After a tough opening weekend, the Big 12 Conference needed to bounce back and Week 2 provided plenty of opportunities to make a statement. One of those statement games was in Lincoln as Colorado went on the road to battle Nebraska. This is an old school Big 12 rivalry game that goes back decades, and I am glad to see them playing again.
My only complaint is that I wish this game was more competitive. The Cornhuskers absolutely dominated this game from start to finish on Saturday night.
Here are my three takeaways from Colorado’s 28-10 loss to Nebraska.
Nebraska Dominated in the Trenches
From the very first snap of the game, I knew that Colorado was in trouble. Every single time Shedeur Sanders dropped back to pass he was under pressure. Many times, he had to buy time with his legs just to get a throw off. What makes matters worse is that Nebraska could get pressure with just four guys and got six sacks.
The worst part about Colorado’s struggles up front was their inability to run the football. The Buffaloes rushed for a total of 16 yards and averaged 0.7 yards per rush. If you can’t run the football and if you can’t protect your quarterback, then what is the quarterback supposed to do? I know that Deion Sanders used the transfer portal to bring in a brand-new offensive line, but it’s hard to just throw one together in the blink of an eye and make it work.
Why Did Shedeur Sanders Leave Early?
One thing that caught my attention in this blowout game was the fact that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders left the game and headed to the locker room with two minutes left to play. I didn’t see anything about him getting injured, so I guess he had seen enough for the evening. What was even crazier is that there were two cameras on him following him to the locker room. It reminded me of one of those clips from Jerry Springer where the person runs out of the set and the camera crew follows behind. Either way, I thought it was a bad look on his part. There doesn’t appear to be any reason he couldn’t have awaited another two minutes.
Where Does Colorado Go From Here?
Believe it or not, there were people out there who thought that Colorado was going to be a conference title contender. In fact, the Buffaloes had the most bets on them in Vegas to win the Big 12. If you are one of those people who still thinks that, I would like to ask you if you watched this game? Keep in mind that Colorado went 1-11 the year before Deion Sanders stepped on acmpus.
No matter how good of a coach, person, or recruiter you are, the job in Boulder was going to be an uphill battle. It’s hard to expect someone to just walk in and go from a bottom feeder to a conference title contender in two years. It takes years to build programs and Deion needs some time. Just be patient and give it some time. Don’t expect Colorado to be in Arlington this season because they are much closer to missing a bowl game than winning a Big 12 title.
