Colorado did show statistical progress during its winless (0-9) Pac-12 campaign in 2014, but many numbers (and the win-loss column) continued to indicate that the Buffaloes were still a long way from prime time in their new conference. Mike MacIntyre's program is obviously in need of across-the-board improvement, but we'll address the most glaring shortcoming here.
Position to improve: Defensive line and linebacker (in general, run defense).
Why it was a problem: The numbers are ugly enough to hurt the eyes. Outside of Boulder, the Pac-12's worst run defense belonged to Oregon State, and the Beavers surrendered 4.6 yards per rush. The Buffs, meanwhile, checked in at a yard worse -- they allowed 5.6 yards per carry. That's a serious case of bringing up the rear, and it ranked Colorado near the bottom of the entire nation. It also served as a telltale sign that the Buffs didn't pack the necessary muscle up front to seriously compete with the rest of the Pac-12. Mountain West opponent Colorado State racked up 266 yards against the Buffs to open the season, and it didn't get any prettier for MacIntyre's squad after that. A five-game stretch near the end of the season saw opponents rack up the following rush yard totals against Colorado: 213, 309, 236, 288, and 265. Ouch.
How it can be fixed: This is Dave Forman's time to shine. Whereas MacIntyre's first two years on campus saw the sports performance director focus on conditioning and injury reduction, Colorado is putting a decided emphasis on strengthening this offseason. They've even hired a dedicated nutritionist. The Buffs feel that this is all part of their program's natural progression, and that they'll reap the benefits of their patience in 2015, when a physically competitive roster finally hits the field. Strength disadvantages are most blatantly exposed in the defensive front seven, where four of Colorado's starters were either freshmen or sophomores in 2014. Underclassmen comprised all of the Buffs' primary depth along the defensive line. Maturation is happening right now -- that's the hope, at least.
Early 2015 outlook: The weight room is the key to improvement here. If Forman can make sure that the work done there meshes well with the natural advancement of the Buffs' defensive beef, we should see very tangible progress in Boulder next season. A quick look at 2014 numbers, after all, indicates that there's no way for this run defense to go but up.