Three takeaways from Colorado's loss No. 8 USC

Buffs failed to pull off the upset, but a great second half turnaround in Boulder

John Leyba-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Buffaloes didn't roll over and die against the 8th-ranked USC Trojans. They were down by three scores in the second half and fought back to throw everything they had at trying to pull off the upset. Here are three takeaways from the Buffs' 48-41 loss to the Trojans on Saturday.

Colorado's offensive play calling was questionable late

This one hurt a bit in the final stretch of the game. There was no real clock management and with timeouts it was a self-inflicted wound. Also, the consecutive running plays that went nowhere up the middle allowed USC to kill the clock at the end. Not sure what Sean Lewis was trying to accomplish, but it could've gone a lot better. Not to say Shedeur Sanders didn't do what he does and tried to pull the Buffs back into the game. It was just an unprepared mess.

Omarion Miller was HIM today

The Buffs have had a player come through when they needed a spark and today was no exception. Freshman four-star receiver Omarion Miller has a sensational game in the second half with seven receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown. It was best performance by a freshman in CU history. He gave Sanders a go-to option and made a couple great plays to keep the Buffs alive.

Cormani McClain responded to Deion Sanders' plea

This week was a wake up call for Cormani McClain. CU's defensive back was in Coach Prime's doghouse for a lack of effort, but made up for it in a major way. The five-star florida recruit swarmed the ball and played great with Travis Hunter on the sideline. He nearly had an interception that was negated by a penalty and one heck of a PDU that saved a touchdown. McClain fought hard and it was clear he understood his assignment.

UP NEXT:

Colorado travels to Tempe for a battle with Arizona State next Saturday.