Preview: Colorado football vs. Oregon

Though Halloween is still 29 days away, the true scares and terrors of the holiday may be arriving early as the University of Colorado Buffalos take on the second-ranked Oregon Ducks this Saturday, Oct. 5.

Oregon comes into the game with a nation-best 16-game road winning streak, a nation-best rushing attack, the second-most points scored per game, and the fourth-least points allowed rankings. Sounds terrifying, but CU has caught a break after news that Oregon’s Heisman candidate running back De’Anthony Thomas has officially been ruled out for this weekend’s matchup.

One person that is not scared of Oregon is CU head coach Mike MacIntyre. In order to compete with Oregon, MacIntyre knows the Buffs must do a number of things right.

“Basically, you have to line up right and be able to tackle in open space,” MacIntyre said during a press conference Tuesday.

Easier said than done, when your opponent runs one of the fastest-paced offenses and consistently changes formations to find gaps and holes.

Not turning the ball over will be another key aspect for the Buffs, who have eight turnovers in the last two games. CU lost the ball three times inside their own 20-yard line during last week’s loss to Oregon State, leading to three touchdowns for the Beavers. Repeating that performance this weekend would spell absolute disaster for the Buffs.

Another key for CU will be finding a way to rekindle one of the nation’s top wide receivers, Paul Richardson. After being held to only five catches last week, CU must find ways to bring out Richardson’s deep threat potential and playmaking capabilities. But this will be another challenge, as the Ducks’ secondary is only allowing about 186 passing yards a game.

A bright spot for CU is freshman running back Michael Adkins II, who had a breakout game last week against the Beavers. Adkins’ 98 yards on 14 attempts was a huge spark for the Buffs and marked the first touches of the season for Adkins.

When asked about Adkins on Tuesday, MacIntyre said he runs hard for them.

“He’s fast, he gets to sidelines, he runs hard,” MacIntyre said. “I don’t know if he’s the starter but he’s going to play.”

It’s said a good judge of a team’s character and fight is how well they respond after a tough loss. CU has this very opportunity this week, albeit against the nation’s second ranked team, but winning may not even be necessary. Simply showing up, playing competitively for 60 minutes and keeping it relatively close would most likely be enough for many fans.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Grayson O’Roark at Grayson.oroark@colorado.edu.