Texas Football: 4 problematic Buffs players for the Longhorns

2) Problematic Buffs for Texas football

Colorado will be missing a big piece of their defense in the Alamo Bowl, after standout senior linebacker Nate Landman suffered a season-ending lower body injury in their loss to Utah back on Dec. 12. In just five games played during the regular season for Landman prior to his injury, he registered a whopping 53 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, one pass breakup, and one fumble recovery.

With Landman out for the Buffs in the Alamo Bowl, Dorrell will need the best of his other defensive leaders to really step up to the plate. One other defensive player for Colorado that will need to rise to the occasion for them on Dec. 29 is the former converted cornerback and the standout junior safety Isaiah Lewis.

There were very few defensive backs in the PAC-12 this season that was as good, versatile, and efficient as Lewis. He ranked second in the PAC-12 in pass breakups and was one of the highest graded safeties in the conference for the regular season.

In five games played this fall for Lewis, he registered a team-high six pass breakups, to go along with 25 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks. Lewis only allowed around 10 yards per reception in pass coverage this season, only committed one penalty all season, and didn’t allow a single passing touchdown.

He is also versatile enough to make an impact in other areas of the game. He had just a couple of missed tackles on the season, a dozen stops, nine additional quarterback pressures, and had a reception percentage around 50.