in their final two games against Washington in the Pac-12 title game and then against Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl.

2017 Outlook

With nine starters returning on offense for the Buffs, including a scary group of wide receivers, their ability to put points on the board should be OK. The defense, on the other hand, may be questionable after losing eight of its starters, including three on the defensive line and three in the secondary. On top of that, they hired a new defensive coordinator after Jim Leavitt left for Oregon.

NCAA Football: Oregon State at Colorado
Devin Ross and Shay Fields return along with the rest of Colorado’s top five wide receivers.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Fortunately for the Buffs, their schedule appears favorable as they host all three non-conference games (two of them against very beatable opponents in Texas State and Northern Colorado) as well as their two toughest opponents in Washington and Southern California.

Players To Know

Phillip Lindsay, RB - The leader in rushing touchdowns in the Pac-12 last year (16), Lindsay returns as the do-it-all man for the Buffs. He is number 3 on the all purpose yards list at Colorado after tallying nearly 1,600 yards a year ago, which was second in the conference only to now Carolina Panther, Christian McCaffrey.

Shay Fields, WR - You could highlight any of the great wide receivers that are returning to the Buffs this season, but we’ll pick the the one that Beaver fans would like to forget. Against the Beavers last year, Fields scored three touchdowns in the first half while gathering 169 yards for the game on seven catches. Look for the deep threat somewhere up near the top of the all conference teams by the year end.

Steven Montez, QB - After splitting time with Sefo Liufau at the quarterback position last year, Montez heads into 2017 as the go-to guy. As a freshman, Montez wasn’t afraid to showoff his gun slinging ability, throwing for over 1000 yards in a three starts and other sporadic appearances. He’s even quite a threat to run the ball, so don’t let the 6’5’’ 225 pound quarterback fool you.

Jeromy Irwin, OT - The sixth year senior anchors an offensive line that also returns a Freshman All-American in Tim Lynott at guard. Montez can rest easy with the 6’5’’ Irwin protecting the blindside as he only allowed half a sack last year.

NCAA Football: Oregon State at Colorado
Colorado’s success will rely on Steven Montez distributing the ball to his array of playmakers.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

What To Expect

Right now, the question is “can Colorado’s experienced offense make up for the turnover on defense?” I believe so. They’ll likely get MacIntyre a second straight winning season in Boulder, but will it be enough to top the Beavers in Corvallis? In our way too early prediction, I don’t think so. The Beavers will do their best to play keep away with a strong running game that eats up the clock against a weakened defense and keep the Colorado offense off rhythm.

Prediction: Oregon State 30, Colorado 24

More Opponents Previews?

Day-by-day over the next two weeks, we’ll be taking a look at all over Oregon State football’s upcoming opponents for the 2017 season. Links to all the other teams previews can be found below.