Colorado Football: 3 takeaways from dominant home win over Nebraska

2. Charles Kelly had a good gameplan for the Colorado football defense

Colorado struggled against TCU defensively, so it stood to reason that Nebraska would have some success against the Buffaloes’ defense. While the Cornhuskers ran for 222 yards, they struggled to throw the football and played poorly on critical downs. Give defensive coordinator Charles Kelly and the Buffaloes’ defense credit.

They forced four turnovers, and Jeff Sims had little time to settle in the pocket and throw. Colorado was tremendous on third downs and pushed around Nebraska’s offensive line. The Buffaloes did give up some explosive plays; Nebraska’s only touchdown came on a 57-yard run by Jeff Sims. However, 137 of Nebraska’s 222 yards came on four plays.

Take away those four runs; Nebraska had 85 yards on 37 rushes. Colorado was much improved on a down-to-down basis than they were last week.

Nebraska had a good game plan early for what Colorado wanted to do. They disrupted Colorado’s timing by pressing their wideouts and bringing pressure. It’s hard to play that way for four quarters in altitude when the Buffaloes play that fast.

The Cornhuskers’ inability to sustain drives did the defense no favors either. Colorado did a tremendous job of keeping the field position in their favor most of the game, pressuring the defense to make plays.