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A Blessing in Disguise?
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Like it or not, Colorado is the most polarizing team in college football.
The University touts the millions in extra dollars Coach Prime has brought to the Boulder community since he became CU’s head coach. CU weekly press release notes the 20% increase in enrollment, the 500% increase in merchandise sales, and cites the millions who tune in to watch the Buffs play every weekend. Against North Dakota State, CU fell just shy of its seventh straight shut out to open the Coach Prime era (49,438, with Folsom’s capacity being 50,183).
The haters point to CU’s record on the field since Coach Prime became head coach, now 5-9 after the Buffs fell hard in Lincoln, 28-10. The naysayers complain about how much attention the Buffs are getting … while spending all of their time talking about the Buffs.
It is what it is. It’s what Rick George and the Buff Nation signed on for when George brought in Coach Prime and his spotlight.
The spotlight, unfortunately, shown brightly on CU’s deficiencies on the field. Shedeur Sanders was sacked on four of CU’s first five drives … with the only sackless drive being a one-play, pick six “drive” which put the Buffs down 14-0 early in the game. The Buff offensive line couldn’t protect Shedeur, and couldn’t produce a rushing attack (CU was at zero total rushing yards before gaining 16 rushing yards on its final drive of the night).
CU fans have been there, done that. The only difference between this season and last season is that it took until the fourth game last year before the Buffs’ offensive deficiencies were glaringly exposed.
A national television audience watched as Nebraska ran around, over and through the Buffs, with Colorado – sickeningly – giving Husker fans bragging rights.
The thing is, though, regardless of the outcome of CU’s game against Nebraska, nothing was going to change.
Nebraska fans, always claiming they are the friendliest fans in college football … as they spit on everything black-and-gold, were not going to change their opinions about CU, nor their opinion of the relationship between the two schools.
They didn’t change their tune after Steven Montez and Laviska Shenault teamed up to to stun the Memorial Stadium crown in Lincoln in 2018.
They didn’t change their tune after the Buffs stormed back from a 17-0 halftime deficit to take down Cornhuskers in overtime in 2019.
They didn’t change their tune after the Buffs dominated the second half last season, giving a the Buff Nation and a national television audience a look at the Cornhuskers leaving town with a 36-14 defeat.
And they are not going to change now.
For better or worse, the rivalry is now going into hiatus (sorry, Husker fans, that’s what it is. When your student section rushes the field after a win in a non-conference game … it’s a rivalry). There are no other scheduled games between the two teams. Barring a bowl matchup, or a tectonic shift in the next round of realignment, the 2024 game is the last between the two teams for the foreseeable future.
Nebraska and its highly touted freshman quarterback now become the Big Ten’s problem. It will be up to the likes of Ohio State and Iowa to keep the Cornhuskers in their place, and keep extending Nebraska’s run without a title (the Corn haven’t won a conference championship in this century).
Meanwhile, the Buffs can turn their attention away from the Big Red, and focus on yet another team treating their matchup with CU as their Super Bowl.
And it says here … that might not be a bad thing. The loss to Nebraska, as hard it as is to take, is just one loss. A big loss on national television will give the haters free shots at Colorado and Coach Prime.
It’s going to be rough, but let them have their fun for the next few days. The pitchforks will be out in abundance. Soooo many naysayers will be licking their chops to tell you how they predicted that Colorado was a fraud just waiting to be exposed.
Or to put it another way – Paul Finebaum finally gets his wish … Colorado is irrelevant.
My advice: Avoid national and social media as much as you can, and wait for the attention to turn to the Colorado State game.
CU’s new 2024 reality:
- Colorado is not going to the College Football Playoff;
- The Buffs in 2024 are not a threat to win the Big 12 championship; in fact,
- The Buffs in 2024 will be damn lucky to make a bowl game.
And that should be the focus now, not worrying about making national news.
Here’s hoping that is exactly what this team needs. Less camera time; more film room time. Less talking about how this team has improved; more talking about how this team can actually find ways to improve. Less touting about how the offensive line is a major step forward from the 2023 unit; more figuring out how to put five linemen on the field who can give CU a chance at improving from last in the nation in rushing and sacks allowed (like last season).
It’s mind-boggling that Coach Prime, with his son at quarterback, is 0-for-2 in trying to bring in a brand new offensive line. Coach Prime and his staff understand the game of football, and understand that if you can’t run the ball, and you can’t pass protect, you can’t win.
At least we all assumed so.
Shedeur Sanders, if matters don’t change – and change soon – will not make it to the end of the season. Teams have the playbook on how to defeat Colorado, and it’s up to the coaching staff to figure out a way to correct the glaring deficiencies.
Perhaps, without the glare of the national spotlight, can focus on winning winnable games, and getting CU to six wins and a bowl bid.
Colorado State is beatable … Baylor is beatable … Cincinnati is beatable.
Kansas lost to Illinois … Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Iowa State won their games late … Arizona trailed Northern Arizona at halftime.
Colorado has a roster which can keep the Buffs in almost every remaining game on the schedule. It’s hard to find any guaranteed losses the rest of the way, but it’s also difficult to say that there are any guaranteed wins going forward if the Buffs play the rest of the way as they did against Nebraska.
Nebraska, for better or worse, is no longer on CU’s radar. The 5000+ day streak of not losing to the Cornhuskers is over.
Buff fans should put this game in their rear view mirror as soon as humanly possible.
Hopefully, with the national spotlight off of Boulder for the foreseeable future, the CU coaching staff and players can focus on taking care of business and posting wins against Colorado State and Baylor, turning the season around.
If the Buffs can get through the next two weekends with wins, the national media may not notice, but the Buff Nation will.
And the horrific loss in Lincoln could prove to be a blessing in disguise …
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30 Replies to “A Blessing in Disguise?”
Hey Buff Fans, get this: Guess who is leading the NATION in time of possession with the football? Oregan State! They rank 5th nationally running the football after two weeks.
Hey Buff Fans, get this: Guess who are foundational contributors to this offense? Anthony Hankerson (ranked 17th rushing nationally at 113ypg), Gerad “Tank” Christian-Lichtenhan, and Van Wells!
That, my friends, speaks to COACHING and a genuine commitment to the run game, not making sure gifted athletes get their Heisman-like numbers. Yo, CP, commit to developing an offensive line and the run game FIRST and then watch all those gifted receivers and their quarterback eventually get the numbers they hope to, or at least numbers that are good enough for TEAM wins, not just individual gains.
I wonder if they their decision to leave was their own. I have to believe it was their own choice because all 3 were some of the better players on last year’s team.
If so smart move. O line men always seem to be smarter than the average player.
if not
really dumb move to be let go
If things dont get better expect some guys on this year’s team to be producing elsewhere and the quality of at least the linemen to drop as well. I would be willing to bet any interest Lewis had coming here as evaporated completely.
In this day and age of king money and you arent one of the cash kings……and you are going bad….you are diggin an even deeper hole. How much longer will the Sander’s financial shine last?
Get ready for the shallow cross. Its been a year now and I doubt if sanders and shurmur remember. Will they take your suggestion and watch some film? or will they say, we got this without making any changes. Its only CSU.
I will be truly shocked, shocked I tell you if they dont turn out the same brain dead game against the lambs. The changes should have happened with 4 games remaining last season. If they do turn out the same game I hope CSU rolls over them and then maybe will that increase the chance of a blessing in disguise?
I’m so sick if this. I have been a Buff fan for 55 years and the last 19 or a third of it, since that punk Cody Hawkins was playing leap frog on the sideline, have been really demoralising. I used to joke about how Osborne got a voodoo woman to put a curse on the Buffs but it sure looks like a curse came from somewhere
It’s from McCartney. Sold his soul. If you want to believe in curses. I don’t.
Go Buffs
first you say it was because of McCartney then you say you dont believe in it. You must not believe in national championships either. You seem to be happy or at least undisturbed with all the failure.
“Go Buffs”
uh….right?
Bummed. Not disturbed. I try not to let things I cannot affect make me crazy.
Deion can affect this. He is. And will continue doing so. It is driving him crazy. Best believe.
Go Buffs
YOU HATE MAC.
SHUT UP
When are we going to stop blaming the line? Shedeur is not a top level qb. Doesn’t set the right protections, doesn’t read the blitz and hit the hot route. Doesn’t get rid of the ball quick and his mobility is below average. Stop blaming everything on the line. Prime showcased his son by hiring a OC for his son and all three were exposed by a better coaching staff.
ummm
The line is bad and made worse by the coaching staff
No ep’s right, AND it was the also corn’s d-line, they were in the backfield before Shanders could do anything. I’m betting we see much better against half of the teams the Buffs will face, but half of them will have good D-lines too.
I hate to say it, but I think the corn’s defense, especially playing a high profile rivalry game that was played in Lincoln, might be the toughest defense on their schedule that the Buffs will face this season.
I would agree with a few plays the OL was blown up, as you will see in most games. Winning one-on-one battles, now and again, you will lose. Scheduler doesn’t audible out of a bad pass play; he didn’t hit the hot route on several plays. He doesn’t run for a positive gain 5 yard gain and slide. He doesn’t do the little things to win, only padding his stats and looking to the throw. The coaching staff needs to develop a TE as a security blanket over the center of the field. How many winning QB’s can you mention without a really good TE?
Rick George , Prime the whole facade is a joke
Usually most teams improve most from the 1st game to the 2nd. Buffs appeared to get worse. Overall the team is probably better than last year from a strictly personnel standpoint. Cohesion is difficult, especially on the o-line. Hopefully somehow they can get stick together and improve. It could break either way…loss of confidence is a killer. Right now I’m not sure they can beat CSU or anyone else.
its been how many games now? where its ground hog day, Charlie Brown trying to kick the ball, Einstein’s theory of insanity, stuck record….chime in with your own metaphor.
Will coach Sanders finally accept the fact that its ok for Shedeur to be a late first or second rounder? I mean all the opposing DCs can just mail it in. Coach cant be that stupid. Shurmur I’m not sure of.
What a disaster last night! It’s pretty obvious that the offensive game plan is to try and always showcase Shedeur’s talent and hype. This falls directly on CP’s shoulders; he is putting his son before the team which is a big issue. This is a team game!
I don’t blame the OC because I think he is calling the plays that he is told to. I know a lot of people don’t like Shurmur but he has been around football long enough to know you have to be balanced on the offensive side of the ball. They are not even trying to run the football. JMO
BTW: Cornholers still suck!
I hope this is not the case, but the television “view” seemed to show that wide receiver Hunter was quite upset with quarterback Sanders for not calling his number on a few plays. This animated form of on-field yelling (hugely different than airing disagreements on the sidelines) indicates tension, conflict, and an individualistic (rather than team-centered) approach. Pro football contracts and NIL dollars come from “stats,” and just may build “me first,” rather than “team first” perspectives (on receiver, quarterback, and other players.
I hope this development is not reality, and is merely a moment and not a “trend.”
On the “good news” side of things, Nebraska Coach Rhule had very high praise for a few of the CU players on offense, and the physicality of the defense. Cam Ron Silmon-Craig said GREAT things about playing for Defensive Coordinator Livingston during the post-game press conference.
you are on to something. See Intake’s post on more Bentleys.
We suffered way to long with the first coach’s QB kid who shouldn’t have been there at all and now we have a coach whose kid has what it takes but refuses to give him the help what he needs thinking thats going to get him to the #1 draft pick. you have to think the rest of the players are sick of this crap too.
I am sick of it too. And it is real. The qb is a prima dona but unlike his pop he has nothing to show he is. His interviews never show him saying it is his responsivity.
fairly sick of him……………………and that dumb rb coach……….and that prime kicker is about as automatic as a bank teller giving you more money……………..he may be the 4th child.
The whole deal is not a good look
Just Beat CSU AND WIN SIX GAMES
SHEESH
Maybe, just maybe this was enough of a debacle that the coaches will be willing to change the offense. Our RPO is fundamentally flawed. There are many reasons, but it is. When we ran inside zone out of the pistol we were successful 100% of the time. 100%. They have that on film now. Will they be willing to take the big leap and fundamentally alter their play calling. I doubt it, coaches just don’t do that sort of flip flop. But it is there, the first play called with Staub was inside zone out of the pistol. So maybe there is hope.
I was wrong to think the Buff’s line improvement kept up with the corn’s line improvement; on both sides of the ball. The corn did let the Buff’s get those turn overs last year. I agree with Andrew that the O-line is better than last year’s, they’re just not improved enough to go against a top P-4 D-line. I do think that, and I hate to admit it, that the corn has a really good D-line and both of their lines are looking better than expected, their freshman QB will benefit greatly from their line.
Their lines maybe better than most of the teams CU will face for the remainder of the season. The Buffs played really bad for the first quarter and the corn played with emotion and confidence and by half time they were ahead 28-0. The corn started to shoot themselves in the foot as the Buffs started to improve their play; but the Buffs still couldn’t finish a few good drives.
Aaaah! Sorry ep, you were right! Who calls a running play out of the shot-gun on 4th & inches? I agree with Andrew and Stuart, when the Buffs had a few successful running plays they went back to the air too soon and too much. Did I see correctly? The Buffs weren’t even lining up a RB at the beginning of the first quarter. How can you establish the run without a running back?
Did the corn’s additional penalties in the second half come from frustration with the Buff’s improved play? Or their own poor discipline? Or a little of both?
I always thought the kicker CU lost to Utah was a better kicker than the one Prime brought in and last night confirmed that.
On the flip side, IF the corn win 10 games this year, this loss won’t look so bad… NOT as bad as last year’s two blow out losses, or the melt down against Sanford. IF!
I’m not ready to call this season a loss, but I’m going to be more cautious with any optimism until I see the Buffs recover from this loss with some solid wins. I am worried that ep’s correct with the play calling of the OC and if it’s always going to be designed around getting Shedeur his stats first.
“… their freshman QB will benefit greatly from their line”. We can only imagine how a better O-line would benefit Shedeur. With all of Coach Prime’s bravado, it certainly has not helped attract elite talent on the line.
Where are there more questions? Boulder? Eugene? South bend? San Diego? Tallahassee? Los Angeles/pasadena?
I could go on. I’ll say it again, as brutal as that was, I don’t think CU is as bad as they looked, nor NU as good as they looked.
We’ll see if they prove me right.
Go Buffs
I think the team needs more Bentley drivers. That will fix the problem.
Followed the box score, so didn’t realize husker fans rushed the field after beating CU…. oh, what Dr. Osborne must have thought about that!
Watching film does not fix talent. They don’t have the offensive linemen on this roster to have success, period.
Horrific as this may seem, I take solice in the fact that it worse for other fan bases…..notably Notre Dame.
After NDSU told my wife the team is a slightly better version of last year’s team….that being said very frustrated by the scheme (again). If it’s 6 or 7 vs. 5 in the run game, it’s not going to work. Free runners from the outside will wreck many a pass play. Nothing is being done to address the issue, we just hope/pray every drop back.
I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I differ in that I do think we have enough talent on the offensive line to be significantly better.
I don’t understand the usage of Benson at guard and Brown at tackle. Benson played in the Big 10 for a full season and was only credited with giving up one sack. In the Big 10. Why would you play him at guard? Tyler Brown should be brought inside. Our center clearly needs more help. Our running backs look lost in pass blocking.
I don’t understand the lack of willingness to commit to the run. Dallan Hayden can be a beast (although I’m not sure of his injury status now). I love Charlie, but he is not a starting back at this level. He gets run over in pass protection and he is just not the running back that can get it done. Hayden can. But the offensive game plan chose not to commit to the run. Even when it was successful they immediately went back to the passing game. Running the darn ball would do two things. It would give the o-line confidence and it would take the heat off of Shedeur. Their lack of commitment to the run is a problem. I would guess that’s on Shurmur. Evaluating the o-line is on Loadholt. I don’t know what they are all doing in the film room, but it does not appear to be working. I think it’s fixable.
I was generally okay with the defense. They gave up 21, but so much of that was on the offense. Bentley should have had an int and it would have only been 14 . Just bad luck on that play.
All of the deficiencies were on film in the NDSU game. The defensive coaches appear to have watched it. I’m not sure the offensive coaches did.
Overall I agree though. This loss may end up being one that helps clarify some things and helps longer term. We can hope.
Ever wonder if the huge discrepancy in NIL between a qb
and the o line enters into the equation. Seems human nature after the qb throws them under the bus. The beauty of NIL
Well Stuart I have to hand to you for finding something positive after that debacle. This collection of offensive linemen is every bit as bad as last years. What are you going to do Coach, bring in a new set of castoffs next year also? They don’t run the ball because they know they can’t run the ball. Good NFL teams know you build through the draft and fill in holes with free agency. You have to recruit good players in college and fill in spots with the transfers. Maybe you are right and Coach Prime will quit telling everybody how great they are and actually start building a real team instead of a group of mercenaries. I for one have had enough of the all hat no cattle approach.