Deion Sanders‘ Colorado Buffaloes suffered their first loss on the NCAA season in embarassing fashion at Nebraska. The offense could not get anything going and the defense proved the skeptics right as it collapsed against the Cornhuskers. Coach Sanders was brutally honest as he addressed the media post game.
Saturday’s showdown between Colorado and Nebraska was one of the most anticipated matchups on college football‘s second week. The end result, however, may have dissapointed many. What was expected to be an even match, turned into a blowout as the Huskers had their way with the Buffaloes’ sloppy offense and weak defense.
Deion Sanders did not sugarcoat his thoughts on his team’s performance as their record fell to 1-1 and every doubt around the team were brought back into the light.
“You know, I’m trying to be polite and say it, because you know I can say the same thing you’re thinking, but if I say it, you’d say I’m throwing my guys up under the bus. I’m not doing that whatsoever. Protections were a problem,” Deion admitted after his team’s wide-margin loss. “They didn’t turn the ball over. That was it. They made the plays when needed.”
Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes watches as his team warms-up prior to their spring game at Folsom Field on April 27, 2024 in Boulder, Colorado.
Shedeur Sanders was sacked five times as he was under pressure all game long. He threw a pick-six, too. Travis Hunter had little to no impact on either side of the ball. There was not one positive note to build from during the loss. Perhaps, the most difficult pill to swallow was the offense’s poor production.
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“Knowing that we have a tremendous offense, knowing that we can move the ball. We should be able to move the ball on anyone. We just couldn’t get it going today,” Sanders expressed with regret.
Insult to injury
Losses in NCAA rivalry games are always hurtful. Losing in such a manner makes it much worse. The Buffaloes seemed out of rythym throughout the whole 60 minutes. Once Nebraska got into a double-possession lead it looked sealed for the home team. Colorado was done for.
Despite some nice plays here and there, Colorado never recovered from a terrible first half, highlighted by a pick six from Shedeur Sanders and two missed field goals. To add salt into the wounds, Colorado suffered injuries to key players.
Both Sanders’ sons exited the game with bumps and bruises. Shedeur’s, however, seemed more of a business decision. While Shilo‘s injury report was much more worrisome as the safety had a “broken forearm or something like that“, according to Deion’s comments at halftime.
“I just talked to him. He looked pretty darn good to me,” Sanders said on Shedeur’s health. “We just wanted to make sure we got him checked out and we have every precaution because now you’re looking forward to next week. This week, that was over. By the time he got out of the game, it was a wrap.”
Deion and the Buffaloes back on the eye of the storm
The Buffaloes are once again on everybody’s lips. The catastrophic performance on a highly anticipated rivalry game has put a big target on Colorado and critics are loud on the program and its big names.
Matt Rhule prepared a complete game and had the Buffs looking for answers all night long. It is time to get back in the lab for Coach Prime and his staff. Colorado was humbled in a big stage once again. And the team’s offensive star power has proved powerless when the battle in the trenches is so lopsided. Thedefense has shown its weakness in full action, too.
The Buffaloes must bounce back as they will visit Colorado State next Saturday. One big issue in the past was the Buffs inability to recover from their losses and fall in losing pits. As Colorado has shown little to no improvement on their last season’s failures, it will be pivotal for Deion’s team to show they are not the same as in 2023.
