Buffs’ Wilkerson: More commitment to run would have helped the offense
CU enters Utah finale 132nd in the country in rushing
Statistically, the Colorado Buffaloes have one of the worst rushing teams in the country.
It didn’t have to be that way, though, according to one of the Buffs’ veteran running backs.
CU (4-7, 1-7 Pac-12) will visit Utah (7-4, 4-4) in the finale on Saturday (1 p.m., Pac-12 Network) and it’ll go into Salt Lake City ranking 132nd nationally with 71.8 rushing yards per game. Only Hawaii is worse, at 69.8. Much of that is due to CU’S high total of quarterback sacks, which take away from the overall rushing total.
As far as Sy’veon Wilkerson is concerned, though, the Buffs could have changed their rushing numbers with a different approach offensively.
“We’ve just got to commit to the run. That’s it,” Wilkerson said. “If we commit to it and establish it then I feel like we can run the ball. Me and (Anthony Hankerson), we average about four yards per carry. So if we commit to it and just do it consistently, we can have a good running team.”
It’s been an interesting year for Wilkerson and the running backs, a group that was highly touted coming into the season.
Houston transfer Alton Mccaskill, the AAC freshman of the year in 2021 before missing 2022 with an injury, had just 14 carries for 59 yards before electing to redshirt and prepare for next year.
Senior Kavosiey Smoke rushed for 1,583 yards in his five seasons at Kentucky, but has just two random
Colorado running back Sy’veon Wilkerson carries the ball last Friday night at Washington State.
carries for minus-2 yards this year.
Freshman Dylan Edwards and sophomore Anthony Hankerson have carried the load and been productive, but neither has had consistent opportunities.
Edwards leads the team with 320 yards, averaging a solid 4.3 yards per carry, but he hasn’t had more than seven attempts in a game since September.
Hankerson has 303 yards and a 4.2-yard average. He had CU’S two best singlegame rushing totals in backto-back games Sept. 30 (74 yards on 16 carries) and Oct. 7 (58 yards on 10 carries). But, in the five games since, he has come off the bench and posted a total of 25 carries for 90 yards.
Then, there’s Wilkerson, who starred for current CU head coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State last year, rushing for 1,152 yards. This year, he has 158 yards on 46 carries (3.4 average).
Wilkerson opened this season with a team high 13 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown against TCU. Over the next eight games combined he had 13 carries
for 43 yards.
Seeking a spark to the run game, CU has turned to Wilkerson over the past two weeks, as he has 20 carries for 70 yards and two touchdowns. He had a seasonhigh 49 yards and a touchdown last week at Washington State, while also catching two passes for 29 yards.
“I’ve been playing football, college ball for a long time,” said Wilkerson, who was all-conference at JSU last year and at Delaware State in 2021. “So for me it wasn’t anything different (to get an increased role). It was just doing what I do in practice every single day, being consistent in my runs and pass blocking, catching.”
Throughout his football career, even last year at JSU, Wilkerson has started at the bottom of the depth chart and earned a bigger role. This year it’s taken a while, but he’s taken it in stride.
“I just continue to do what I do,” he said. “Just work in practice today and come in the game; when I get my opportunity I just show up. When I got my
opportunities in the beginning of the season, I was productive and now I’m being productive again.”
Although he has one year of eligibility remaining, Wilkerson went through senior day festivities on Nov. 11. He’s eying the NFL, but said he’s not sure if he’ll play one more season at CU.
For this season, however, he’s had to practice patience.
“I’ve been through it all,” he said. “I had to go through this situation at multiple schools and growing up as well. So it’s easy to stay patient now at this point because when I get my opportunity I know what I’m going to do.”
Wilkerson wishes, however, that he and the other backs would have had more opportunities. That’s easier said than done, he admits, with a talented quarterback like Shedeur Sanders throwing the ball.
“You want to make sure he does his thing,” he said. “But, you know, we’ve got to protect (Sanders) at the same time. So if we establish the run, I feel like we can do that.”