As you read that headline you probably thought "well great, so our defense struggled", but not to worry, Thursday's scrimmage can definitely be considered a victory on both sides of the ball. The offense roared out of the gates, with both the first and second teams scoring on their opening drives. But the defense recovered and finished strong with fan favorite Parker Orms intercepting a Tyler Hansen pass and returning it 29 yards for a touchdown.
David Gerhardt of The Ralphie Report sees good things from the o-line and probable starting quarterback, Tyler Hansen:
The starting O-line did a pretty good job of protecting Hansen and giving him enough time to go through his progression. But our Defense did a pretty good job of covering guys downfield, so they were able to negate some of the O-lines effectiveness in the passing game. Hansen still managed to find guys over the middle, like TEs and McKnight. If given the time, he can be a pretty solid QB. They also ran one designed QB run, which Hansen took in for a TD from about the 15 yardline. It's nice to see Hansen running because that's the play that's been called, and not because everything broke down.
Neil Woelk talks about hope, and how it's slowly start to build amongst the Buffalo faithful:
It`s been a while since I`ve seen fans leave Folsom Field after a CU scrimmage with smiles on their faces. Actually, maybe not so much smiles as looks of pleasant surprise. The Buffs have some talent and depth this year, and it showed on Thursday.
Certainly any optimism should be accompanied by the term "guarded," but the difference between this year and last -- or even the summer and spring -- is noticeable.
You can check out all of the stats here and head over to The Ralphie Report for more.