TUCSON, Ariz. – In an effort to boost the offense, Colorado head football coach Karl Dorrell brought in a tank.
More specifically, he put Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, nicknamed "Tank," into the starting up.
The tallest player in CU history, at 6-foot-10, the 325-pound sophomore made his first career start, lining up at left tackle.
CU also put true freshman Van Wells in the starting lineup at center after he played right guard the past two weeks. The moves sent left tackle Frank Fillip and center Austin Johnson, who had both started the first four games, on the bench.
"Trying to find the right combinations," Dorrell said.
This was the third different offensive line combination used by the Buffs this season.
"We've got a lot of guys that can play on the O-line," said left guard Casey Roddick. "That's one group on this team that I know when I'm in that room, we're going to fight until it's triple zeros (on the clock). We know that we've got a young quarterback that we've got to protect, so it's heightened to another level."
CU did have a season-high with 154 rushing yards, but also gave up three sacks.
Defensive issues
CU has had one of the worst defenses in the country this season and Saturday was the Buffs' worst performance of the year.
Asked if the defensive scheme employed by coordinator Chris Wilson is an issue, Dorrell said, "We're doing anything and everything. I'm not ever blaming the players. I'm not going to ever do that. It's always on us as coaches. We really have paid a lot of attention trying to do the right things with our people. It's just been … it hasn't been the right things. We're gonna continue to try to find the right way to do this."
Wounded Buffs
Several Buffs were out this week, leaving CU shorthanded.
Earlier in the week, Dorrell said running back Alex Fontenot, receiver Chase Sowell, safety Isaiah Lewis, tight end Brady Russell and punter Ashton Logan likely wouldn't play. None of them made the trip.
In addition, outside linebacker Guy Thomas was in concussion protocol and didn't get cleared in time. Also, freshman tight end Caleb Fauria was slated to start for Russell, but did not play.
"It was a game-time situation (with Fauria)," Dorrell said. "He just came up and he wasn't feeling well. His system was out of balance, so he didn't play.
Notable
Saturday was the 50th consecutive college game coached by Dorrell (including his 2014 season as the Vanderbilt offensive coordinator) in which he didn't have a 300-yard passer. The last 300-yard passing game in a Dorrell-led college offense was UCLA's Patrick Cowan (329 yards) at California on Nov. 4, 2006. … CU has had 19 different players catch a pass this season, tying the single-season school record (also in 1999 and 2004). … In addition to Christian-Lichtenhan, linebacker Marvin Ham III and tight end Erik Olsen made their first career starts. … Walk-on Cameron Warchuck made his first appearance as a Buff, handling snaps on punts. …With 18 rushing yards on Saturday, Charlie Offerdahl now has 131 on the season, the most in a season by a walk-on in CU history. Josh Ford held the previous mark with 128 in 2011.
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