LINCOLN, Neb. — After his crew’s first lack of the season and second-lowest scoring output of his tenure, Colorado coach Deion Sanders was left questioning tips on how to get his offense again on monitor.
The Buffaloes had been shut out within the first half, struggled to guard quarterback Shedeur Sanders and completed with 16 dashing yards of their 28-10 highway loss to Nebraska on Saturday evening.
Colorado (1-1) fell behind shortly towards a foe it beat 36-14 final season and trailed 14-0 when Sanders threw an interception from his personal finish zone that Nebraska cornerback Tommi Hill returned for a 7-yard landing, a turnover he referred to as a “rookie mistake.” Colorado ran 11 performs within the first quarter for a internet achieve of minus-2 yards.
“The best way we began is simply not indicative of who we’re,” Deion Sanders stated, “and we simply by no means obtained it collectively.”
Going through frequent strain, Shedeur Sanders threw for 244 yards and one rating on 23-of-38 passing. He was sacked 5 instances, and the Buffaloes went 4-of-14 on third-down conversions. He didn’t end the sport, exiting for the ultimate 4 minutes of the fourth quarter as a precaution after a helmet-to-helmet hit.
Sanders advised reporters afterward he was “a little bit banged up” however OK and praised Nebraska’s line of defense for its efficiency.
“Protections had been an issue,” Deion Sanders stated. “You recognize, I am attempting to be well mannered and say it, as a result of you already know I can say the identical factor you are considering, but when I say it, you’d say I am throwing my guys up underneath the bus. I am not doing that by any means. Protections had been an issue. We gotta determine a method to forestall that and do a greater job with that.”
Colorado could not get a lot performed within the run sport to take strain of its passer. Its operating backs mixed for 5 carries for 16 yards by means of three quarters and did not convert two fourth-and-1 dashing makes an attempt.
The Buffaloes completed final within the FBS in dashing yards in 2023 with 827 by means of 12 video games. They threw for 445 yards and rushed for 59 of their 31-26 win towards North Dakota State to open the season. After rebuilding the offensive line primarily with switch portal additions, Deion Sanders acknowledged his crew wants to determine tips on how to execute a constant run sport.
Requested why it was so tough for Colorado’s offense to reply to Nebraska’s protection, he replied, “I don’t know. If we’d’ve recognized that reply, I believe we’d’ve responded faster. It is like we simply by no means obtained it going till it was too late.”
The Buffaloes trailed 28-0 at halftime after Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola fired a cross over the center to operating again Rahmir Johnson that Colorado linebacker LaVonta Bentley almost intercepted. As a substitute, the ball popped up within the air and fell to Johnson, who ran off for an 18-yard rating.
“When stuff like that occurs, you simply gotta take your hat off and say, ‘Oh Lord, it is not our day, child,'” Deion Sanders stated. “As a result of that stuff simply do not usually occur. That was loopy. Heck of a play.”
Colorado’s protection did not quit one other rating the remainder of the way in which and compelled 5 consecutive punts within the second half. Sanders was happy that his crew saved competing, however there have been far too many errors all through, together with 9 penalties for 104 yards and a blocked discipline aim try, to place collectively a rally.
Shedeur Sanders stated his crew will return to the drafting board and work to get it proper. The Buffaloes are again on the highway subsequent Saturday towards in-state rival Colorado State, which took the Buffaloes to time beyond regulation in 2023, earlier than their return to Massive 12 convention play begins Sept. 21 towards Baylor.
Towards one of many hardest schedules within the convention, they will want much more offensive stability — and much more factors.
“We have now an incredible offense,” Deion Sanders stated. “We should always be capable of transfer the ball on anybody. We should always be capable of defend with the expertise that we’ve got offensively. We simply could not get it going immediately.”