ESPN College Football

COLORADO BUFFALOES

2012 record: 1-11
2012 conference record: 1-8 (Last in South Division)
Returning starters: Offense 9; Defense 7; Kick/punt 2

Top returners: WR Paul Richardson, WR Nelson Spruce, LB Derrick Webb, RB Christian Powell, C Gus Handler, DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe, CB Kenneth Crawley.

Key losses: TE Nick Kasa, OL David Bakhtiari, LB Jon Major, DB Ray Polk.

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Christian Powell* (691)
Passing: Jordan Webb* (1,434, out indefinitely with knee injury)
Receiving: Nelson Spruce* (446)
Tackles: Derrick Webb* (88)
Sacks: Chidera Uzo-Diribe (7)
Interceptions: Jered Bell*, Jon Major, Marques Mosley* (1)

Spring answers

1. He's back: After missing all of 2012 with a torn ACL, wide receiver Paul Richardson is back and healthy. This is a huge boost for an offense that was lacking an explosive playmaker. In four Colorado scrimmages this spring, he had eight catches for 294 yards and three touchdowns. It's not the greatest barometer, but the fact he's on the field and running by defenders is a very positive sign.

2. Starting from scratch: Colorado has an entirely new coaching staff for the first time since 1979. So a good chunk of spring was spent reading name tags. It was also spent getting the team used to running a no-huddle offense. New coach Mike MacIntyre noted that the 15 practices were simply about introducing concepts -- which was accomplished. Translating those concepts into progress on the field will be a bigger task this fall.

3. Filling holes: Obviously, nothing is set in stone. A new coaching staff means a complete evaluation of every position. But there were some names that jumped out as candidates. D.D. Goodson made the move from tailback to wide receiver -- giving them a little more speed and depth at the position. January enrollee Addison Gillam jumped to the top of the depth chart at linebacker and cornerback John Walker made a big push in the secondary -- probably Colorado's deepest and most hotly contested position group.

Fall questions

1. QB questions: Last year there were three -- Jordan Webb, Nick Hirschman and Connor Wood. This year there are three -- Wood, Shane Dillon and incoming freshman Sefo Liufau. There are rumblings Webb might make it back by October -- but even then you have to wonder if he'll be close to 100 percent. Still, there are lots and lots of question about who will be running the new offense.

2. Sorting out the line: Just when it seems like the Buffs are starting to get a little continuity on the offensive line, right guard Daniel Munyer breaks his fibula during a fumble drill. It's not all completely up in the air -- and they do have a solid returning center in Gus Handler -- who should again be on the Rimington Trophy watch list. But there is still a lot of evaluation to be done.

3. Time to grow up: By now we all know about Colorado's youth in the secondary. A lot of freshmen played last year (1,476 snaps between a trio of freshmen defenders) and they learned the hard way what it's like to guard Pac-12 receivers. The maturation of this group is critical because improved secondary play will trickle down and take some of the pressure off of the front seven. This group has the athleticism and potential to be very good. The question is, will they?

Spring is a time of improvement. But who is improving the most? Your bloggers debate the position groups they expect to be better in 2013.

Ted Miller: One of the most memorable images of the bowl season was Oregon State quarterback Cody Vaz getting sacked by Texas in the Alamo Bowl.

It went like this: Sack, sack, sack, sack, sack, sack, sack, sack, sack. And sack.

I will now pause while all of you hassle Oregon State fans about that so we can then resume requisite decorum.

All good? Well, enjoy it now, because the Beavers aren't going to yield that sort of quarterback feast in 2013. In fact, the Beavers offensive line, which was actually vastly improved in 2012 compared to the previous fall, is going to be pretty salty this go-around.

Four of five starters are back, and there are experienced backups and a solid group of youngsters providing depth. Among those returning starters is true sophomore Isaac Seumalo, who will push Oregon's Hroniss Grasu for the title of "Pac-12's best center." He and guard Grant Enger were honorable mention All-Pac-12 last year.

That's a good start, but the best news might be that talented but mercurial left tackle Michael Philipp, who has 35 career starts, is playing "the best ball of his life" according to head coach Mike Riley. The entire unit has 88 career starts, and experienced sophomore Gavin Andrews is the frontrunner to replace Colin Kelly at right tackle.

Further, projecting improvement is logical, just based on how much better the unit was in 2012 compared to 2011, if at least we can forget the Alamo. The Beavers rushed for just 86.9 yards per game in 2011, which ranked 118th in the nation. They improved to 124.2 in 2012. In the 12 games before getting Alex Okafor'd, the Beavers yielded 23 sacks, compared to 27 in 12 games 2011.

But an offensive line looking good is often about more than the line itself, and the skill components of the offense should help the Beavers cause up front. Running back Storm Woods stepped up last year, falling just short of 1,000 yards. He'll get that total this fall, and his backup, Terron Ward, is solid. Taking another step forward in the running game will help protect whoever wins the starting quarterback job, where two veterans, Vaz and Sean Mannion, are competing.

Part of winning the quarterback job will be pocket presence. As in, get rid of the freaking football before you get sacked.

In 2011, the Beavers had one of the worst offensive lines in the Pac-12. Next fall, count on it being one of the best.

Kevin Gemmell: Sometimes, you just have to go out on a limb. So here and now, I'm declaring that Colorado's pass defense is going to be better in 2013. Bold statement? Perhaps. Well, not really.

When you consider the numbers it's really not too much of a stretch. Because they actually can't get much worse.

• Last nationally in pass defense efficiency.
• Last nationally in passing touchdowns allowed (39).
• 118th out of 120 schools in interceptions (3).
• Colorado surrendered five or more passing touchdowns four times in 2012.

But fear not, Ralphie retinues, because it's going to get better. And here's why.

Last year Kenneth Crawley took 642 snaps at cornerback -- second most ever for a Colorado true freshman. Marques Mosley took 524 -- fourth most. Yuri Wright took 310 -- 12th most. That's 1,476 snaps from true freshmen in the secondary. And with each snap -- hopefully -- they learned a little something about college football and the speed of the game.

This is a quarterback driven league. Consider some of the quarterbacks Colorado faced in 2012; Brett Hundley, Taylor Kelly, Matt Barkley, Marcus Mariota ... those are high-efficiency guys operating high-efficiency offenses. The end result was almost predictable when you throw three true freshmen -- just three months removed from high school -- against some of the best quarterbacks and wide receivers in the country.

Here's your diploma. Now go cover Robert Woods. It was trial by thermonuclear detonation.

But just as the ugliness of 2012 was predictable, so is the expectation of improvement in 2013. With a year of experience and a full offseason in a collegiate training program, those pups are going to get better. It's even possible that by 2014 Colorado might have the most experienced defensive backfield in the league consisting of some of the Pac-12's most feared pass defenders.

Safety Terrel Smith is the veteran of the group and behind Mosley at the other safety spot is another senior in Parker Orms. Behind Crawley are a pair of juniors -- Josh Moten and Harrison Hunter. There is a some good depth. The Buffs actually have 17 players listed as DBs on their roster. Numbers aren't the problem.

Plus there are two full-time coaches working the secondary -- Charles Clark handling the safeties and Andy LaRussa working with the cornerbacks. Both of them were with Mike MacIntyre during his San Jose State reclamation project. No one is expecting them to be a lockdown defense overnight. But with the experience gained last season, they should show respectable improvement.

It took a while for Utah to be Dunn with Colorado.

(Yes, that just happened).

Reggie Dunn, the Utes kicker returner extraordinaire -- and the term sells Dunn short -- provided Utah the winning points in a 42-35 victory over Colorado with another 100-yard kick return in the fourth quarter, this time immediately answering the Buffaloes' Marques Mosley, who had done the same on the previous kickoff.

That increased Dunn's NCAA-record total to five career 100-yard kickoff returns, four of which came this season.

Four this season! Are you kicking me?

Dunn's heroics and Buffaloes turnovers made the difference, as the Utes looked pretty horrible against the Buffs, now 1-11 (1-8 Pac-12).

Colorado outgained the Utes 418 yards to 336 but lost the turnover battle 5-1.

Colorado quarterback Nick Hirschman passed for 306 yards but also threw four interceptions. John White rushed for 168 yards on 20 carries in his final game for the Utes.

Utah finishes the season at 5-7 overall and 3-6 in Pac-12 play.