Shedeur Sanders and CU's offense can't revert to being one-dimensional vs. Baylor

The Buffaloes need to keep up the momentum in Big 12 opener

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The Colorado Buffaloes are coming off a 28-9 win against Colorado State, retaining the Centennial Cup until at least 2029. The final score doesn’t give a true perspective into what happened in this rivalry game.  The Buffs came out with a charged-up attitude on both sides of the ball, especially in the trenches. Coach Prime’s team showed their teeth early and got the rushing attack off the ground.  Colorado was able to rush for over 100 yards for the first time this season, while averaging 5.7 yards per carry behind Micah Welch, Isaiah Augustave, and Charlie Offerdahl. 

Baylor comes into Boulder with a stingy defense against the run, allowing teams an average of 3.5 yards per carry (154.7 yards per game) through non-conference play. The Buffs offensive line should be chomping at the bit to secure back-to-back games with 100-yard rushing efforts. This would let future Big 12 opponents know their offense is no longer one-dimensional. Colorado's speed at the wide receiver position will be pivotal for them to use misdirection plays further helping their rushing attack with Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr and LaJontay Wester keeping Baylor’s defense off balanced and guessing what type of play the Buffs offense will run next. 

Colorado's offensive line will need to make sure they don’t get penalized for holding or blocking in the back on those big plays when they happen. It’s something Coach Prime preached throughout the week with having more discipline between the trenches. The Buffs want to stay ahead of the chains this week by playing mistake-free football.  

Baylor has strength on the defensive front with Keaton Thomas, Jackie Marshall, Garmon Randolph, and Treven Ma’ae with their pursuit of the ball, keeping everything inside the tackles by locating the ball and making plays behind the line of scrimmage. If the Buffs find themselves behind in this game, they can expect the Bears defense to pin their ears back and come after Shedeur Sanders. If Colorado is looking to get the running game going early, they must keep the Bears defensive front guessing.  

When it comes to the Colorado passing game, Sanders will have Buffs faithful cheering loud and proud for their football team. Hunter,  Wester, Horn and Will Sheppard will work up the Bears defensive backs,  who will need to be prepared to handle their speed. Through three games, Sanders is averaging 333.0 yards per game and will likely exceed that mark on Saturday night. 

The Buffs defensive front of Dayon Hayes, Shane Cokes, LaVonta Bentley, and new starter Nakhai Hill-Green will need to find a way to slow down Baylor’s running back committee of Dawson Pendergrass, Richard Reese, Dominic Richardson, and Bryson Washington. The group loves to aggressively rush the ball with speed. The Bears rushing attack averages  4.15 yards per carry, with 167.3 yards per game. If Colorado can stop them from breaking off a big play, it will force their passing game to pick up the pace.  

The Buffs defense must show up again this week and not rely heavily on Shedeur Sanders having another heroic game to get their first Big 12 win of the season. It would also put CU back on track heading into a crucial stretch early. Colorado welcomes Baylor to Folsom Field on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. ET. with a national broadcast on FOX.