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Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Travis Hunter (12) during a spring game event at Folsom Field on April 27, 2024, in Boulder.
Colorado football had one of the worst defenses in all of college football last season.
No, seriously.
The Buffaloes allowed 34.8 points per game, which ranked 121st among FBS teams, worse than schools like Louisiana Tech, Tulsa and Kent State. Opponents scored at least 35 points in six of Colorado’s 12 games last year.
Although the Big 12 is historically known for its high-octane offenses, Deion Sanders’ Buffs must improve on the defensive side of the ball in 2024 to survive their transition from the Pac-12. It shouldn’t be too difficult to upgrade a unit that allowed 276.9 passing yards (third worst in Pac-12) and 176.4 rushing yards per game (second worst in Pac-12) last season.
In fact, defensive improvement should be the bare minimum. The real question is just how good can Colorado’s defense be?
Experienced and productive additions via the transfer portal give the group a chance to go from a team weakness to a strength in just one offseason. Here’s why:
More: Projecting Colorado football’s starting defense: Transfers give Buffs a new look for 2024
Elite returning production
There will be a handful of new faces on Colorado’s defense this fall, but that doesn’t mean they’re new to college football.
The Buffs are returning 71% of last year’s production as of mid-May, which ranks 17th in FBS and fourth in the Big 12, according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly. That figure includes Colorado players who are back with the Buffs in 2024 (like Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter) and incoming transfers who produced elsewhere last season.
Last year’s top four teams in returning production (Kansas, Missouri, Florida State and Michigan) jumped from a combined record of 35-18 to 48-7, making it a good indicator of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-colorado-footballs-defense-strength-110355854.html
Author : The Coloradoan
Publish date : 2024-06-04 11:03:55
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