1 week Ago By Paul Kasabian
Colorado fell behind 28-0 at halftime en route to a 28-10 road defeat to Nebraska on Saturday evening. Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (23-of-38, 244 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) felt constant pressure all night, taking five sacks and 10 quarterback hits. He also took a helmet-to-helmet hit in the fourth quarter from Nebraska linebacker Mikai Gbayor, who was ejected for targeting.
The Colorado offense was out of rhythm all evening because of the pressure, and Sanders had to make many plays on the run, with defenders in his face or with his back against the wall. Colorado's first five drives, which amassed a total of 12 yards, ended as follows: punt, turnover-on-downs, pick-six, punt and punt. Tommi Hill returned a Sanders pass seven yards for a touchdown after Colorado faced a 1st-and-10 from its own two-yard line.
The PAT gave Nebraska a 14-0 lead with 5:46 left in the first quarter. Colorado never recovered. Colorado fared better in the second half, scoring its lone touchdown after Sanders found LaJohntay Wester for a seven-yard score with 8:45 left.
But it was too little and too late at that point. There were some highlights. Two-way star Travis Hunter caught 10 passes for 110 yards, and Colorado's defense shut Nebraska out in the first half.
But this game wasn't in doubt after the first two quarters. Nebraska ran for 149 yards, and Dante Dowdell scored twice. True freshman Dylan Raiola was effective and efficient with 185 yards and a touchdown on 23-of-30 passing.
Ultimately, it was a brutal loss for Colorado, and Hall of Famer (and head coach) Deion Sanders ended up being a talking point. Sanders took over a team that went 1-11 in 2022. Colorado quadrupled its win total in 2023, but the Buffaloes also finished last in the Pac-12 with a 1-8 conference record.
This year brought more hope in year two for Sanders' program. Colorado snuck by Division I-FBS North Dakota State 31-26 in its first game, but the squad suffered a brutal defeat in Week 2. There's a lot of season left, but given how the team failed to protect Sanders and fared in the first half overall, there was much criticism of the head coach on Saturday evening.
Colorado will hope for a rebound on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET when the team visits Colorado State.
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