Colorado Football: 5 reasons why Buffaloes will struggle in 2017
By Zach Bigalke
3. Special teams blunders will be Colorado’s Achilles heel
In a way, it is amazing that Colorado managed to do as well as they did in 2016. They benefitted from the alignment of a stout defense and an offense that came together at the right time. What the Buffaloes certainly did not get was any huge contribution from special teams. The unit was the weak link last season, and very well might be so again in 2017.
The Buffaloes allowed four blocked kicks and a blocked punt last season. They finished 118th nationally in both net punting and punt return defense, losing the field position battle in the process. Only five FBS teams allowed more return yardage per kickoff than the Buffaloes did in 2016.
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Senior placekicker Chris Graham is probably going to lose his job to freshman James Stefanou after an abysmal 2016 performance. Graham went 8-of-10 on extra point attempts and 10-of-15 on field goal tries for the Buffaloes last year, leaving more than a half-game worth of points on the table for CU.
Whether it is in the return game, punting, or placekicking, special teams is once again going to be a sore spot for the Buffs. Fans at Folsom Field are going to be let down more than once by their team’s situational efforts. The blunders could cost Colorado a game or two in the upcoming season.