Nebraska 28, Colorado 10

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September 7th – at Nebraska          Nebraska 28, Colorado 10

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Nebraska scored on its first offensive possession, then scored on a pick-six shortly thereafter, giving the Cornhuskers an early 14-0 lead on a way to a 28-10 win over Colorado. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for 244 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked six times as the CU offensive line continue to struggle. The Buffs finished with 16 yards rushing, not getting out of negative numbers until the Buffs’ final drive with the game well decided.

“We just never got it going until it was too late,” Coach Prime said. “It  seemed like we just never got it going. Protections were a problem. We got to figure out a way to prevent that and do a better job with that.”

The Colorado defense held the Nebraska offense to 334 total yards, but the damage was done in the first half as the Cornhuskers built a 28-0 lead at the break. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola went 23-for-30 for 185 yards and a touchdown, and was not sacked on the night. Both teams were guilty of multiple penalties in an ugly game, with the Buffs being flagged nine times for 105 yards; the Cornhuskers 12 times for 105 yards.

“We gotta be to handle pressure – not just the pressure of … I’m not saying them rushing the passer,” Coach Prime said. “The pressure of the game, the pressure of the moment, the pressure of the time. Everybody wanna be him until it’s time to be him. They’ve got to be able to handle that pressure.”

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Game Story … For longtime fans of Colorado football, the opening of the Nebraska game gave flashbacks of awful rivalry game starts from year’s past.

The Buffs received the opening kickoff, and promptly went backwards. A knocked down pass on first down, a dropped pass on second down, and a sack of quarterback Shedeur Sanders on third down gave the Nebraska defense a quick three-and-out.

The second half of the miserable opening sequence, which also was reminiscent of losses past, was a quick Nebraska touchdown. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola ran for a first down on the Cornhuskers’ first third down, with running back Dante Dowdell completely the seven-play, 49-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run. Just over four minutes into the game, it was already 7-0.

A 61-yard return of the ensuing kickoff by Jimmy Horn gave CU fans a brief moment to cheer, but three plays later, on fourth-and-one at the Nebraska 28-yard line, running back Charlie Offerdahl was thrown for a two-yard loss, giving the ball back to Nebraska.

Aided by a holding call, the Buff defense was able to post its first three-and-out of the game, but a 60-yard punt pinned the CU offense back at its two-yard line.

One play later, the Cornhuskers were back on the board again, as Shedeur Sanders was intercepted by Nebraska cornerback Tommi Hill. A short seven-yard jog by Hill later, it was 14-0, Nebraska.

The Buffs fourth drive of the game went about as well as the first three. A third sack of Shedeur Sanders, a third three-and-out.

Taking over at its 45-yard line, Nebraska looked to move in for the kill. Aided by a Rahmir Johnson run for 11 yards and a pass interference call against the Buffs, the Cornhuskers quickly found themselves in the red zone. A holding call against Nebraska, though, helped the CU defense make a stand. Two plays into the second quarter, the score remained 14-0 when Nebraska kicker Tristan Alvano missed a 32-yard field goal attempt.

On CU’s fifth possession, the Buff offense finally picked up a first down. Travis Hunter’s first touch of the game, a nine-yard reception on third-and-seven, moved the chains for the first time for CU … at the 13:30 mark of the first half. Yet another sack of Sanders – the fourth in five possessions (with the only sackless possession being the one-play, pick-six possession), ended the CU’s weak attempt at an offensive drive.

Nine plays and 86 yards later, the Cornhuskers were up 21-0. Another 15-yard penalty against the Buff defense moved the ball over midfield, with a Dylan Raiola pass completion of 36 yards to wide receiver Jaylen Lloyd setting the Nebraska offense up at the Buff one yard line. On the next play, Dante Dowdell scored, giving Nebraska a 21-0 lead with 6:44 left in the first half.

A 28-yard completion from Shedeur Sanders to Travis Hunter gave CU its first explosion play of the game, getting the Buffs in gear for the first time all night. A 19-yard completion to Will Sheppard and an 11-yard completion gave the Buffs their first red zone possession of the game, but then the drive stalled. Kicker Alejandro Mata came in for a 29-yard field goal, but the attempt was blocked, leaving the score at 21-0 with 3:33 left in the first half.

The CU defense forced a quick three-and-out, but the CU offense … also went three-and-out.

Nebraska took over at its 30-yard line with only 1:09 to play in the half, but needed only three plays to score. Aided by two more 15 yards penalties against the Buffs (including a targeting call against linebacker Trevor Woods), the Cornhuskers posted touchdown Number Four of the first half with an 18-yard connection between Dylan Raiola and receiver Rahmir Johnson.

Completions of 14 yards to Travis Hunter and 11 yards to Jimmy Horn got the Buffs into Nebraska territory in the final minute, but just barely. A 61-yard field goal attempt by Jace Feely was missed, ending a half of misery for Colorado football.

Halftime score: Nebraska 28, Colorado 0

Shedeur Sanders kept up with Dylan Raiola on the passing charts in the first half, with Sanders passing for 129 yards to 126 for Raiola. Other than that … it was a disaster for the Buffs, with 80 yards in penalties and a minus-17 yards rushing (with five sacks doing most of the damage).

The Buff defense opened the second half by forcing its second three-and-out of the game, with a 14-yard punt return by LaJohntay Wester giving the Buffs good field position with a 14-yard punt return.

Another 14-yard gain by Wester, this time on a pass from Shedeur Sanders, opened CU’s first drive of the second half. After Sanders connected with Travis Hunter for nine yards, Sanders hit Will Sheppard for 30 yards and a first-and-goal at the Nebraska six yard line. The Buffs weren’t able to capitalize, though, finally getting on the board with a 27-yard field goal by Alejandro Mata.

The Cornhusker offense managed its first first down of the half on its next drive, but punted after only four plays. CU’s newly found momentum, though, wasn’t sustained. A 21-yard completion from Sanders to running back Dallan Hayden was quickly offset by yet another sack of Sanders, with the Buffs punting the ball away at the midway point of the third quarter.

Nebraska subsequently held the ball for 12 plays at the rest of the third quarter clock, but didn’t score. The Cornhuskers did overcome a second-and-24 on the drive, but ultimately only made it to the CU 40-yard line before punting the ball away to open the fourth quarter.

CU’s next drive wasn’t a three-and-out, but a four-and-out. Reminiscent of the North Dakota State game, the Buffs’ inability to run the ball was showcased. Running the ball on second-and-two, third-and-one, and fourth-and-one, the Buffs turned the ball over on downs at their 30.

Penalties pushed the Cornhuskers backward, losing 15 yards on three official plays. On fourth-and-25 at the CU 43-yard line, Buff defensive lineman BJ Green blocked the Nebraska punt, with the Buffs taking over at their 42-yard line.

CU’s first run of over ten yards by a Buff running back in the first eight quarters of the season came on the next play, with Dallan Hayden going for 17 yards and a first down in Nebraska territory. A 21-yard completion from Sanders to Hunter gave the Buffs yet another red zone opportunity, at the NU 10-yard line. Two five yard completions, the second going to LaJohntay Wester for a touchdown, made it a 28-10 game with 8:45 remaining in the game.

A roughing the passer penalty against BJ Green kept the Buff defense from another three-and-out, but the CU defense, after allowing the Nebraska offense to burn another four minutes of clock, did force another punt.

The Buffs, with runs by backup quarterback Ryan Staub and running back Isaiah Augustave, gained 24 yards … giving Colorado 24 yards rushing for the game. But, just as he did in the final minute of the 2023 Nebraska game, Ryan Staub fumbled the ball when being sacked, a fitting end to a terrible evening for the CU football program.

Final score: Nebraska 28, Colorado 10

“We should be able to move the ball on anyone,” Coach Prime said. “We should be able to protect with the experience that we have offensively, and we just couldn’t get it going today. We had some spurts and some great moments but the way we started is just not indicative of who we are, and we just never got it together.”

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Tags: Alejandro Mata, Charlie Offerdahl, Dallan Hayden, Isaiah Augustave, Jace Feely, Jimmy Horn, Jimmy Horn Jr., Lajohntay Wester, Ryan Staub, Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, Trevor Woods, Will Sheppard
This post, about the Nebraska game, from the 2024 Season, is filed under Article.
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