Colorado Football Weekend - Air Force Guns For Army While The Buffaloes Hope To Take Down Kansas

Every Friday through the end of the season we will be breaking down all of the local football games of the week and highlighting a few of the other games of note for the weekend. We won't be predicting the outcomes here, we will leave that for all of you in the comment section.

College Football:

Colorado Buffaloes @ Kansas Jayhawks - Lawrence, KS - 12:00 No TV
Colorado -9
October 27, 2007. The Colorado Buffaloes defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock to notch the last road victory of the Dan Hawkins regime. On Saturday, Hawkins will have what is most likely his last legitimate chance to end the streak before his time with the program could come to an end.

The Buffaloes head to Lawrence to take on a Jayhawks team that is also winless in the Big 12 and is struggling under first year head coach Turner Gill. Kansas followed up a disappointing loss to D-1AA North Dakota State by upsetting Georgia Tech, allowing for some optimism amongst the fan base who hoped that maybe the first game was an aberration. It's been all down hill from there though as they have only managed one more victory this season, against an awful New Mexico State program. Currently, the Jayhawks are ranked 112th in points scored and 100th in points against, numbers that help to tell the story that is the futility of this Kansas team. 

For Colorado to end the road streak as well as the current four game losing slide, they will need to stay aggressive and win the turnover battle. The Ralphie Report says it all starts with attitude:

Always be the Aggressor - Whether on Offense, Defense or Special Teams, be aggressive and make them play your game. Don't ever stand back and wait for the Jayhawks to do something. Take the play to them. This requires constant mental toughness and confidence. It doesn't mean go out of your assignments, it just means execute those assignments actively and aggressively every time. And on special teams, go for it with a fake at least once in the game if under appropriate circumstances.

Thrive on being the Enemy - When you're on the road, you have to enjoy the role of villain. Circle the wagons and carry a chip on your shoulder, but don't just do that, because it always puts one in a defensive posture. Do it in an aggressive way. You have to be the invaders, there to sack, destroy and terrorize, and then steal and bring back the victory. You're the Buffaloes, in town to trample and pillage!

Air Force Falcons @ Army Black Knights - West Point, NY - 10:00 CBS College Sports
Air Force -6.5
Air Force heads to West Point hoping to solidify their first Commander-in-Chief's trophy since 2002 and the Falcons 17th trophy overall. Their hot start has cooled off somewhat after arriving at a very difficult portion of the schedule, losing the last three games. 

Army enters the game at 5-3, thanks to a strong running game that has carried the team throughout 2010:

The offense for Army is practically identical to Air Force's approach, as the Black Knights head into this meaningful contest averaging 281.4 ypg. Army, which is producing 30.4 ppg, has scored 26 of its 30 touchdowns via the run. Jared Hassin is currently leading the team with 669 rushing yards, and has also scored eight touchdowns, while quarterback Trent Steelman has rumbled for 499 yards and a team-best nine scores.

The last time Army was in action the team punished VMI for 316 yards and two rushing touchdowns. One of those scores was claimed by Hassin, who rumbled for 158 yards on just 14 carries. Patrick Mealy added 97 rushing yards, while Steelman contributed 42 yards to go along with one touchdown. Because Army relies heavily on its ground game it is very rare that Steelman has to throw the football. In the win over VMI the quarterback threw for just 64 yards and has just 568 yards and four scores on the season.

As improved as the Army attack this season has been, Air Force has been even better, and the Falcon triple option attack should give the Black Knights fits.

Falcons might fly, but these Falcons stay grounded and use their ground game to abuse their competition. Air Force, which is averaging 29.1 ppg, has dominated its opponents for an outstanding 313.6 ypg and out of the 35 touchdowns scored by this unit, 27 have come via the run. Asher Clark is currently leading the team with 735 yards on 5.8 yards per attempt, while quarterback Tim Jefferson has contributed 570 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns. Clearly the Flacons do not pass much, which means Jefferson is rarely called upon to air out the football, which is for the best, because when under center the signal caller has completed just 50.4 percent of his throws. In nine games the quarterback has thrown just seven touchdowns against six interceptions.

Other Games Of Note:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons - Atlanta, GA - 11:00 NFL Sunday Ticket
San Diego Chargers @ Houston Texans - Houston, TX - 11:00 NFL CBS
Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders - Oakland, CA - 2:15 CBS