Desmond Howard, Heather Dinich dish up Colorado's 'recipe for success' vs. Oregon

ESPN’s Desmond Howard and Heather Dinich believe there’s a path to victory for the Colorado Buffaloes against the Oregon Ducks.

Joining the fun on ESPN’s Get Up on Friday, Howard first explained the recipe for success for Deion Sanders‘ squad come Saturday afternoon.

“Well about three or four weeks ago, we were looking at a TCU team that was highly ranked and about to host Colorado. Colorado’s probably like a three-touchdown underdog. So how were they going to pull off this huge upset on the road? Well first and foremost, they got off to a fast start,” Howard explained. “They took the crowd out of the game. It was like a shootout. It was like you know, fast offense against fast offense. So that’s they key first, for Colorado. Autzen Stadium. That’s a quaint, loud — very loud stadium that they play in. Make sure you eliminate turnovers. You don’t want to turn the ball over on the road. I’ll tell you what, as a fan though, I just feel so cheated that we’re not going to see Travis Hunter, the two-way superstar, for Colorado in this game. So I think defensively, they’re going to have to play a lot of zone. A shell coverage. Keep Oregon’s offense in front of them.

“So I think getting out to a fast start, no turnovers and then great defense, keeping everything in front of them is a recipe for success for Colorado in this game.”

Continuing, Dinich doesn’t believe Colorado’s upset bid is futile either, as she spoke to a coach who played against the Ducks who told her what the Buffaloes need to do on Saturday.

“I spoke to a coach who played against Oregon this season to get a scouting report on the Ducks,” Dinich said. “His quote to me was, ‘Shedeur Sanders is going to have to play his best damn game in order for them to have a chance.’ He also told me that Colorado’s defense has to get Bo Nix off of his mark, and know where his top wide receiver, Troy Franklin, is on every third down.

“The final point that he made to me is they’ve got to attack Oregon’s secondary, because that’s their weakness. But the Ducks can make up for it with their ability to stop the run and get after the quarterback.”

Regardless, the game will be won or lost on the field, and the Buffaloes have been pretty damn good in that aspect throughout 2023. Time will tell if Deion Sanders can keep Colorado undefeated, or if Oregon rains on their parade come Saturday.