Know the foe: CU needs win to keep pace in North

Three teams are 2-1 in the Big 12 Conference’s North division so far.

Two – Nebraska and Missouri – play each other today. So if Colorado wants to keep its share of the driver’s seat, today’s 6 p.m. home game with Kansas University has to end only one way – with a victory.

There will be at least one 3-1 conference team once the day’s games are over. Two is only guaranteed if CU takes care of business.

“This is a critical game for us,” CU coach Gary Barnett said. “It’s a huge game for us – absolutely a must-win.”

It’s not just because of the North race. Colorado is in need of a victory because last week’s 42-17 loss to Texas was a step backward for a squad trying to make it to its second straight Big 12 championship game – defensive lapses, an inability to reach UT quarterback Vince Young and a 28-0 deficit midway through the second quarter doomed CU to its second loss of the season.

It also fell to Miami, 23-3, in nonconference action. But since the Miami loss, the Buffaloes beat Oklahoma State and Texas A&M with ease, making Barnett one confused coach.

“We were a completely different team out there than the team that played the week before,” Barnett said after the Texas game. “We now have to decide which one of those teams we are.”

Without question, CU has the weapons to take firm control of the Big 12 North before season’s end. Led by quarterback Joel Klatt on offense and countered with an athletic defense – including a linebacker fleet that would rival KU’s – the Buffalos are two-touchdown favorites today for a reason.

“I like their defensive front,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “It plays hard and attacks the football. They have very active linebackers.”

Though Brian Iwuh, Thaddaeus Washington and Jordon Dizon don’t individually have linebacker statistics to compare with KU’s Nick Reid, together the three combined for 273 tackles last season, and so far in 2005 have teamed up for 100 stops. Washington, a junior, leads the Buffs with 49.

Offensively, the Buffalos have excelled with Klatt under center. A 24-year old fifth-year senior, Klatt has started since his sophomore year, and has thrown for 1,435 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions.

This year, he’s led the Buffaloes to 250.8 yards per game through the air, third-best in the Big 12 Conference.

“He’s a very poised quarterback,” Mangino said. “He does a lot of nice things – a smart player.”

Adding to his success is Klatt’s refusal to establish a go-to receiver. Dusty Sprague, Evan Judge, Joe Klopfenstein and Hugh Charles all have at least 15 catches, but none have more than 23. Klopfenstein is leading all CU receivers with 310 yards and two touchdowns.

Klopfenstein, a 6-foot-6, 245-pound Colorado native, is one of the best in the Big 12 at the position. He caught 28 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns a season ago.

To balance the Buffalo attack, CU relies on running back Hugh Charles, a speedy sophomore. Though he’s not as polished as past CU running backs Bobby Purify and Chris Brown, Charles has rushed for 525 yards in CU’s first six gmes, earning the attention of KU’s defense.

“They have a good offense,” KU linebacker Kevin Kane said. “A lot of the offenses we have faced in the past do well in one certain area, but Colorado does well in both running and passing.”