Karl Dorrell proud of Colorado’s resiliency after win

STANFORD, Calif. — The Buffaloes have been one of the biggest surprises in the Pac-12 so far this season.

After Colorado outlasted Stanford 35-32 Saturday, the program is off to a 2-0 start for a fifth-straight year. The offense has been dynamic, stockpiling points and yards, plus the defense is maturing game by game. In hindsight, Karl Dorrell appears to have his team a year ahead of schedule, which speaks volumes of the job he has done in a short period of time.

“These guys have done everything I’ve asked them to do and that’s why I love these kids,” Dorrell said. “They’re learning how to win, they’re learning how to win ugly and that’s a good trait to have.”

Colorado’s offense continues to be successful with a balanced attack and Dorrell been enjoying the unit’s long engineered drives. The Buffaloes had a two-score lead over the Cardinal entering the fourth quarter, but their defense allowed 16 points in the final period, which made Dorrell sweat down the stretch. However, the 56-year old coach thought his team was resilient and responded well in the clutch.

“Offensively we put together a good performance, but I would’ve loved to finish the game like we finished it last week, when we had the ball and took a knee,” he said. “We had the dramatics all the way to the end unfortunately.”

Quarterback Sam Noyer had another solid game, with 291 total yards and scored four total touchdowns. He played with poise, never panicked when the game got close and was smart with the football for the most part.

Jarek Broussard had his second-straight game of eclipsing the century mark in rushing, with 121 yards on the ground. Not to mention sophomore wide receiver Dimitri Stanley hauled in six passes for 126 yards and a score. The cherry on top for Colorado’s offense was the fact that the big boys up front didn’t allow a sack. The unit was dominant in the trenches and paved the way for 22 first downs.

Senior linebacker Nate Landman had a game-high, 11 tackles. Despite allowing 326 passing yards to Stanford, Colorado’s secondary showed improvement from game one. The Buffaloes’ defense overall made enough plays in the end and kept the opposition out of the endzone when it mattered the most.

Now Dorrell believes his team is battle-tested, which will benefit them down the road in tight games. The Pac-12 meat grinder is just starting for the Buffaloes. Although Colorado’s home game against Arizona State got cancelled Sunday, Dorrell plans on utilizing that time off to get better. It’s possible that Colorado is still flying under the radar, but they have everyone’s attention around the league now.

Dorrell plans on taking full advantage of the exposure, which will go a long way with the program in terms of recruiting. Regardless of the matter, the Buffaloes are off to a great start and they’re riding a big wave of momentum.

“What can I say, I think it was a good team win,” Dorrell said. “We have a lot to wok on, complete and get better at in a lot of areas just like last week.”