Recap: Colorado’s first season under Deion Sanders ends with loss to Utah
Deion Sanders’ first season as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes was quite the ride.
Although many will be quick to criticize how things ended, the Buffs made significant progress this year and are headed in the right direction. As Coach Prime said following Colorado’s season finale against Utah on Saturday, there is hope in Boulder.
The Buffs gave it their all throughout a narrow 23-17 loss to the Utes. With Shedeur Sanders, Xavier Weaver, Trevor Woods and others sidelined, Colorado’s remaining healthy players didn’t accept this difficult Week 13 matchup as an automatic loss.
Here’s a quick recap from Colorado’s final football game as members of the Pac-12:
The good: Ryan Staub, the O-line and the fight
True freshman Ryan Staub played better than many expected at quarterback. With the help of a solid offensive line performance, he finished with just under 200 yards passing (195) and threw the first touchdown pass of his college career to Travis Hunter.
Colorado as a whole also deserves credit for fighting hard against a heavily-favored Utah team. Instead of checking out after last week’s blowout loss, the Buffs competed for all 60 minutes.
The bad: Run defense
Unfortunately for the Buffs, they simply weren’t equipped to win a run-heavy game. Neither Colorado’s defense nor its offense excels in the run game, giving Utah a heavy advantage in the battle of the backup QBs.
Even when the Buffs were expecting a run, it was still difficult for them to stop. Jaylon Glover averaged 6.3 yards per attempt and Sione Vaki 9.7 as Utah finished with 268 total rushing yards.
Offensively, Colorado pretty much ditched the run when Staub settled in, which was for the best.
Standout stat: Third and fourth down plays
Utah’s offense was 9-for-15 on third and fourth down plays, most of which being short-yardage situations.
Standout players: Ryan Staub and Travis Hunter
As I mentioned above, Staub was exceptional in his first college start and only got better as the game went on. Hopefully, he stays in Boulder for another season, but if he does enter the portal, Staub has some legitimate tape to show off.
Staub leaned heavily on the talents of two-way star Travis Hunter, who should’ve finished with two touchdown catches. Nevertheless, Hunter had over 100 receiving yards, four tackles and a TFL.
Notable quote
Coach Prime on the immediate future: “We already know what’s going to come in the next few days to a week and a half. You guys are going to be pleased with what’s coming, I promise you that.”
— Jake Schwanitz (@JakeDNVR) November 25, 2023
What's next?
You can now start the countdown to Colorado’s 2024 season opener against North Dakota State on Aug. 31.
But first, Coach Prime and his staff have plenty of work ahead this offseason, including an attempt to bolster the offensive and defensive lines. It will certainly be interesting to see who Colorado picks up in the transfer portal over the next few months.
The first 30-day transfer portal window of the offseason begins Dec. 4.
Further reading
READ: Social media reacts to Pac-12 refs robbing Travis Hunter of a touchdown
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