COLORADO AT OREGON STATE

When: 6:10 p.m. Saturday

Where: Reser Stadium

TV: Pac-12 Network

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Line: OSU -23.5, 48.5 over/ under

Weather: 52 degrees, 36% chance of showers

WHAT TO KNOW

Scream and Shrout: With true freshman quarterback Owen Mccown on the mend, CU interim coach

Mike Sanford will turn to J.T. Shrout for his third start of the season. The sophomore did enough to push CU past Cal in relief of Mccown last weekend, completing 8 of 12 passes for 69 yards while leading the Buffs on two TD drives in the second half and OT. Still, the Buffs have yet to break 20 points in regulation — and Shrout will have to produce more chunk plays if this offense is going to keep pace with OSU.

Fan-a-montana: Could the key to unlocking CU’S aerial attack be Montana Lemonious-craig? The redshirt sophomore receiver had career highs in receptions (8) and yardage (119) in last week’s win — and delivered a toe-tapping TD grab in OT that proved to be the gamewinner. If the 6-foot-2 California native can emerge as a second threat opposite Daniel Arias (18 receptions, 295 yards), the field starts to open up.

Dominant defense: The big takeaway from CU Field Storming Day was the Buffs’ revitalized defense under new coordinator Gerald Chatman. After entering last week’s game with statistically the worst run defense in FBS, CU limited Cal to 35 yards on 22 carries while notching 10 tackles for loss and allowing just two runs of 10-plus yards against explosive Cal tailback Jadyn Ott. The start of something new? Or just a one-off?

Half full: No, your eyes are not deceiving you. With one side of Reser Stadium under renovation, capacity has been cut in half. As awkward as it looks on TV, that hasn’t stopped Beavers fans from producing a raucous environment. Just ask USC, which had its worst offensive performance of the year in Corvallis before escaping with a 17-14 win. The Beavs are 3-1 at home this season and 8-1 since 2021.