Colorado will face a stingy Bearcats defense that belies their stats

After Scott Satterfield finished 3-9 with 93rd in total defense and 100th in scoring defense in his first year in Cincinnati, he turned to longtime Iowa State defensive assistant Tyson Veidt to retool the Bearcats' defense. Veidt set about implementing Matt Campbell's version of the 3-3-5 defense and stockpiling transfer talent to execute his plan. Midway through its first campaign in southwest Ohio, UC has yet to see any statistical improvement except for two key categories that add to the win column.

Cincinnati implemented Veidt's plan and climbed from 109th in turnovers last season to 40th after seven games. The 11 takeaways are just two fewer than the 13 forced in 2023. What's even more impressive is that scoring defense has climbed 72 spots and the Bearcats are allowing 10.7 fewer points per game through seven weeks.

Although one of the 3-3-5 draws makes the roster less reliant on hard-to-find interior defensive players, Veidt has the luxury of inheriting a former All-American to control the defensive front. Dontay Corleone is a 6-1, 320 junior nose tackle who probably only sees 320 in the rearview mirror. He racked up an impressive 21 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 4 quarterback hurries despite missing the season opener.

Eric Phillips and Rob Jackson are the defensive ends of the three-man group. Phillips is a 6-3, 260 sixth-year senior who is credited with 4 sacks. Johnson, a 6-4, 270 junior, split time with senior 6-3, 265 Wisconsin transfer Darian Varner. Louisville transfer Kameron Wilson is a 6-2, 250 junior who has logged over 150 snaps and added a pair of sacks.

The frontline lacks a true edge rusher, but Corleone has proven he can't be contained one-on-one, giving his linemates time to work solo matchups. The ends are not required to hold the edge against most formations and work up and in from their 5-technique alignment.

Behind the line, West Virginia transfer Jared Barlett anchors a strong linebacking corps. At 6-3, 237, the sixth-grader is tied for the team lead with 37 tackles. When Cincy goes four-and-out, it's often Bartlett who provides extra pressure, and he has racked up 7 tackles for loss, including 4.5 sacks.

Central Arkansas transfer Jake Golday is a 6-4, 235 Sam linebacker who has 35 tackles. The junior is credited with 5 TFL and 1.5 sacks. PFF ranks Golday as the No. 5 linebacker in the FBS. Sophomore Jonathan Thompson sees meaningful snaps behind Golday. The 6-2, 230 junior adds 21 tackles and a pair of sacks.

Junior Jack Dingle and Simeon Coleman share Will linebacker duties. At 6-4, 240, Dingle gets the first snaps and brings 28 tackles to the unit. Coleman is a 6-0, 230 freshman who counts 4 TFL among his 21 tackles. With linebackers complementing the pass rush, Cincinnati ranks third in the Big 12 in sacks, and its 17 quarterback spills are just one fewer than the 18 sacks it managed in all of 2023. Will and Sam's backers are often asked to be the force players and perimeter containment has been a weak point for the defense.

The run defense is vulnerable to outside runs, ranks 96th and allows 168.6 rushing yards per game. Colorado has an opportunity to develop its identity in the run game against a defense that allows nearly 5 yards per carry off tackle.

One element of the Campbell/Veidt 3-3-5 that allows the linebackers to participate in the pass rush is the use of the star position in the middle of the field, often just a few steps behind the linebackers. Bearcats heir Antwan Peek Jr. has emerged as a top playmaker in the hybrid role this season. The 6-3, 208 sophomore is tied for the team lead in tackles (37), leads the team with 4 forced fumbles and PFF ranks him as the #2 safety in FBS despite only appearing in the last two games the starting eleven was.

Jiquan Sanks started the first five games and the 5-11, 195 freshman is credited with 24 tackles. Filling the other safety spots are Louisville transfer Josh Minkins Jr. and Virginia Tech transfer Derrick Canteen. Minkins, a 6-2, 200 senior free safety, adds 27 tackles, 3 pass breakups and two interceptions. At 5-11, 197, Canteen plays the strong safety role with 29 tackles, 1 interception and a forced fumble.

Logan Wilson is a 5-10, 180 transfer from North Texas who is the next safety in the game, and the sixth-grader picks up a trio of PBUs. The secondary's strength in the passing game lies at cornerback, where former Florida transfer Jordan Young plays a lockdown boundary corner position. The 6-0, 197 junior owns 5 PBUs and claims a forced fumble.

Junior Jordan Robinson is a 6-4, 210 Kent State transfer who also sees time on the border island. Sophomores Kalen Carroll (6-0, 182) and Ormani Arnold (5-9, 178) will fill the role of field corner. The duo owns a pair of pass break-ups. Overall, PFF ranks the secondary school as the number 22 supply unit with a grade of 89.7.

The secondary is vulnerable between the hashes, especially since the safeties often have to match up with the number two (slot) receivers in man coverage. Since all three safeties are activated as force players in the run game and are supposed to maintain gap integrity, the secondary rarely benefits from a high safety look. Despite the added coverage, UC's pass defense ranks 88th in the FBS, allowing 228.7 yards per game. Eleven of the 15 touchdowns Cincinnati allowed came through the air.

If Cincy chooses to activate the linebackers in the pass rush, mesh concepts, digs and slants are available. If the Bearcats decide to send eight players into coverage, Colorado's offensive line should hold up enough to allow the development of deep crossing routes and take the cover off the Buffs' slot receivers in the secondary.

Ball security will be crucial for CU as Cincinnati ranks third nationally in forced fumbles (8), mitigating the Bearcats' poor tackling grade (63.8), which ranks 90th in the FBS. UC ranks 75th (.842) in red zone defense, allowing 8 touchdowns and 8 field goals on 19 opponents' attempts inside the 20-yard line. If the Buffaloes can avoid costly turnovers, the offense should be able to reach its season averages in both yardage and points.