Impactful, game-changing plays became commonplace for the Colorado defense in 2024.
The 2025 Buffaloes haven’t come up with those plays often enough, and it’s causing a little more gray for defensive coordinator Robert Livingston.
“Is my hair a lot grayer now than it was when we first started the season? Yeah, it is,” said Livingston, 39, in his second season at CU. “But if you can take the ball away, you can win consistently. That’s what we’ve got to do a better job of.”
The Buffs (3-4, 1-3 Big 12), on a bye this week, have five games to play, beginning with an Oct. 25 trip to No. 23 Utah, and they hope their steadily improving defense can take the next step forward.
To this point, Livingston’s rebuilt defense – featuring eight new full-time starters – has had mixed results, but an area of focus going forward is to create more of those havoc plays that became a trademark a year ago.
Last year, the Buffs went 9-4 (7-2 Big 12) and a big part of that was a defense that ranked seventh nationally with 27 takeaways, 16th with 39 sacks and 18th with 93 tackles for loss.
Those numbers are all down significantly for this year’s Buffs. They’ve produced just six takeaways (ranking 88th), eight sacks (116th) and 36 tackles for loss (60th).
CU couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season in regard to takeaways. In the season opener, Georgia Tech had turnovers on its first three offensive possessions.
Since then, however, the Buffs have produced just three turnovers in 69 defensive possessions (not counting end-of-half kneel downs). Tawfiq Byard’s interception in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against Iowa State was the Buffs’ first takeaway since Sept. 6 against Delaware.
“Our super power has got to be that we’ve got to turn the ball over,” Livingston said.
“I’ve got to do a better job preaching it, whether it’s second man in working on the strips (to cause fumbles).”
Both of Georgia Tech’s fumbles in the opener were self-inflicted mistakes. The Buffs have forced just three fumbles all season, only one of which they recovered.
In terms of interceptions, Livingston said players have to finish and go after the ball.
“It’s your ball,” he said. “You’ve got to have that mindset.”
CU had a slow start to the 2024 season in picking up sacks, but those started piling up in Week 5. The Buffs haven’t had a breakthrough in that department yet this year. They’ve had two or less in every game, including zero sacks twice.
The Buffs do have 36 QB hurries, though, led by Keaten Wade (seven) and Alexander McPherson (five).
“We’re close, and those things come in bunches,” Livingston said, adding that teams have used a lot of quick-game passes to avoid the sacks. “The other side of it is we’ve got to finish. I think we probably left six, seven sacks out there that everybody can say where you’re a step away from the quarterback.”
In addition to the lack of havoc plays, the Buffs have been prone to giving up chunk plays. So far this season, the Buffs have allowed 109 plays of 10 yards or more. Nationally, only Sam Houston (113) has allowed more.
Yet, despite a lineup that features a plethora of newcomers and has been ravaged by the injury bug, CU is coming together on defense. The Buffs are giving up 23.7 points per game, which is just slightly behind last year’s team (23.1), and they’ve held five teams to 27 points or less.
CU held BYU and TCU under 400 yards in back-to-back games and then came up with several big-time stops against Iowa State.
In recent weeks, Byard, defensive lineman Amari McNeill, linebacker Jeremiah Brown and cornerback DJ McKinney are among those playing better.
Going into the final five games, the Buffs hope to get healthier, and hope to rack up more havoc plays that’ll result in better overall defense. But, as he often does, Livingston said it starts with himself looking in the mirror.
“I have to do a better job,” he said. “We’ve got to eliminate some things that consistently happen. We’ve got to look at the players that are in there, yes, but I have to paint a better picture. I have to do a better job. So I’m excited to show you guys what we can be the next five weeks. And it starts with myself.”