Posts Tagged ‘Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig’

No. 23 UCLA 28, Colorado 16

//posted 10.30.2023

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The Colorado offense, last in the nation in sacks allowed, was exposed early and often as No. 23 UCLA slowly pulled away in the second half, posting a 28-16 win before a sold out Rose Bowl crowd. Buff quarterback Shedeur Sanders was harassed and hit all night, suffering seven sacks and numerous other hits. A strong early effort by the Buff defense, which generated four first half turnovers, was wasted as the CU offense netted all of three points off of those opportunities.

The UCLA offense, kept to a 7-6 lead at halftime, methodically pulled away in the second half, finishing with 487 yards of total offense. The Buff offense, meanwhile, posted only 255 yards of total offense … with 86 yards of that total coming in CU’s only touchdown drive of the contest late in the fourth quarter. Shedeur Sanders completed 27-of-43 passes for only 217 yards, with other totals – 24 pressures; 17 hits; 13 knockdowns; seven sacks – telling the true story of the game.

“Offensively, we’ve got to improve,” Coach Prime said. “Our quarterback is taking a beating. (Shedeur Sanders) got an injection at halftime just to block some of the pain… We have to do a better job of protecting him … Running the football, we’ve had a couple lineman go down (with injuries), but that’s no excuse.”

No. 8 USC 48, Colorado 41

//posted 10.2.2023

(There have been 34 comments, post your CU memory now)

Colorado rallied from a 48-21 third quarter deficit to make it a game, but nonetheless lost to USC for the 17th-straight time, falling 48-41 before a sellout crowd of 54.032. Shedeur Sanders threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns, while running for another, but it was not enough to keep up with USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for six touchdowns and 403 yards. For the game, the Buffs actually out-gained the Trojans, with 564 total yards to 498 for USC, but the first half once again was the Buffs’ failing, with USC taking a 34-14 lead into the break.

Freshman wide receiver Omarion Miller, who had no receptions on the season coming into the game, collected seven passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. Jimmy Horn, Jr. contributed two touchdowns and 84 yards with his seven catches, while tight end Michael Harrison had six catches for 44 yards and a 21-yard touchdown. The Buff rushing “attack”, which had only 223 total yards in the first four games of the season, came alive with 193 yards on 45 carries. Running back Anthony Hankerson led the Buffs with 16 carries for 74 yards, posting a two-yard touchdown run.

“Wonderful game. They played their hearts out,” said Coach Prime. “I addressed the team and told them I love each of them, coaches included, because they were resilient. They did not give up and they had multiple, multiple opportunities to give up. They fought to the end. We sustained injuries, meaning the next man up came in and did their thing”.

Despite the second straight defeat, and despite having a defense which had given up 90 points in its last two games, Coach Prime was defiant. “If you can’t see what’s coming with CU football, you’ve lost your mind”, Sanders said. “You’re just a flat out hater. If you can’t see what’s going on and what’s going to transpire over the next several months. Something’s wrong with you.”

No. 18 Colorado 43, CSU 35 2OT

//posted 9.19.2023

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Buff quarterback Shedeur Sanders struggled throughout much of the game, but directed a game-tying 98-yard scoring drive in the final two minutes of regulation, then threw two touchdowns in two overtime periods to lead the No. 18 Buffaloes to a come-from-behind 43-35 win over rival Colorado State.

CU trailed 21-14 at the half — with one of its touchdowns coming on an 80-yard interception return by Shilo Sanders — and looked to be heading for an embarrassing loss to 23.5-point underdog CSU when the Rams took a 28-17 lead with just more than 11 minutes to go in regulation. But the Buffs cut the margin to 28-20 with a field goal and Colorado’s defense forced a punt with just more than two minutes to play. The kick bounced out of bounds at the CU two-yard line with 2:06 on the clock — but that proved to be plenty of time for Sanders.

Sanders completed five passes on the drive for 106 yards as CU overcame two penalties on the march. Sanders found a wide-open Jimmy Horn Jr. for a 45-yard touchdown, then connected with tight end Michael Harrison for the two-point conversion to set up overtime. “I went into ‘Brady mode’,” said Sanders, referring to Tom Brady and his penchant for last minute victories. “They left us too much time”.

“I knew even if we got the ball on a two, three, or four-yard line, as long as the ball is in Shedeur’s hands, we’re going to get down this field,” said Coach Prime, who raised his first season record at Colorado to 3-0. “I knew that without a shadow of a doubt. And when we went to center field to talk about overtime until we won the ball. I want you to have the ball. I want you to pressure him to get them out of their comfort zone. That’s how transparent an excellent day for Colorado was a great day for the Buffalo fans. It’s a great day that we got to win.”

The Buffs were out-gained on the evening by the Rams, 499 yards to 418, but too many turnovers (four, including the pick-six by Shilo Sanders and the game-clinching interception by Trevor Woods in the second overtime) and too many penalties (17 for 182 yards) denied the Rams the upset.