OFFENSE: WR Paul Richardson (Jr.)
In an anemic Colorado offense, junior wide receiver Paul Richardson is the muscle.
After missing the entirety of the 2012 season with a knee injury, Richardson is back to terrorize Pac-12 defenses.
Through seven games, he already has 50 grabs for 914 yards, good for second in the Pac-12 behind Oregon State’s Brandin Cooks, who has 1,256 yards. Richardson also has the conference’s third best yards-per-catch margin at 18.3 yards per catch.
While the junior is day-to-day with a sprained ankle, Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre told The Denver Post that Richardson, who weighs just 170 pounds, will “hopefully” be ready to go for Saturday’s game.
Whether he touches the Rose Bowl turf or not, Richardson has the respect of the Bruins. Sophomore cornerback Ishmael Adams said Richardson is “obviously (Colorado’s) big threat,” while coach Jim Mora elaborated on the junior’s playmaking ability.
“He is dynamic,” Mora said of Richardson. “He’s got strong hands and he can come in and out of his breaks. The way he’s running across the field and the way he puts his foot in the ground and turns back up the field … it’s just really just impressive athleticism.”
Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports senior staff.
DEFENSE: LB Addison Gillam (Fr.)
Allowing 37.1 points per game, a mark good for 110th out of 123 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, the Colorado Buffaloes rank among the worst defenses in college football. The box scores indicate that the Buffaloes’ sieve-like nature is no fault of Addison Gillam.
The freshman outside linebacker leads Colorado in total tackles by a margin of 24, ties for the team lead in sacks and is second on the team with 6.5 tackles for losses, good for a backfield stop about every 10 times he tackles an opposing player.
His most productive day came against the speedy Oregon Ducks, in a game where he recorded 15 of his 66 tackles on the season. Ten of his stops came before halftime of a 57 to 16 loss, suggesting that the outside linebacker can keep up with elite athletes when a game is still in contention.
Gillam figures to have plenty of opportunities to run against a Bruins offense, which features a mobile quarterback and has largely lived, and died, from ball carriers making plays after the catch.
Compiled by Emilio Ronquillo, Bruin Sports senior staff.