Deion Sanders, Colorado make statement in win over Nebraska

A week after upsetting TCU as a three-touchdown underdog, No. 22 Colorado looked like a team who’d spent the week reading their press clippings playing a game that kicked at 10 a.m. local time. 

The Buffs were clunky and sloppy early against Nebraska, only Coach Prime’s team overcame the sleepy start to win in a blowout that was arguably more impressive than their Week 1 stunner. 

Colorado 36. Nebraska 14.

“I didn’t stumble or stutter when I told y’all, ‘We’re comin’,” head coach Deion Sanders said postgame. 

Perhaps it’s time to change the slogan from “We’re comin” to “We’re here.”

The Buffs are a legitimately solid football team that does what good teams do: Overcome a little adversity early and beat the breaks off a bad team by the end of four quarters. 

After punting four times in the first half — more than they did in the entire win over TCU — the Buffs exploded offensively in the second half for 23 points, with Shedeur Sanders finding a rhythm and the run game chipping in just enough. Sanders finished with 393 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Buffs’ defense had four takeaways and six tackles for loss. 

“I’m so proud of our team. So resilient,” Deion Sanders said. “We stunk it up in the first half and came back in the second half (right). They played their butts off.”

HOW COLORADO OVERCAME A SLOW START

In two weeks, the entire narrative around Colorado’s 2023 potential has completely changed. It’s no longer who they aren’t. But what they are. 

The Buffs are 2-0. They are well-coached (from Sanders to coordinators Sean Lewis and Charles Kelly), well-prepared and skilled. They have questions just like every other team in college football (Can the OL/DL hold up? Can they run the ball?), but while beating TCU was a moment, sucking the soul of Nebraska was a statement. 

“To play like we played and win by that margin, that’s pretty good feeling as a coach,” Sanders said. 

Colorado couldn’t do much of anything in the first half against Nebraska’s 3-3-5 defense. The Buffs were out of sync against a mix of pressure and drop-coverage. Sanders struggled to get the ball out quickly (three sacks), the run game was nonexistent and the Buffs’ speedy playmakers couldn’t find room to roam. 

They held a 13-0 lead at halftime thanks to Nebraska going full Elmer Fudd on itself offensively (see: Three Jeff Sims giveaways), but the high-powered, go-go offense was stuck in first gear. At the start of the third quarter, Sims bolted for a 57-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 13-7, and Colorado simply responded: Bet.

The Buffs immediately responded with four straight scoring drives, racing out to a 36-7 lead. Nebraska’s defense suddenly had no answers for Sanders, CU’s playmakers or its tempo. 

By the end of the game, Colorado had 475 yards of offense and was a perfect 6-of-6 in the red zone. 

GO CRAZY COLORADO @CUBuffsFootball fans rush the field after their win against Nebraska pic.twitter.com/mAU0qL2FMe

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 9, 2023

THEY’RE HERE

A week ago, the Buffs were a 7-point underdog in look-ahead lines against Nebraska. On Saturday, they beat the Cornhuskers by 22 despite playing their B- game. 

They didn’t get a transcendent performance by two-way star Travis Hunter (who still played over 100 snaps). They had nine penalties for 80 yards. They were inconsistent in protecting Sanders. 

But it didn’t matter because they do have talent. They capitalized on Nebraska’s mistakes. They don’t look or play like a team with 70 newcomers and a Year 1 head coach. This isn’t some gimmick. As Sanders said himself, “It’s personal.”

These Buffs are going bowling. These Buffs probably won’t win the Pac-12, but they’re going to scare one of the big boys in the conference.

Coach Prime told you, ‘We comin.’ Well, I’m telling you, ‘They’re here.”