Dorrell Confident Buffs Can Reverse Slide

BOULDER — Colorado coach Karl Dorrell offered up no silver bullet or magic potion that will automatically reverse his team’s fortunes Monday.

But at his weekly press conference, Dorrell continued to voice confidence in the abilities of his team and coaching staff, while also allowing that there is “a tension and an urgency that we have in our program right now with our coaches and with our players about getting things addressed and shored up as quickly as possible.”

Dorrell’s Buffs wrapped up an 0-3 non-conference portion of their schedule over the weekend with a 49-7 loss at Minnesota.

Now they have at least the semblance of an opportunity of a fresh start, as they open Pac-12 play Saturday with a noon game against 3-0 UCLA at Folsom Field (Pac-12 Network).

Dorrell knows his team has not looked efficient or effective on either side of the ball in its first three games. The Buffs are near the bottom of the nation on both offense (245 yards per game, 127th) and defense (452 yards per game, 119th). They are averaging just 10 points per game (tied for 129th in the nation) while yielding nearly 43 points per game (127th).

They face a UCLA team that has enjoyed a confidence-building schedule against three non-Power Five teams (Bowling Green, Alabama State and South Alabama), with only the South Alabama contest even remotely close. The Bruins had to rally Saturday from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired for a 32-31 victory.

But the biggest concern for Dorrell and his staff right now is finding a way to build some small successes, then string those together.

That means everything from not turning the ball over to the opponent on the first possession — something CU has done twice in a row — to improving tackling and slowing down the big plays from opposing offenses. 

“There’s a number of issues, as we all know,” Dorrell said. “We feel we have the time to get those things done, but we need to really lock in … we need to transform that work into Saturday opportunities. There’s an urgency about getting things addressed, getting things fixed.”

Dorrell joked that he may run on a quarterback sneak on Colorado’s first play this week to guarantee the Buffs won’t suffer a turnover. 

But he did stress that CU will place special emphasis this week on…