The Colorado Buffaloes will look to jump out to a 3-0 start Saturday night when they travel to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. Colorado already has a road win this season over a tough opponent, as they defeated Georgia Tech 14-13 in Week 1. The team ran the ball 49 times for 183 yards, and they ended up getting the win after a go-ahead touchdown with 37 seconds to play.
Colorado will be Northwestern’s first test against a Power Four school. Head coach David Braun and the Wildcats have had two whole weeks to prepare for this game after not having a game scheduled this past weekend. Northwestern should prove to be a tough test for Colorado with senior quarterback transfer from Michigan State, Aidan Chiles, under center. Chiles threw for 3,807 yards and 23 touchdowns in two seasons at Michigan State.
In recent seasons, Northwestern has leaned on a solid defense to find success. After the Wildcats first game against South Dakota State, I have real concerns about how Northwestern’s defense will come together this season. They allowed 432 total yards against an FCS school. A further breakdown includes 285 passing yards, 5.9 yards per play and 147 rushing yards were allowed by Northwestern. If the tackling and defensive scheme don’t improve leading into this weekend, Northwestern could have a difficult time against Colorado’s three-headed monster at running back.
Colorado will split carries between Micah Welch, Damian Henderson II and JaQuail Smith. Welch has been the most impressive so far, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Quarterback Julian Lewis has also shown to be an improvement at the quarterback position from Colorado’s situation last season. Lewis threw for 366 yards and four touchdowns last week against Weber State. Overall, Colorado has already shown they can win on the road against a tough opponent. If Northwestern’s defense does not show immediate improvement from their last showing, Colorado is a live underdog in this one.
Colorado vs Northwestern prediction: Colorado Buffaloes +3.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +1.5.
