Colorado football must avoid hangover against Air Force in Week 3

Colorado football plays host to Air Force on Saturday. Can the Buffaloes ride the momentum from last week’s thrilling overtime victory?

A week ago, Colorado got the victory in an instant classic against the rival Nebraska Cornhuskers. It was especially insane given the Buffaloes 24-point fourth quarter.

Now, they walk a tightrope. The balancing act between enjoying a victory and riding that momentum, and dwelling too much on a win and having an emotional letdown, is a tough one. Now, just after the biggest triumph of his young head coaching career, Mel Tucker will face his biggest challenge.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s game:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 14
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Boulder, Colo.
Venue: Folsom Field
TV: Pac-12 Network
Stream: Pac-12 Networks Live or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

For the Buffaloes, it will be imperative that Steven Montez have a great performance in this game. He has embraced his role as the leader of this team, and his 375 yards were such a pivotal part of the comeback victory over Nebraska.

For Air Force, as it does with most option teams, including their fellow service academies, it comes down to shortening the game. They want to limit the amount of times skill players like Laviska Shenault and KD Nixon are able to touch the ball. The Falcons average 423 rushing yards per game, so they’ll need to be effective on the ground once again to be victorious.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Spread: Colorado -4
Over/Under: 58.5

Prediction

This will be a competitive game, but this Colorado team just looked so good down the stretch last week. When everything comes together offensively, the Buffaloes can be very good. At home, Tucker’s team should ride their momentum to a third victory in this young season.

Colorado 30, Air Force 20