Dizon and Washington talk about teamwork, camaraderie
Fans of the Colorado Buffaloes have many chants to scream at football games, from blaring the CU fight song to the more vulgar version of Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part 2.” But one that has really caught on this season, however, is the more traditional “D-fense!– D-fense!” thanks to outstanding play from that of the Buffs.
The Buffs defense currently ranks 51st in overall defense in the nation along with the 16th ranked rush defense giving up a stingy 75.3 yards per game. CU has also gotten to the quarterback 12 times for sacks in four games, which is good enough for 19th in the country.
“If you look from our past, from last year to this year, we have had great coaching,” junior linebacker Jordon Dizon said. “Everyone has been just buying into the program and learning from the coaches. Once you learn how to trust each other, you can be unstoppable.”
Dizon has been a crucial ingredient to the Buffaloes defensive success, not only because of his obvious leadership qualities but also because of his amazing talent and on-field experience. Dizon pointed to his relationship with senior linebacker Thaddaeus Washington as a big part of his success this season.
“Having someone I can trust, someone like Thaddaeus, that allows me to play my game,” Dizon said. “I can go all out and not worry about making a mistake because I know he is going to be right there.”
Washington agreed that having the camaraderie and relationship he and Dizon have has really improved the defense as a whole.
“Playing with Jordon for as long as I have, you develop a chemistry,” Washington said. “It’s great to have him out there, because we know we will be there for each other.”
Defensive coordinator Ron Collins emphasized the key role that Dizon plays on defense, saying how Dizon leads with his play on the field and his great attitude.
“He is doing awesome on the practice field and on game day,” Collins said of Dizon. “He has a great attitude and he is doing an awesome job for us. The way he leads is something you have to have.”
In spite of Dizon’s great play, the Buffs are still winless after four games. A lot of fingers have been pointed at the Buffs offensive struggles as reason for the team’s difficulties, but Dizon downplayed the idea the defense has carried the team.
“We could have shut out every team,” Dizon said. “We could have won each game 3-0, 10-0, 13-0. You can’t put this on the offense, because the defense can be doing better too.”
While the Buffs have put up good numbers and good showings to the naked eye, Dizon said the defense has a long way to go to get to where the unit wants to be.
“We have made a lot of mistakes,” Dizon said. “When you watch the game it looks like the defense does well, but you watch us on film and in every game, over 50 percent of the plays someone has made a mistake.”
While the guys actually playing on the defense may think they have some things to correct, the numbers don’t lie. Allowing only 75.3 yards per game and only 2.26 yards per rush is a key reason why the defense has been so successful.
“We have put an emphasis on stopping the run,” Collins said. “Guys know to be successful you have to stop the run, so we practice very hard on it around here and the guys are buying into that philosophy.”
Washington said that when the defense cuts down on those mistakes, they will get the shut-outs that Dizon talked about.
“We are so close to just breaking out,” Washington said. “It’s scary to think about what we could do without those mistakes. We are working on it.”
Tune into NewsTeam today at 12 p.m. on Comcast Channel 63 for more on this story. The show will repeat at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
