Coach Prime needs to refocus with Buffs and forget about personal accolades

The Heisman talks can cool off now with the team needing more focus

Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Colorado received the opening kickoff to start the game vs. Nebraska and failed to get any consistency right out of the gate. The series began with Shedeur Sanders throwing two incomplete passes and getting sacked to go three and out. The Huskers defensive front showed they would get after Sanders in the game like last year when they sacked Sanders seven times.

The Buffs offense was one-dimensional in the first half with the “Grown” QB surrendering four sacks and being knocked down multiple times. When he had to scramble outside the pocket to throw the passes downfield to open Buffs receivers, Sanders faced immense pressure. Colorado went into the half down 28-0, including a pick-six by Sanders in the first quarter. Missed field goals kept the Buffs off the board as well.

Nobody mentions the changes Coach Prime and his staff thought they made up front with the offensive line. The group didn’t get the job done on Saturday, allowing their star quarterback to take a beating. It was eerily similar to what we all witnessed last year. Before anyone wants to say the offensive line isn’t blocking, maybe it’s time for Prime to take a firm look in the mirror and understand the way he won at Jackson State won’t happen in the Big 12 or any other Power Four conference.

Colorado’s offensive play against the Cornhuskers further shows no development within the program that will allow younger players to have an opportunity to contribute to the team. For Buffs fans to continue to believe the offense has more to offer than just Sanders throwing the ball forty or fifty times without establishing a running game, further shows this isn’t about the team. It’s about the coach’s son. The notion that players in the transfer portal will make his teams an instant contender has not shown to be true, and now that Shedeur and Shilo Sanders are in their last season with the Buffs, who will do the recruiting for Coach Prime? His philosophy that he doesn’t include in-home recruiting visits may need to change, if he wishes to build CU into a true contender.

The Buffs had beaten the Huskers three times over the past 5,000 days. However, the Black Shirts in the Huskers defense dismantled Shedeur and the offensive. Dylan Riaola might be a freshman but his game is better than some players months away from the NFL Draft. How CU’s defense was taken for a ride further shows that Coach Prime isn’t worried about the future of the program. It appears to be more for accolades that Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are trying to reach.

What Colorado's Deion Sanders said after loss to Nebraska

This loss to the Huskers showed how bad the 147 years of NFL experience doesn’t mean anything when coaching against a stacked game plan. The idea that Sanders can stand in the pocket and throw fifty passes per game and the Buffs win is over and now is the time for Coach Prime to figure that out. Because the Buffs faithful have heard all of the cliché motivation speeches, now they want to see wins and a championship. It can happen for Coach Prime with adjustments.

When your team tries to convert on fourth and one in the first half on your own 36-yard line and the offense stalls out, the Buffs faithful should have some questions. When it comes to the development and recruiting of players, we can assume the transfer model isn’t the best. There is no way the offensive and defensive fronts both get manhandled in a game like they were last night under a traditional model. Coach Prime has been worried about Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter's names being mentioned in the Heisman Trophy talks. He might not need to worry about that with his coaching seat beginning to warm up. It could be a long season, if the team continues to take losses like they did in Lincoln.