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November 6, 2020 By: Natasha Vukonich

Karl Dorrell, Sam Noyer ready to usher in new era for Colorado Buffaloes

Saturday afternoon the Colorado Buffaloes will finally return to Folsom Field for their season opener against UCLA in a game that has nearly too many story lines to count.

So let’s see if I can break it down for you.

Our tale first began in early February when Mel Tucker dumped CU like last week’s Cosmos Pizza, and Karl Dorrell swooped in to save the recently orphaned Buffaloes.

Sure, Tucker left us high and dry with a disappointed recruiting class, empty promises, and spring conditioning/practice just barely underway. But, Dorrell has a history of success as a head coach in the Pac-12 and had plenty of time to acquaint himself with the team before naturally leading the Buffs to their presumptive sixth consecutive win against the Colorado State Rams in the season opening Rocky Mountain Showdown.

Or so we thought.

I don’t need to recount for you the months of quarantine, loss of not only spring practice, but summer as well, and the Pac-12’s ultimate decision to scrap the fall season entirely. The point is, the Buffs had no practice time and a new head coach that most players had only ever spoken to via Zoom. Not to mention having no idea who would fill Steve Montez’s cleats as starting quarterback.

Over the summer as CU students trickled back into Boulder so did players into the weight-room and practice fields in preparation for what was at the time, a tentative spring season consisting of 10 conference-only games.

It wasn’t until September 24, that the Pac-12 rescinded its original decision to delay any competition until 2021 and announced a seven game conference-only schedule beginning on Nov. 6 2020. And it was a mere three weeks ago that the Buffs stepped onto Folsom Field for the first time in nearly nine months.

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At this point the Buffs were trying to adjust to their new coach while simultaneously stuck in the middle of a quarterback battle that only added to the uncertainty and stress of the quickly approaching Nov. 7 opener.

Neither Senior Sam Noyer nor Junior Tyler Lytle has had much game experience at the quarterback position, with Noyer just one game ahead.

Noyer’s Colorado quarterback resume is fairly mediocre, appearing in eight games with 21 completions in 41 attempts for 179 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. It’s also been over a year since Noyer played the QB position, appearing in game 11 against Utah in 2018 when he relieved Montez and completed four of six attempts. Noyer then spent the 2019 season playing safety when former head coach Mel Tucker wanted to add more defensive depth on the back end. He appeared in 11 games on special teams and four on defense.

Lytle’s record isn’t much better, appearing in eight games, completing four of six pass attempts for 55 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Playing most recently against Washington State in 2019.

So you can see how it’s been close to impossible to determine who will pull the Buffaloes out of their three-year, 5-7 slump.

With no spring or preseason games and only three weeks of training camp to gage their readiness, Dorrell drug out the decision as long as possible.

Just a little over a week before facing off against UCLA, Dorrell finally announced that Sam Noyer prevailed as starting QB after what Dorrell called a “very, very close” competition.

Ultimately, Noyer has been around a little longer, has gotten more snaps as a collegiate quarterback and seemed a little more comfortable commanding the offense at camp.

Not only will Noyer lead the Buffs in this unprecedented, shortened season, he will also be one of only three Colorado quarterbacks to have his first start his senior year.

This all comes after Noyer earned his degree at CU in the fall, moved back to Oregon and put his name in the transfer portal. But, Coach Dorrell once again saved the day when he joined CU and brought along his new quarterback coach, Danny Langsdorf.

Langsdorf had previously recruited Noyer during his time assisting at Nebraska and asked Noyer to return to Boulder. Clearly Noyer agreed and his perseverance, especially throughout the pandemic has landed him one of the best jobs at the University of Colorado.

This is not to say that the tale of two quarterbacks is over. Dorrell has made it clear that Lytle is ready and hungry to play, stating, “we feel Tyler has tremendous, tremendous upside. We’re going to bring him along as we go forward this season.”

Could the QB game time switcheroo happen?

I’d say so.

In a press conference held via Zoom on Thursday morning, Dorrell noted that Saturday will be filled with many in game adjustments given that both UCLA and CU are going to have a lot of “un-scouted looks.” A concept that would already be prevalent in any season opener much less one that follows an empty preseason schedule.

“I know chip Kelly is a really good offensive mind, one of the best in college football and I know he’ll probably have plans of doing things a little differently than in the past as well,” said Dorrell.

Speaking of UCLA head coaches with great offensive minds, Dorrell’s one and only head coaching job prior to CU was with the Bruins from 2004-2007. Dorrell won the 2005 PAC-10 co-coach of the year along with USC head coach Pete Carroll and went 35-27 during his time coaching at his alma mater.

That’s right, he played for UCLA and he wasn’t just a part of the team but one of the most successful wide receivers the school has ever seen, amassing 1,517 receiving yards, 108 receptions, three Rose Bowl titles and one Freedom Bowl title.

Although his coaching career at UCLA may not be full of shining accomplishments and spending the past 13 years jumping from one NFL assistant coaching position to another may not strike a lot of faith into the hearts of Buffs fans, Dorrell claims this will pose no threat to Colorado’s success.

“Being an assistant for all those years after that I was still preparing myself for game strategies and what decisions I would make. I’m locked in about the processes of the game and what we need to do for us to be successful.”

His focus on Saturday will be on keeping balance on both sides of the ball, in controlling the run game and attacking defensively in the secondary covering the width and length of the field.

Despite a fairly unseasoned head coach, key players like tailback Alex Fontenot out due to injury, and all of the obstacles presented by the pandemic including a nearly empty stadium, the Buffs are itching to play, hype each other up and create their own electric atmosphere.

Dorrell is ready to attack his former school and left us with these words “If I’m a betting man, I am going to say we’re going to play really well.”