Why Colorado vs. Baylor Presents a Unique Opportunity for Julian Lewis
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The Colorado Buffaloes are slated to face the Baylor Bears to kick off Big 12 play in Week 4. Redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis will be making the sixth start of his collegiate career, but this one will be different than the rest.
For the first time at Colorado, Lewis will be coming into a game attempting to rebound from a rough showing and a loss the week prior. His two-interception game against the Northwestern Wildcats was the most adversity he's faced as the starter from an individual standpoint. But against Baylor, there's a path forward for making things right.
How the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs laid the blueprint for Julian Lewis
The Bears defeated the Bulldogs in Week 3, scoring 36 points despite missing starting quarterback DJ Lagway due to injury. But the Bears' defense showed its hand to Lewis, as there are flaws he and the coaching staff can capitalize on.
The Bears struggled to slow down Bulldogs quarterback Trey Kukuk, both through the air and on the ground. Louisiana Tech's offense allowed him to have free rein against Baylor, putting its chips behind him to create plays in a variety of ways.
He finished the day with 223 yards, a touchdown and an interception through the air while adding a team-high 75 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs had him throw the ball 44 times, and he helped his offense put up 19 points on a Big 12 defense.
If Colorado's coaching staff approaches Lewis' game in a similar manner, he could find even more success.
A comfortable environment
Something else that will play in Lewis' favor is that he will have a more comfortable environment to play in, in all likelihood. While this is still a road environment and there will be more opposing fans in the crowd than the Wildcats had, he'll be in a more comfortable weather environment.
The forecast in Waco, Texas, at kickoff currently projects an 82-degree day with light clouds, and most importantly, a zero percent chance of precipitation.
Lewis has struggled to get a handle on the ball in the two damp climates he's played in this season. First, against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the air was dense with humidity, and it caused Lewis to bobble a number of snaps. The bobbles affected his confidence, and it took him until the game's final drive to get back on track.
Then, against Northwestern, it was pouring rain for the entirety of the game. Although he avoided fumbles this time around, his accuracy took a hit. He completed just 19 of his 29 pass attempts in addition to his two interceptions.
Even with chalk on his hands, the environment proved costly for Lewis. But against Baylor, he'll finally have a chance to play in clean conditions for a road test.
Potential returning weapons to the Colorado Buffaloes' offense
While this may be optimistic, Lewis could have some of his high-caliber weapons returning to the offense in Week 4. Wide receivers Danny Scudero and Kam Perry were both highly touted in the offseason, but have been nonfactors since arriving in Boulder.
For Scudero, his slow start has been caused by an injury he suffered in the offseason and still hasn't fully recovered from. As for Perry, he was also injured during fall camp, but he also took some 'time off,' according to receivers coach Rashad Davis. In his Wednesday presser, Davis said that Perry is still getting up to speed, hence his lack of involvement in the offense.
Against Northwestern, neither receiver recorded a catch. If Scudero can finally get healthy ahead of this game and Perry can find his role in the offense, Lewis will have two more vital weapons at his disposal to help him rebound from his brutal Week 3 performance.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/colorado as Why Colorado vs. Baylor Presents a Unique Opportunity for Julian Lewis.
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