Colorado Basketball – November, 2023


Expectations for both the men’s and women’s teams were high as the 2023-24 season opened … When the CU women upset No. 1 LSU to open the season, the Buffs rocketed into the Top Ten, getting as high as No. 3 before a loss to No. 10 North Carolina State dropped the Buffs out of the Top Five … CU men also found themselves ranked nationally, rising as high as No. 18, but fell out after an overtime loss to Florida State and a road loss to No. 20 Colorado State …

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Utah 23, Colorado 17

//posted 11.28.2023

Freshman CU quarterback Ryan Staub made his first career start, throwing for 195 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough, as the Utes held on for a 23-17 victory in the last regular season Pac-12 game for both teams. Utah senior backup quarterback Luke Bottari was held to 61 yards passing, but scored on two short runs to lead the Utes to the win.

Travis Hunter collected eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown, but had two others called back. On one, Hunter stepped out of bounds; on the other, a catch in the end zone was reversed. The latter catch would have given CU a 14-13 halftime lead, but the Buffs instead had to settle for a 47-yards Alejandro Mata field goal and a 13-10 halftime score.

CU’s scores came on a 30-yard trick play pass from wide receiver Jimmy Horn to running back Dylan Edwards, and an 18-yard touchdown pass from Staub to Hunter. On the day, though, the Buffs were held to 262 yards of total offense. The defense held Utah to 329 yards of total offense, but were unable to get off the field in the final 7:26 of the fourth quarter, as the Utes were able to run out the clock after Hunter’s touchdown made it a one score game midway through the quarter.

“We’re certainly heading in the right direction,” Sanders said. “We’re certainly trending forward. We got our butt kicked twice this year in 12 games. There was no winning those two games but every other game we had a shot, and I think that’s progress.”

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Please … Please … Please

//posted 11.27.2023

CU’s fifth one-score loss in the past two months is sending the Buffs into the off-season on a six-game losing streak … While the naysayers will talk about the failed Coach Prime experiment, and complain about the Transfer Portal defections and the lack of a Top 25 Recruiting Class, it says here not to listen …

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Colorado Daily – Utah Week

//posted 11.25.2023

CU’s Pac-12 finale: “It’s a pride game, so we’ve got to go out there and win” … **Report: Utah down to fourth-string quarterback** … Neill Woelk’s Keys to the Utah Game: No. 1 – Start Fast … Coach Prime: “We’re not an ATM. That’s not gonna happen here” …

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Pac-12 Notes – Utah Week

//posted 11.24.2023

A different standard: The Athletic believes ASU’s Kenny Dillingham gets a pass for his 3-9 first season … Michigan State does it again, hires away Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith …

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Where will the Buff defensive numbers fall in CU history? … How about the rushing numbers? … Will Shedeur Sanders play – and if he does – how many new CU single season records will he set? … In which category does Shilo Sanders lead the Pac-12? … Which Buff will finish the season leading the team in tackles? …

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Giving Thanks

//posted 11.23.2023

Happy Thanksgiving! … While there is justifiable reason for the Buff Nation to be disappointed as to how the 2023 season has unfolded, there are also plenty of reasons for the Buff Nation to give thanks … All you need to do is take a look back at where we were one year ago today …

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Utah has lost three of its last four games, and will be missing significant talent on the defensive side of the ball this weekend … Will the regular season finale come down to which locker room cares the most? … Third downs and turnovers will make or break CU’s chances at an upset …

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CUATG Podcast – CU at Utah

//posted 11.21.2023

The Buffs are three-touchdown underdogs to a team which has lost three of its last four games, and was just blown out by Arizona … Which team still has something to play for? … Can the CU defense and special teams make enough plays to help the struggling CU offense make a game of it? … Let’s find out …

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Cameron Ward threw for 288 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, Brennan Jackson had two scoop-and-score touchdowns and Washington State beat Colorado 56-14 on Friday night to snap a six-game losing streak and end the Buffaloes’ hopes of a bowl game in the first year under Deion Sanders.

CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders left the game in the second quarter after taking a big hit on a botched snap. Sanders was slow to get up but walked off the field on his own before being taken to the locker room. The junior was 6-of-10 for 86 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown strike to Travis Hunter. Sanders was sacked four times before leaving the game.

“The opponents played a heck of a game, coached a heck of a game,” said Coach Prime. ” They came to play handily from the start to the finish. Obviously it doesn’t look like we did. You give up two fumble returns for touchdowns and a kickoff return for a touchdown, that’s not the recipe for a win. They executed early and executed often and when they got Shedeur out of the game it was tough sledding from then on.”

Washington State posted 447 yards of total offense, holding the Colorado offense – which had three turnovers and nine punts – to 255 yards of total offense. Freshman quarterback Ryan Staub completed 5-of-14 passes for 56 yards, while junior walk-on quarterback completed one-of-three passes for 21 yards, also throwing an interception.

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The humbling loss to Washington State gives rise to understandable frustration, but anger is misplaced … Given a blind taste test against five other first-year coaches, can you find a candidate who you would rather have seen running the CU program? …

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Coach Prime: “As long as we’re progressing, I happy with it” … Neill Woelk’s Keys to the Washington State game … Travis Hunter one of three finalists for Paul Hornung Award … Coach Prime talks recruiting: “They aren’t worried about losses. They think they are the missing piece” …

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