Nebraska Must Get Creative and ‘Find Ways’ to Limit Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders

Husker defensive coordinator Tony White calls the Buffaloes' quarterback ‘the type of player that makes you a better coordinator.’
Sep 9, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) throws a pass in the fourth quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Folsom Field.
Sep 9, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) throws a pass in the fourth quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Folsom Field. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado's talent at the offensive skill positions has the full attention of Nebraska football's defensive coordinator, Tony White.

Speaking after the Huskers' practice Tuesday morning, White said preparing for quarterback Shedeur Sanders poses a particularly stiff challenge as the Huskers get ready for Saturday night's game against the Buffaloes in Lincoln.

“If you go through and look at all the games,” he said, “there’s a lot of ways people played him, and he was still able to perform and still able to execute. It’s a really big challenge, but he’s the type of player that makes you a better coordinator because you have to find ways. You have to be creative, you have to find ways to cover, you have to find ways to attack, you have to find ways to disguise.”

Sanders, son of CU head coach Deion Sanders and a likely early pick in next spring's NFL draft, will be throwing to the likes of Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn, who each had more than 55 receptions last season. White said the Huskers have been doing more seven-on-seven work this week “to get the guys in more space-oriented situations. That way, the gameday is more like practice.”

Nebraska has a quarterback of its own in Dylan Raiola. Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said the true freshman conquered any first-game jitters he might have had and performed “like a freaking surgeon” in his collegiate debut Saturday against UTEP.

Raiola and more than half a dozen other players also spoke Tuesday. Addressing what he wants to improve, Raiola said, “Progressing through reads. That's probably going to be my answer to you every week.”

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Joe Hudson
JOE HUDSON

Joe Hudson has operated a Husker-related website since 1995 and joined forces with David Max to form HuskerPedia (later renamed HuskerMax) in 1999. It began as a hobby during his 35 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, a career that included stints at the Lincoln Star, Omaha World-Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Denver Post. In Denver, Joe was chief of the copy desk during his final 16 years at the Post. He is proud to have been involved in Pulitzer Prize-winning projects in both Philadelphia and Denver. Joe has been a Nebraska football fan since the mid-1960s during his childhood in Omaha. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in journalism and economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1976. He resides a few freeway exits north of Colorado Springs and enjoys bicycling and walking his dogs in his spare time. You can reach him at joeroyhud@outlook.com.