The good, the bad and the unknown: Colorado

Good

Offensive Line - The offensive line looked like the one that dominated Colorado in last year’s Pac-12 Championship Game. They wore the Buffs down early in the second half and started blowing open huge holes to put the game away. This was another epic performance from the guys up front against Colorado. Oh, and they didn’t allow a sack and gave Jake Browning a lot of time.

Coleman Shelton - The entire offensive line was great, but Shelton was especially impressive. There were plays where he blocked three defenders and got well down the field. He showed why he is one of the best offensive linemen in the country.

Myles Gaskin - It starts up front with the offensive line, but Gaskin was unbelievable once he got the ball. He turned short gains into medium gains, medium gains into long gains and racked up a lot of yards with a heavy load with Lavon Coleman out.

Myles Bryant pick six - Much like Taylor Rapp did last year against Colorado, Bryant basically sealed the game with an aggressive pick six that changed the tone of the game. It was a brilliant play by a player stepping up in Byron Murphy’s absence.

Pressure later - It took a while, but the Husky D got to Steven Montez in a big way. What was really nice about the way the Huskies found pressure is that it came from all directions, keeping Montez in the pocket and throwing him off his mobility.

Big hits/punishment - The Husky D set the tone even when they gave up some yards by laying big hits and delivering the blow over and over again. The physical punishment really started to show later in the game for Colorado.

Statement & tone set - The Huskies showed they are still in 2016 form after a soft non-conference schedule. It is far from as marque, but this was a win similar to last year’s Stanford win which announces the Huskies are a Pac-12 title contender.

Azeem Victor - It was nice to see Victor back in fine form. He led the team in tackles, had a huge sack and was in Colorado’s face all night.

Defensive front - The power of the Husky front was evident Saturday night. Vea, Gaines, Johnson and company is a front as good as any the Huskies have ever put out there (including 1991). They completely shut down the middle of the field and harassed Montez all night.

Punt block - When was the last time the Huskies blocked a punt? Aside from being a game-turning play, seeing Vea and Onwuzurike get back there and blow up a point was just pure visual fun.

Quinten Pounds catch - Pounds made the best play a Husky receiver not named Ross or Pettis in a long, long time right when the Huskies simply needed someone to make a play.

Jordan Miller - Miller didn’t just shut down the pass game. He grabbed two very important picks which saved the Huskies early when Colorado was still rolling.

Bad

Tristan Vizcaino - They were tough conditions, but you can’t miss those two field goals and an extra point. Those misses could have been deadly had it been a close game.

Chico McClatcher injury - McClatcher’s injury looked bad, and he’s a player whose loss would really hurt an inconsistent Husky passing game.

Injuries in general - The injuries seem to be racking up. The Huskies don’t appear to have the luck they had last year in this department.

Receivers after Dante Pettis - It was painful to watch Browning drop back, have time, and simply have no one open, again. The Huskies really have limited pass-catching options after Pettis, and it is really amplified when you have a good corner who can defend Pettis like Colorado did.

Unknown

Receivers after Pettis? This might the be the question that never goes away, especially if McClatcher is done for the year. Will the Huskies get any consistent play out of any receiver other than Pettis?

How good is Colorado? I thought Colorado was a bottom of the Top 25 team going in that was balanced with good receivers and the Huskies dominated them. Are the Huskies just that good, or might Colorado be taking a step back this year?

Can the Huskies avoid traps the next few weeks? The Huskies should be favored by more than 10 points in their next three games before they get a BYE week, but it will be tricky as two of those games are on the road following a road opener at Colorado. Can the Huskies avoid falling into a trap game?