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Colorado Daily – Nebraska Week

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September 7th – Game Day!

… CU in a few minutes … 

Drew Litton’s take on CU/Nebraska

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Daily Camera: Cornhuskers to Watch

From the Daily Camera …

Cornhuskers to Watch

DL Jimari Butler: He led the Cornhuskers in tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (5.5) last year, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention. He also had 34 tackles and two pass breakups.

ROV Isaac Gifford: Led the team with 86 tackles last season (35 more than anyone else). He also had 6.5 tackles for loss, an interception and eight pass breakups.

RB Emmett Johnson: Sophomore rushed for 411 yards last year and was the Cornhuskers’ leading rusher in last week’s opener, finishing with 71 yards on eight carries (8.9-yard average).

WR Isaiah Neyor: In his first game as a Husker last week, he caught six passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. Former Wyoming star (47 catches for 1,039 yards, 11 TD in 2020-21) played at Texas last year, catching just one pass.

QB Dylan Raiola: The true freshman was a 5-star recruit in the 2024 class and rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 quarterback recruit in the country. In his debut last week, he completed 19-of-27 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns.

When Nebraska has the ball …

Nebraska will feature a much more dynamic offense than what the Buffs saw a year ago in Boulder. Quarterback play was atrocious for the Huskers in last year’s matchup, but true freshman Dylan Raiola should change that. He’s making just his second start, but the five-star prospect has a big arm and was sharp in his debut, throwing for 284 yards. The Huskers also ran for 223 yards last week. Nebraska will likely look to establish its run game, duplicating the success it had in Boulder last year (222 yards on the ground). The Buffs looked much better against the run last week than they did during the 2023 campaign, however. NDSU burned the Buffs mainly on QB runs, but that hasn’t been a part of Raiola’s game. Against running backs, the Buffs allowed just 70 yards on 21 carries last week. “They’ve got a bunch of athletes,” Raiola said this week about the CU defense. “They’ve got a bunch of guys that can cover. They’ve got some elite players, NFL type players. We’ve just got to be smart with our approach.”

… Read full story here …

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September 6th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Mel Kiper’s Big Board: Travis No. 1 overall; Shedeur QB 2

From ESPN … The 2024 college football season is underway, which gives us a great opportunity to see the top prospects for the 2025 NFL draft in action. Which players are already impressing and look the part of future first-rounders?

After watching game tape over the summer and the first full week of the season, I’m ready to release my debut Big Board for 2025, stacking the top 25 prospects in the class. Defense is the strength of this group right now, but I have three quarterbacks on the list.

Remember, this is not a mock draft or prediction of where players will be drafted. These are my personal rankings. Sure, I want to have a realistic board based on how the draft will play out, but my goal is to include the best players based on what I’m seeing and my own evaluations. In addition to the top-25 list, I also ranked the best prospects at every position at the bottom.

Let’s dig in, and be sure to check back regularly from now until Round 1 begins on April 24. I plan to update this Big Board often over the coming months as players rise and fall. All stats are through Week 1 of the season.

1. Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 185

2024 stats through one game: 7 catches, 132 receiving yards, 3 receiving TDs, 3 tackles, 0 interceptions

Hunter has a great feel for the game on both offense and defense, and we saw it in Colorado’s opener against North Dakota State. He played a whopping 124 of 126 scrimmage snaps and took over, showing his talent at both receiver and cornerback. I really think he has a chance to play both sides of the ball early in his pro career and make an impact both ways. The offensive and defensive coordinators for the team that ultimately drafts him are going to be battling each other to use him. He’s a top-two player on my board at both positions.

Hunter has tremendous hand-eye coordination and elite ball skills. His physical traits and quickness are off the charts, but he also thinks about the game at a high level. He is a highly competitive prospect who works hard to maximize his potential.

9. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 215

2024 stats through one game: 76.5% completion rate, 445 passing yards, 4 TD passes, 1 interception

I have the class’ QB1 race close coming out of the summer, and Sanders is right there with Beck. You won’t find a tougher or more resilient quarterback prospect than Sanders, who took 52 sacks last season but still put up really strong numbers. I’m always impressed watching him throw on the move, rolling either left or right. He is very accurate in those spots and has the arm to drive the ball. And while he’s not necessarily a major rushing threat, he can keep the chains moving with his legs when there is an opening.

… Continue reading story here …

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Neill Woelk’s Keys to the Nebraska Game

From CUBuffs.com … The game should feature an interesting clash of styles.

The Buffs, with quarterback Shedeur Sanders and a host of outstanding wide receivers, can score points in a hurry and prefer to move the ball in the air. The Huskers have a promising but inexperienced quarterback in freshman Dylan Raiola and a potential ground-and-pound rushing attack that can control the tempo and wear out defenses.

So how do the Buffs come away with a win in what might be the biggest game yet in the Coach Prime Era in Boulder?

Our weekly Fast Five:

1. Create some early momentum. One thing the Buffs do not want to do is give the Memorial Stadium crowd something to cheer about early. That means coming up with a defensive stop or two and then cashing in the opportunity with a quick score.

The Buffs are certainly built to make that happen, at least on the offensive side of the ball. QB Sanders and wide receivers Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. have proven big-play capability — but the Colorado offensive line has to give Sanders time to make those plays.

Colorado’s QB has a terrific ability to extend plays with his legs while keeping his eyes downfield. If the Buffs can deliver a quick strike and put the Huskers on their heels, it will go a long way in setting the tone for the game.

2. Hold their own in the run game. Nobody is expecting the Buffs to outgain the Huskers on the ground. But CU has to at least present the threat of a rushing attack to keep Nebraska’s defense honest.

Again, this will depend greatly on Colorado’s offensive line. The Buffs struggled to show anything resembling a run game threat in last week’s win over NDSU, finishing with just 59 yards on the ground while averaging only 2.6 yards per attempt. That has to improve or the pressure on Sanders will be immense.

Defensively, the Buffs have to contain the NU running game and force the Huskers to throw.

That, of course, won’t be an easy task. Colorado showed some susceptibility against the run last week and the Huskers piled up 223 yards on the ground in their opening win over UTEP. Nebraska will no doubt want to run the ball, keep the clock moving and keep Colorado’s Sanders on the sidelines.

But if the Buffs can contain Nebraska’s run game and make the Huskers lean on their freshman QB to make plays, it will be a big plus.

… Continue reading story here …

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September 5th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Video: WR Coach Jason Phillips and WR Jimmy Horn

… On Nebraska crowd: “I look at it as an opportunity to get 100,000 new fans” … 

From YouTube, courtesy of BuffStampede.com …

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Nebraska trying to emulate CU – Matt Rhule: “We have enough games like this and applications start to go up”

From CBS Sports … Despite the local financial windfall, the unspoken question in the back of everyone’s minds lingers: how long will the “Prime Effect” last? Colorado didn’t sell out its season opener, a first under coach Prime, though 49,438 fans still showed up for the weeknight game against an FCS team. Eventually, those fans will undoubtedly want more wins. It’s a natural expectation. Honeymoons only last so long before positive results are expected, even from Coach Prime’s closest friends and former NFL teammates.

Even as most benefit from the influx of attention, The Prime Era has provided challenges for all in Boulder. He stripped the program to its bones for the second straight offseason, adding 50 new players — including 39 transfers. Sanders has picked his battles, too. He recently banned Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler from asking questions. Keeler authored several scathing columns that included descriptors for Sanders like “false prophet” and “Minister of B.S”. Sanders explained to ESPN’s Mark Jones last week that he “felt the reporter in question questioned and attacked his faith.”

“You’re going to have people stand by Deion no matter what,” said Jones, who watched Colorado win a national title in 1990 and then later fall into the depths of the sport with a one-win season under Karl Dorrell. “But if they go on a losing streak, we’ll see. It could be big things, especially if he sticks around.”

Despite an influx Power Four transfers meant to bolster the Colorado trenches, many of last season’s problems stretched into the 2024 opener. The offensive line struggled to open running lanes (2.6 yards per carry) and Shedeur Sanders was forced to complete several NFL-type throws under immense pressure. On the other side of the ball, the defense gave up 14.6 yards per pass completion.

Those on-field issues will certainly need to be addressed by Sanders and his staff as the schedule gets tougher. That uptick in opponent quality starts this week with a road date at Nebraska, where two former conference rivals meet for one of the biggest games of Week 2. The game features one of the year’s most intriguing quarterback matchups as Nebraska’s freshman phenom Dylan Raiola goes against likely future NFL first-rounder Shedeur Sanders.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule recognizes the opportunity that comes with sharing the Sanders spotlight. He is hoping to use it as springboard for its own program.

“It’s great for the game,” Rhule said. “It’s great for us. It’s great for our university. People all across the country are going to tune in this week to see this football game, and they’ll see our fan base. They’ll see the class with which we play. They’ll see two great teams compete. They’ll see our campus. We have enough games like this and applications start to go up and admissions start to go up. Good things start to happen. I watched the game this week, and it’s happened at Colorado.”

… Continue reading story here …

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September 4th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Coach Prime: “We got to go in and do what we’re capable of doing”

From the Daily Camera … Over the years, there have been numerous coaches in college football express the old adage that the most improvement happens from game one to game two.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders isn’t so sure about that, but he believes in the improvement he saw during the Buffaloes’ season-opening 31-26 win against North Dakota State last Thursday.

And he knows CU has to show some more improvement as it prepares to visit Nebraska on Saturday in Lincoln, Neb. (5:30 p.m., NBC).

“We got to go in (to Lincoln) and do what we’re capable of doing,” Sanders said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “And I think we showed a glimpse of that in the second half of our first game against a formidable opponent.”

Defensively, the improvement from the first half to the second half against NDSU was noticeable. CU gave up 20 points on NDSU’s first four drives and just six on the last five.

“I think we improved a lot in the second half,” Sanders said. “I think we corrected a lot of things in the second half. We were able to contain the run a lot better, played solid gap control. (Defensive lineman Chidozie Nwankwo) did a phenomenal job up front. Linebackers got to point of contact and they made the plays. And I think the secondary is pretty darn good.

“We’ve just got to not give up short passes and we’ve just got to be a lot more physical, a lot more on point and understand down and distance.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig could be back for the Nebraska game

… Note … Silmon-Craig was injured on the third play from scrimmage in the North Dakota State game. While the injury was undisclosed, it appeared that Silmon-Craig was going through concussion protocols on the CU bench. He remained on the sideline during the game, but without his helmet (usually a sign that the medical staff is keeping the player from returning to the lineup) … 

From the Daily Camera … Colorado might get safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig back in time for Saturday’s visit to Nebraska.

Silmon-Craig was limited to 10 snaps in CU’s season-opening 31-26 win against North Dakota State last Thursday because of an unspecified injury, but could be good to go Saturday in Lincoln (5:30 p.m., NBC).

“Yeah, he’s doing well,” head coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday. “He’s doing well. I think he may be cleared (Wednesday). We’re praying so, because he’s one of the bona fide leaders of the defense, leaders on the team, and his passion is second to none.

“It’s second to none the way he plays the game, and when he goes down, it’s definitely a deficit in our secondary as well as on that defense, because he’s the communicator; he and Shilo (Sanders), but he’s even more of a communicator than Shilo is.”

Silmon-Craig made his CU starting debut in a 36-14 win against Nebraska last year, securing an interception that helped the Buffs to the win.

… Continue reading story here …

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September 3rd

… CU in a few minutes … 

Coach Prime’s Week Two Press Conference

… Coach Prime takes to the podium just past the 30 minute mark … 

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September 2nd

… CU in a few minutes … 

Joel Klatt: CU has elite talent, but same old problems

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John Snelson’s Game One Video (your best spent six minutes today)

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September 1st

… CU in a few minutes … 

Buffs open as a touchdown underdog to the Cornhuskers 

From DraftKings.com …

Big 12 Week Two schedule …

  • BYU at SMU … 5:00 p.m., Friday, ESPNU … BYU is an 11.o-point underdog 
  • Arkansas at No. 17 Oklahoma State … 10:00 a.m., MT, ABC … Oklahoma State is a 9.0-point favorite
  • No. 18 Kansas State at Tulane … 10:00 a.m., MT, ESPN … Kansas State is a 10.0-point favorite
  • Pittsburgh at Cincinnati … 10:00 a.m., MT, ESPN2 … Cincinnati is a 3.0-point favorite
  • Baylor at No. 12 Utah (non-conference game) … 10:00 a.m., MT, Fox … Utah is a 17.0-point favorite
  • Iowa State at No. 25 Iowa … 1:30 p.m., MT, Fox … Iowa State is a 2.5-point underdog
  • Albany at West Virginia … 4:00 p.m., MT, ESPN+ … no line
  • Sam Houston at UCF … 4:30 p.m., MT, ESPN+ … UCF is a 25.0-point favorite
  • No. 22 Kansas at Illinois … 5:00 p.m., MT, FS1 … Kansas is a 6.0-point favorite
  • Colorado at Nebraska … 5:30 p.m, MT, NBC … Colorado is a 6.5-point underdog
  • Houston at No. 16 Oklahoma … 5:45 p.m., MT, SEC Network … Houston is a 26.5-point underdog
  • Long Island University at TCU … 6:00 p.m., MT, ESPN+ … no line
  • Northern Arizona at No 21 Arizona … 8:00 p.m., MT, ESPN+ … no line
  • Texas Tech at Washington State … 8:00 p.m., MT, Fox … Texas Tech is a 1.5-point underdog 
  • Mississippi State at Arizona State … 8:30 p.m., MT, Fox … Arizona State is a 2.5-point underdog 

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August 31st 

… CU in a few minutes … 

Neill Woelk’s Takeaways from Game One

From CUBuffs.com … In retrospect, North Dakota State might have been the perfect opening opponent for the Colorado Buffaloes.

The visiting Bison gave the Buffs everything they wanted — and maybe a little more — Thursday night before CU finally walked off Folsom Field with a 31-26 victory.

NDSU tested the Buffaloes in every area. The Bison made CU’s offense work for its points and they pushed the Buffs’ defense to its limits. The Bison were physical in the trenches, played with discipline and didn’t hurt their cause with too many unforced errors.

But in the end, the difference came at the skill positions, where Colorado’s speed and talent proved to be too much for NDSU. Simply, the Bison didn’t have an answer for Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders and WRs Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr.

Still, the game proved to be exactly the kind of test Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ team needed in its opener. Colorado had to respond to adversity, had to come up with big plays when it mattered most — and maybe most importantly, the Buffs got a good look at the areas they spent an offseason working to improve.

Questions about the running game are still unanswered. On paper, CU’s rushing attack was less than impressive: 23 attempts for 59 yards, a mere 2.9 yards per carry.

Perhaps most stark was CU’s attempt to convert a fourth-and-1 in the first half. The Buffs were stuffed and the turnover on downs resulted in an NDSU field goal.

But there were some bright spots. Newcomer Dallan Hayden showed some power inside and Charlie Offerdahl had a big 5-yard gain on third down to keep CU’s decisive 80-yard scoring drive alive in the fourth quarter.

Coach Prime didn’t seem to be too worried about CU’s lack of a rushing attack. As he noted, “We would like to see a little more balance. But what is balance? Balance is wins, really. That’s what balance is.”

Still, no matter how good Shedeur and Co. prove to be, the Buffs are going to face situations where they absolutely have to run the ball with authority. The guess here is they will keep working on their game and it will improve.

O-line is improved. Yes, QB Sanders did find himself under pressure on several occasions. He did have to extend plays with his legs and he did take some big hits after releasing the ball.

But CU yielded only one sack all night, the fewest in the Coach Prime era. The Buffs’ offensive linemen actually graded out fairly well according to Pro Football Focus, and it’s worth remembering that this was the first game for the starting five playing together (the same five played every offensive snap).

The line will also need to get more physical in short-yardage situations. That missed fourth down conversion came because the Buffs didn’t get enough push off the snap, another issue Coach Prime brought up in his postgame press conference.

“We got to get that,” he said. “We got to convert that. That’s kind of putting your stamp on it. We got to be physical.”

Continuity comes with experience, and there’s no reason to think they won’t continue to improve as the season progresses.

Unforced errors were kept to a minimum. Early on, it looked like the penalty bug might be a problem for the Buffs. A couple of early flags were costly, including one that kept an NDSU scoring drive alive.

But Colorado finished with just three penalties for 30 yards and none in the second half. Those are numbers just about any coach will take for a game.

One other area of concern arose when CU’s offense came dangerously close to absorbing a couple of delay of game penalties, forcing the Buffs to use timeouts they would have rather saved.

“I’m just reminding him about the clock,” Coach Prime said of a conversation with his quarterback. “You see that big thing up there? That’s a clock. Those numbers up there, running down like that? That’s for you, OK? Look at that so I don’t have to burn these timeouts.”

Coach Prime also had a talk with his QB about throwing deep late in the game when the Buffs should have been keeping the ball on the ground and running the clock out. As it turned out, no damage, but that’s not a gamble CU wants to repeat in another critical situation.

We’re guessing the messages will be received loud and clear.

… Continue reading story here …

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Sep. 7th – at Nebraska

15 Replies to “Colorado Daily”

  1. Does anyone else think Woelk is mailing it in? That article could have been written about any away game……. Man just looking for some insight? I would hope that maybe Sanders wants to keep everything close to the best but I really don’t think that is his style. The more I listen to him and the team it’s going to be exactly what we saw vs ndsu. And hoping/believing it will work against Nebraska.

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    1. you are not helping my worst fears. This might work if the cobbs are down in talent compared to NDST. Not likely
      Watching that game, however. it seemed to me that the NDST OC had excellent plays and play timing….better than what I have seen unde rhule. If shurmur has nothing new to show us in the run game we are likely doomed.

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    2. Maybe, but I’m thinking Livingston and Shurmur will have watched the film and seen what needs fixing. If everyone studies the film and applies themselves we will see a better team. I have concerns, because you are right, if they don’t apply the fixes and changes some things we could see the same things. I think they will make the necessary corrections.

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    1. I thought it was odd that they only had Raiola play just over a half. You would think that you would want to give your freshman as much playing time as possible.
      Looks like they withheld as much as they could during the UTEP game, so CU wouldn’t have any more film than necessary.

      Reply

  3. That was week 1. Mike Novell went from genius to dunce. Uo struggled vs Idaho. Dabo’s done. Etc etc.

    Saturday should be a great game. Everyone will know a lot more about both teams Saturday night.

    Go Buffs

    Reply

  4. Thank you to all who voted before me for me to see: I too was looking at last game’s performance and wondering about the up coming game with the corn; I was waiting to read more about their game against UTEP before voting.

    Poll results are showing that over 75% of you don’t believe in Prime, and his coaches, and the players themselves. How can we, the Buffs nation demand respect from the rest of the world of Buff/Prime haters when so many as fans don’t believe?

    I could write an essay about the Buff’s good and bad from last week and the great plays a few players made and the mistakes and bad calls; but much of that has been posted already. Rob O’s insight on the run game & RPOs is very true. I would hope professional coaches see that too, or they’re not very professional.

    I’m hoping/believing that we’ll see a different game, play calling wise for the corn. That the coaches game planned to do only what they thought they needed to do to win against an FBS foe; saving much of the playbook for this game. I’m also looking to the leaders, Shedeur, Travis, Jimmy & Shilo to take charge and give the corn more trouble than UTEP could ever throw at them.

    The Bison averaged somewhere around 260 yards rushing per game with a big duel threat QB, and were “giant killers” winning like 8 of 9 or something like that; we knew this would be a fight. And yet my post before was over confident… I admit it. But in the 4th quarter, who do you want, Shedeur, Travis and Jimmy or a Freshman QB and who?

    I understand the difficulty in see a clear victory in a place like Lincoln, and the corn has a good defense, but I think CU will have a better defense than UTEP. And I know the Buffs will have a better QB and receivers.

    So until proven otherwise by a loss, I’m betting on black… & gold.

    Reply

    1. Love it Marcus. I am also betting the coaches either knew this was going to happen or actually did it as a deceptive practice. I agree with you and I have to believe guys who have coached in the NFL for as long as they have can see what an amateur can see. All I really want is a combo block to a line backer. Done right, it will blast an RB out 10+ yards and put them 1:1 with a safety.

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  5. Also. Can we stop with the armchair coaches giving advice to Prime and Travis on how to manage his workload? It is maddening to hear these guys who have probably have never played football let alone spoken to either Prime or Travis dispensing their ill informed advice. Now Klatt has spoken to Prime so he should know better.

    Sko BUFFS. BEAT THE HOLERS.

    Reply

  6. If not for Sheduer and Travis CU would have lost. Blah blah blah. This is the same logic as saying if not for Leinart and Bush SC would have lost. If not for Young Texas would have lost. If not for Elway and TD Denver would have lost. If not for Brady and Gronk NE would have lost. without Mahomes and Kelce KC would have lost. It is idiotic analysis because it always starts with talent. The talent is better this year. The D gave up only 6 points in the second half. The oline only gave up one sack. There is demonstrable improvement in my opinion. Not sure what Klatt expected. Oh wait yes I do. He said the game played out how he expected it to play out.

    He was correct about one thing. Sheduer CANNOT EVER pass the ball again when running it allows you to basically run out the clock and get a sure win as opposed to allowing a Hail Mary and a possible loss.

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    1. Sheduer spoke briefly about it in the press conference and said it was his call, he recognized it as a mistake and he doesn’t make the same mistake twice.

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  7. Our run game is going to be so so until we move away from RPO being our only running play. The blockers can never get to the second level (becuase they don’t know if it is a pass) which means the linebacker is always free to make a 1:1 tackle. Good linebackers will always be there to fill the hole so we will run for 2-4 yards per time. But the passing game will be pretty solid. I think this creates the same problem we had last year where the defensive lineman just rush the passer 100 % of the time. Ignoring gap integrity to get a better pass rush, and relying on unblocked linebackers to make the tackle 1:1. With safety and weak side help. We need more diversity in the running game otherwise it’s going to get bad for Sheduer again.

    I love the wide reciever screen to wester and horn. Putting that on film is great and is a continuation of the running game.

    We cannot just do man cover 1 on d. There are too many ways to beat it. Gotta mix it up. They should have that in the bag, but will they pull it out and use it.

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  8. Well I think the first one to 42 wins the game. Don’t think that either teams defense can stop the others offense. Having said that let me put my CU colored glasses on. 1. A freshman QB can made to be look really good against inferior UTEP talent. 2. CU offense can put points on the board. 3. There is a lot of pressure on Nebraska after 3 consecutive losses to CU.

    Reply

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