Monday takeaways: Colorado, Deion searching for responses

Things have taken a turn for the even worse at Colorado following the team’s unforeseen 3-0 start. And after Deion Sanders made a change at playcaller before another loss on Saturday, to Oregon State, more questions are being raised about the program.Week 10 likewise shined

a spotlight on an unforeseen Heisman Trophy prospect and a set of teams in the midst of unexpected turnarounds.Our college football press reporters look at those stories and more with this week’s Monday takeaways.Colorado, Deion having some growing discomforts Sanders received

a great deal of justified appreciation throughout Colorado’s 4-1 start, not just for how he flipped the roster in one offseason, but for how his players carried out on game days. Colorado wasn’t a best group however was a significantly enhanced one, thanks in part to the coaching staff.Now, after Colorado has dropped three straight games, training choices are being discussed, without a great deal of clearness from Sanders. The subject after Saturday night’s loss to Oregon State was why Sanders had changed offending playcallers, moving analyst and former NFL coach Pat Shurmur into the role that Sean Lewis had actually occupied through eight games. Lewis, who left a head-coaching task at Kent State for Colorado, had actually supervised an offense that opened with a record-setting passing performance at TCU, and balanced more than 500 yards and 41.3 points in four of the very first 5 games. Colorado balanced 13.2 points per game in 2022. Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes have actually lost 5 of six games after a 3-0 start. Chet Strange/USA TODAY Sports When I first became aware of the prospective playcaller switch Thursday night, I could not think it. Neither might coaches who connected Friday after the news was validated.”What on earth is going on at Colorado???? “an SEC offending coordinator texted. Sanders didn’t use numerous details in discussing the move, only that he did it in Colorado’s benefits and didn’t second-guess himself. Colorado had 78 total yards through three quarters Saturday night before a great burst in the 4th.” You guys don’t know all the intangibles yet,”Sanders stated after the game.”You’re just looking from the outside of the baby crib, searching in.

I got tinted windows and you can’t even see in your home, however you’re making conclusions on what I ought to and ought to not do. “Colorado’s house isn’t crumbling, but it’s starting to crack. Sanders didn’t disparage Lewis and has taken obligation for the team’s play. But the relocation is bizarre, to put it slightly

, and some are wondering if Lewis is being scapegoated for things beyond his control, like an offending line group that wasn’t constructed for success.There were likewise questionable in-game decisions, particularly at the end of both halves. Tracking 7-3, Colorado required a punt and took control of at its own 4-yard line with 49 seconds left in the very first half.

The offense had created 2 net yards of offense in the quarter– 2! Yet the Buffaloes twice passed from their own end zone before a run for no gain. Two plays later on, Oregon State scored to go up 14-3. Sanders said Colorado’s plan was to attempt and move the ball on first down and, if unsuccessful,”struck the clock,”however the 2nd incomplete pass permitted Oregon State to protect its timeouts.After a perky fourth-quarter rally cut Colorado’s deficit to 7 with 1:42 left, Sanders shunned an onside kick. The Enthusiasts had all 3 timeouts, but would need an immediate stop, which they didn’t get. Colorado didn’t use its second timeout after a Damien Martinez run for a first down. By the time the Buffaloes utilized their last timeout, just two seconds remained.”This is hard,” Sanders said. “The reason it’s so tough is since you understand you’re capable of doing much better, playing better, performing better, calling much better games, training better on my behalf.”The tail end rings true after a rough week in Stone, which exposed some growing discomforts for Sanders.– Adam Rittenberg Ollie

Gordon II for the Heisman? Why not?Yes, the Heisman Prize has actually ended up being purely a quarterback award. And, yes, it appears running backs, for whatever factor, are being seriously disrespected at all levels of football these days. But watch Ollie Gordon II run– the passion with which he runs and the staggering numbers that he’s putting up– and it’s pretty tough to make a good case that the Oklahoma State back

should not remain in the middle of the Heisman conversation.Editor’s Picks 2 Related Gordon is the hottest player in college football, and he’s playing on among the hottest teams. Oklahoma State has won 5 straight considering that a woeful start to the season, and Gordon has actually been the driving force in the Cowboys’climb to the top of the Huge 12 standings. They’re connected with Texas, each with one league loss, after taking down Oklahoma 27-24 at home Saturday, the last scheduled

game in the Chaos rivalry.Talk about lasting impressions. Gordon rushed for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns, the most hurrying backyards versus the OU defense by any player this season, and has actually rushed for more than 100 yards in 6 straight games.The Heisman has become associated with players who turn up huge on the biggest stages and assist their groups into championship contention and/or national relevance– typically a quarterback. Going back to the 2000 season, only two running backs( Derrick Henry

and Mark Ingram)have actually won the Heisman. However it’s hard to picture where Oklahoma State would be right now without Gordon’s emergence.He carried the ball only 19 times in his first three games however has rushed for 995 lawns and scored 11 touchdowns during the Pokes’five-game winning streak, and 3 of the five challengers remained in the top 25 of the very first College Football Playoff rankings. A fourth opponent, West Virginia, is 6-3. So it’s not like Gordon is rolling up Barry Sanders-like numbers versus bottom-feeders. The 6-foot-1, 211-pound sophomore leads the nation in rushing yards(1,225 )together with hurries of 20-plus backyards (17), hurries of 30-plus lawns(13 )and rushes of 40-plus yards(6).

Gordon has been as important to his team as any player in the nation, and at the very least, deserves a trip to New york city City as a Heisman finalist.– Chris Low Jedd Fisch constructing momentum at Arizona has actually done something only one other group(Georgia in 2006)has actually done, according to ESPN Stats & Details– win 3 straight games versus AP-ranked opponents while being unranked going into each game.The Wildcats ‘newest accomplishment,

a 27-10 victory over UCLA late Saturday night in Tucson, was among precision as redshirt freshman quarterback Noah Fifita chose apart the Bruins’ defense by completing 25 of 32 passes for 300 lawns with three goals and one interception. While subbing for Jayden de Laura, sidelined considering that sustaining an ankle injury against Stanford on Sept. 23, Fifita has surpassed the 300-yard passing mark three times and has assisted stabilize the fifth-best offense( 439.8 backyards per game)in the crammed Pac-12. The win over the Bruins ended a stretch of 5 successive ranked opponents for the Wildcats(6-3) and they have actually shown to be fight evaluated

in ending up being bowl eligible for the first time since 2017. As an outcome, Jedd Fisch has actually made strides on the recruiting trail, even with in-state protective end Elijah Rushing(No. 20 total)decommitting Oct. 8. The Wildcats’ class, headlined by in-state quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (No. 219 total), is 4th in the Pac-12.– Blake Baumgartner From 1-3 to bowl eligibility, Boston College flying high After Boston College began the season 1-3, there were a reasonable amount of critics questioning the direction of the program under fourth-year coach Jeff Hafley.

But Hafley was adamant the Eagles would get their season turned around.Five straight wins later on, the Eagles are bowl eligible and on their longest winning streak given that the 2010 season. They have actually doubled their win total from a season ago, with 3 games remaining. So how, exactly, did Boston College do it? play 0:22 Thomas Castellanos calls his own number to offer Boston College the lead Boston College QB Thomas Castellanos takes it himself and discovers the end zone to offer the Eagles the lead.For starters, the Eagles have an identity on offense behind dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos. Emmett Morehead was the starting quarterback in the opener versus Northern Illinois, but BC prepared to play Castellanos too. The offense was never in sync, and a series

of miscues cost the Eagles in a stunning loss. But it ended up being clear in a 2-point loss to Florida State that Castellanos was the player to construct around– after 400 total yards and two touchdowns.BC is now one of the best hurrying teams in the nation, ranking No. 9 with 211.2 hurrying backyards per game. Compare that to where BC was last season, when injuries annihilated its offending line and the quarterback position: The Eagles ranked last in the nation in hurrying lawns per game (62.8). The team also is having fun with self-confidence. Hafley indicates the 2nd half against Virginia as the turning point. Down 14 points at halftime, BC held Virginia to 39 overall second-half backyards and crafted a 27-24 comeback success. The following week, the Eagles needed another late return, beating Army with 25 seconds left. The very same thing happened this previous week against Syracuse– BC took the lead with 2:23 remaining, and the Eagles did it without leading running back Pat Garwo III, leading receiver Ryan O’Keefe and a host of others out with injuries.” They might have gone in the tank, at 1-3 after getting

beat up by Louisville, we’re down 14 points at the half versus Virginia and we stated,’Enough suffices,'”Hafley told ESPN on Sunday.” Since that second half, we’re a totally various group. We have an identity, and we have actually simply continued to improve at finding out who we are.”No One at Boston College is pleased, though. With games staying against Virginia Tech, Pitt and Miami, Hafley stated the focus is on improving, not relaxing and moring than happy with 6 wins, especially with a young group that is set to return the vast majority of its players next season. “We’ve got a lot more to go, we have actually got to improve, “Hafley said.”We’re winning games in the fourth quarter, we’re finding a method to be gritty. It’s a tough-minded team, however we require to improve. That’s the cool thing, is now that they’re winning, you can coach them hard and the accountability

is at an all-time high. It’s just enjoyable to be around.”– Andrea Adelson