Sept. 30th – No. 8 USC – A September to Remember

Colorado rallied from a 48-21 third quarter deficit to make it a game, but nonetheless lost to USC for the 17th-straight time, falling 48-41 before a sellout crowd of 54.032. Shedeur Sanders threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns, while running for another, but it was not enough to keep up with USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for six touchdowns and 403 yards. For the game, the Buffs actually out-gained the Trojans, with 564 total yards to 498 for USC, but the first half once again was the Buffs’ failing, with USC taking a 34-14 lead into the break.

Freshman wide receiver Omarion Miller, who had no receptions on the season coming into the game, collected seven passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. Jimmy Horn, Jr. contributed two touchdowns and 84 yards with his seven catches, while tight end Michael Harrison had six catches for 44 yards and a 21-yard touchdown. The Buff rushing “attack”, which had only 223 total yards in the first four games of the season, came alive with 193 yards on 45 carries. Running back Anthony Hankerson led the Buffs with 16 carries for 74 yards, posting a two-yard touchdown run.

“Wonderful game. They played their hearts out,” said Coach Prime. “I addressed the team and told them I love each of them, coaches included, because they were resilient. They did not give up and they had multiple, multiple opportunities to give up. They fought to the end. We sustained injuries, meaning the next man up came in and did their thing”.

Despite the second straight defeat, and despite having a defense which had given up 90 points in its last two games, Coach Prime was defiant. “If you can’t see what’s coming with CU football, you’ve lost your mind”, Sanders said. “You’re just a flat out hater. If you can’t see what’s going on and what’s going to transpire over the next several months. Something’s wrong with you.”

A month ago, the CU program was a complete mystery … With September, 2023, now in the books, it’s fair to say that the Buffs in the first year under Coach Prime have exceeded expectations … Will the comeback effort against USC be a springboard for even greater things to come, or will it prove to be just another loss to USC? …

Game Day! … “It’s college football; any given Saturday, anything can happen” … Neill Woelk’s Keys to the USC game … **CU at the Game featured in an article by Sellout Crowd** … Travis Hunter/Henry Blackburn video …

Hearing set on Oregon State/Washington State lawsuit … ESPN: Can USC’s defense be exploited? … Arizona State joins CBS Sports Bottom 25 … With the “Pac-2 Bowl” in the books, where do Washington State and Oregon State go from here? …

Rating records continue to fall as CU has four of seven-most watched games this season … CU leads the nation in which statistical category? … CU is 0-16 all-time v. USC – has CU ever had a longer losing streak against any team? … Pac-12 has five 4-0 teams for the first time in conference history …

The Buffs have the home field advantage and the benefit of this being their third 10:00 a.m. kickoff – how much will it help? … USC is third in the nation in total offense, and first in scoring – a result of poor competition, or a dominant offense which will shred CU’s defense? … Let’s find out …

Will the 9:00 a.m. body clock kickoff for the Trojans give the Buffs an opportunity for a fast start? … Will the Buffs be able to find a way to hold off the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation? … Will the CU offense be able to protect Shedeur Sanders long enough for him to exploit the Trojan defense? … Let’s find out …