Colorado's scuffling offense presents little challenge on paper

After a 9-4 season that saw Colorado tie at the top of the Big 12 standings with a 7-2 record, the Buffaloes were immediately going to be in for a challenge having to replace Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter in the offense.

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has looked to implement a balanced spread option offense that was built around the dual threat ability of incoming senior transfer Kaidon Salter. Outside of impressive showings against Wyoming and Iowa State, his level of play was never fully realized and saw him get replaced by Julian Lewis two weeks ago. In three games so far, Lewis has been more effective in his play with 428 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, however his only start has come against fellow conference bottom dweller in West Virginia. Facing the Sun Devils will be a much more stout challenge for the true freshman.

Despite the inconsistencies at quarterback, Colorado has been able to get significant production out of wide receivers Omarion Miller and Joseph Williams. Combining for 1,102 yards and 11 touchdowns, these two represent more than half of the receiving production for the season. Sincere Brown and Dre'Lon Miller have been secondary options in the wide receiving room, with Miller playing in more of a utility role similar to that of Cordarrelle Patterson, recording 144 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 catches while also rushing for 123 yards and 1 touchdown. His production has seen a small bump with Lewis at quarterback, but two games is too small of a sample size to think he will be a realistic weapon in the offensive attack.

With Salter riding the bench until further notice, the rushing attack for the Buffaloes goes through sophomore Micah Welch. His volume doesn't offer a ton of confidence, but his consistency is something that Colorado has needed during this tough season. After spending last season third on the depth chart as a freshman, Welch has been a solid presence in the backfield with turnover around him. His season high of 67 yards Week 4 against Wyoming set his career high, a mark that he equaled the following game against BYU. The struggles to put numbers week to week can be attributed to the inefficiency of the offensive line in their run blocking schemes, but his small stature and above average balance make him a challenging runner to tackle. His pass catching is lower than average, and has been a little overly patient in his readiness to hit the gaps and accelerate up the field.

Typically I'm a little cautiously optimistic in declaring an opponent to be a lesser challenge, but the patchwork offense that the Buffaloes have to work with leaves little doubt that the Sun Devil defense can hold Colorado to a minimum.

Don't miss the Sun Devils in action at Colorado this Saturday night. Kickoff from Folsom Field will be at 6pm and airing on ESPN2.