Why Colorado's Defensive Front Will Bounce Back Against Delaware

The Buffaloes' weakness is now glaring. King ran for more yards than he threw for, and when Colorado (albeit rarely) kept Georgia Tech behind the sticks and King in the pocket, it had far more success.

Turnovers were also a key factor on Friday, as the Buffs garnered three takeaways but only mustered seven points out of them. Additionally, only one of the turnovers was directly caused by defense, a pressure by defensive end Quency Wiggins that turned into an interception by cornerback DJ McKinney.

Without relying on takeaways, Colorado's defense must find consistent ways to improve. Linebacker Martavius French, who recovered both first-quarter fumbles by Georgia Tech, has taken the loss as seriously as possible.

"Communicating and aligning," French said Wednesday of what needs to change this Saturday against the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens. "Most of our alignments took us out of our real responsibilities that put us in a position to make plays."

Keys To Cage Blue Hens

Positioning will be critical as another quarterback with dual-threat tendencies lies ahead in Delaware quarterback Nick Minicucci. The Buffs' defensive line must keep contain and enforce destruction of an offensive line playing its first game together against an FBS team.

French also noted that the unit is still coming together as the season's process settles in. Colorado had just one sack last Friday and was hard-pressed to string together stops.

"We're trying to learn each other more and more," French said. "We can talk to each other and get on each other without having our emotions in it."

Hughes Can Come Up Huge

Linebacker Reginald Hughes started alongside French but had an up-and-down first game with Colorado. He led the Buffs in total tackles with 13, but didn't have much of an impact in stopping King or Georgia Tech's other runners.

He illustrated the unit's evening as a whole, as it wasn't as if Colorado struggled to tackle. The Buffaloes missed just three tackles all night, so getting off blocks and plugging gaps will be vital for victory over Delaware.

Hughes revealed that he was dealing with a triceps injury against Georgia Tech, but he's healthier now and more confident in his physicality.

"The defense goes as we go," Hughes said of the linebacker corps. "Coach Prime is hard on us."

If Colorado's collective instincts can follow their intensity and depth, the defense should see worlds of improvement against Delaware. Kickoff from Folsom Field on Saturday is set for 1:30 p.m. MT.