Colorado offensive line coach Denver Johnson feels his players in the trenches need to be able to move away from the line of scrimmage if they expects the Buffalos' ball carriers to move up the field.

Johnson said getting his linemen past the West Virginia University defensive front and on to the linebackers will be like "fighting bees".

"It should be a competitive match-up," Johnson said. "I would certainly think we would be up to the challenge."

Colorado, 1-2, will find out the answer to that at 7:30 p.m. Thursday when it takes on WVU in a nationally televised game in Morgantown.

The game will be carried on ESPN. It will be the second meeting between the two schools. Colorado took the initial meeting last year, a 17-14 overtime win.

Like the Mountaineers, Colorado also enjoyed a weekend off to prepare for the game. Unlike the Mountaineers, Colorado comes into the contest off its first victory of the season, 24-0 whitewashing of Wyoming.

In that game, running back Rodney Stewart ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Stewart was injured and did not play in the loss to Toledo, and he was held to just 38 yards in a season-opening loss to rival Colorado State.

"We've just got to grow up a little, get our momentum to turn and it can be way different," said CU coach Dan Hawkins.

Pre-season all-Big 12 offensive lineman Ryan Miller said the Wyoming game was good preparation for what his team will see in the return match with West Virginia.

"We played an odd structured (defense) last week, so as far as game planning, I'm not sure how it's really going to change," Miller said. "That's a 3-3 (defense) with fast linebackers."

Johnson said the defensive play has become second nature to those playing on that side of the ball for the 2-1 Mountaineers.

"They've been running that defense for a good, long while and are obviously ingrained in it and committed to it," he said.

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