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Sensory Overload
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I spent the first half of the CU/Oklahoma State game driving back from my sister’s home in Missoula, where we’d spent Thanksgiving. I was able to track the game, though, listening to the KOA broadcast with Mark Johnson and Coach Barnett. They kept me posted on CU’s fast start, with the Buffs jumping out to a 21-0 lead, as well as the coverage of the sluggish second quarter, with neither team generating any offense.
By the time we got home and settled, the Buffs had scored on the opening series of the third quarter, with Shedeur Sanders hitting LaJohntay Wester on a 69-yard touchdown pass to make it a 28-0 game. The quick touchdown to open the second half essentially allayed my fears that this was going to be another CU meltdown (See: CU/Stanford, 2023; CU/Oregon State, 2018).
Some time later, my wife came downstairs to ask how the game was going. At that point, the Buffs were rolling, up 38-0.
My response?
“Good”.
“Good”???
CU, a team which had been the unquestioned worst Power Five conference team in the nation in 2022, and arguably the worst team in the 130-team FBS, was well on its way to its ninth win of the 2024 season, and all I could come up with was “Good”?
The Rise of the Colorado football program over the past two seasons has been unlike any other.
The Bill McCartney “Rise” didn’t produce a winning season until Year Four, with Coach Mac not hitting .500 as a head coach until his eighth campaign.
The Gary Barnett “Rise” took place in Year Three, with the Buffs finally slaying the Nebraska dragon, 62-36, in 2001.
The Mike MacIntyre “Rise” came in Year Four, and was a one-hit wonder in 2016.
Coach Prime’s “Rise” has taken place in Year Two. With the influx of four- and five-star talent coming in from the CU Recruiting Class of 2025, and Coach Prime’s already established ability to add talent through the Transfer Portal, the “Rise” shows no sign of abating.
So why wasn’t I jumping up and down on the sofa at CU’s domination of Oklahoma State? Why wasn’t I hoarse from yelling at my television screen, with the Buffs securing win No. 9 by crushing a team which had been ranked in the preseason, and which had embarrassed the Buffs in the 2016 Alamo Bowl?
After two decades of losing, winning couldn’t already be accepted as routine, could it?
A case of too much, too soon?
Perhaps.
It’s all been a blur, with the memories of the 4-8, 1-8 season last year well back in the rear view mirror.
Now, the Buffs are nationally ranked, and were in the race for the Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff discussion deep into November.
The team, along with its two once-in-a-generation stars, have given the Buff Nation memories to last a lifetime. It’s all happened so fast, though, that it’s hard to soak it all in.
For those of you who don’t like stats, my apologies, because I’m going to start throwing some numbers at you …
The Team …
— The 52-0 rout of Oklahoma State represents CU’s first shutout since beating Arizona 34-0 during the 2021 season. It was CU’s largest shutout win since a 58-0 victory over Minnesota in 1991; the largest margin of victory against anybody since a 52-point win over Northeast Louisiana (66-14) in 1995; and the CU’s largest conference win since defeating Kansas State 64-3 in 1990;
— How rare was this lopsided win over the Cowboys? Since 1940 … I repeat … since 1940 … CU has posted three wins of 52 points or more: the 64-3 win over Kansas State in 1990; a 52-0 win over Iowa State in 1952; and the Buffs’ 52-0 win over Oklahoma State;
— Colorado had six double-digit wins in conference play in 2024. This ties a school record for this type of domination, and is just the fourth time overall (also in 1989, 1994 and 2001 … all 10-win campaigns);
— CU won a share of the Big 12 regular season Championship. True enough, the Big 12 doesn’t recognize regular season champions. Still, the 2024 season represents the first time CU has accomplished a non-divisional regular season title since 1991;
— CU finished with a 9-3 regular season record, the 15th time in school history with nine-plus wins, and with a 7-2 Big 12 record. The 2024 success represents just the second season in the last 22 (2016) in which the Buffs have reached seven conference wins and nine wins overall;
— Going from 4-8 last year to 9-3 (to date), marks just the 7th time in Colorado football history, going back to the 1890s, that the program had seen a year-over-year improvement of at least five wins.
Shedeur Sanders …
If it wasn’t for the exploits of Travis Hunter, CU would be certainly justified in touting Sanders as a Heisman trophy candidate. Sanders had put up numbers which are amazing, with the Buff quarterback having already tied or set 77 CU school records, and doing so in only two seasons.
Two examples of how unique Shedeur has been in the annals of Colorado football …
First, next April Sanders will become the first CU quarterback taken in the first round of the NFL Draft (Kordell Stewart was taken in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft), and the first CU quarterback to be taken by anyone in a draft in 28 years (Koy Detmer was taken in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft); and
Second, Sanders finished the regular season with 62 career passing touchdowns at Colorado, good enough for third on CU’s all-time list. The school record? Umm … 63, by both Cody Hawkins and Steven Montez. Thing is … both Hawkins and Montez played four years for the Buffs, with both being the starting quarterback for three of those seasons. Sanders will likely pass both of them for the all-time passing touchdown record at Colorado … in only two seasons.
But wait, there’s more …
— Against Oklahoma State, Shedeur went 34-of-41, completing 82.9% of his passes, going for 438 yards, five touchdowns and an interception. His Folsom Field finale represented the fourth 400-yard passing game of his career, and the second of the 2024 season. It was also his seventh career 300-yard passing game, already a CU record, and the 12th of his CU career;
— Sanders set a new single season record for passing yards, with 3,936, passing the record of 3,527 set by Koy Detmer in 1996. He also set a new record for completions, with 338, passing the record of 325 set by Sefo Liufau in 2014;
— More single season records for Sanders … passing touchdowns (35) and touchdowns responsible for (39). His completion percentage of 74.4% broke his own single season record of 69.3%, set in 2023;
— Before the game, it was announced that Sanders was named the recipient of the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented by AO Smith, given to the nation’s top quarterback who best exemplifies character, scholastic and athletic achievement, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation.
Travis Hunter …
Finally, let’s talk about the GOAT. Again, Hunter is setting a standard for play which has not been seen in college football for decades, and not seen at CU, well, ever.
Hunter is the odds on favorite to win the Heisman trophy, joining Rashaan Salaam as CU’s only Heisman winners. He’s currently a finalist for the Maxwell award, given to the best all-around player; the Biletnikoff award, given to the best receiver; the Bednarik award, given to the best defensive player; the Paul Hornung award, given to the most versatile player; and the Walter Camp award, given to the player of the year.
Yes, with Hunter not being a finalist for the Thorpe award, given to the nation’s best defensive back, gives CU fans pause as to how the other awards will play out, there is no denying that Hunter is a unicorn …
— Hunter’s regular season numbers: 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, 15 total touchdowns, four interceptions, 11 pass breakups. His 14 receiving touchdowns in a season sets a new CU record, besting by two the school record of 12 set by Nelson Spruce in 2014;
— Hunter’s 15 total touchdowns, coming on an average of 19.2 yards per touchdown on the season, set a new CU record with a minimum of 15 touchdowns scored. The 92 receptions are the second-most in school history behind Spruce’s total of 106, also in 2014. His 1,152 yards receiving are the fifth most in school history in a single season;
— Against Oklahoma State, Hunter posted 10 receptions, 116 yards, three touchdowns, together with an interception. Hunter played 112 snaps in the game, with 68 Offensive, 46 Defensive – sitting out much of the fourth quarter after his third touchdown;
— With his effort against the Cowboys, Hunter became the first player with three touchdowns and an interception in a game since at least 1996 in college football, but the feat of scoring a touchdown on offense while also collecting an interception on defense was nothing new to Hunter. The Oklahoma State game was his fourth of the 2024 season scoring a touchdown and collecting an interception;
— Hunter’s three touchdown receptions against OSU tied the school record set six times previously, including once himself, bookending the regular season after having three against North Dakota State. Hunter became the first player in CU history to have three receiving touchdowns in a game twice in a season;
— The 116 yards receiving marked Hunter’s seventh 100-yard receiving game of the season, already the school record, and the 10th of his career, third most in CU history. The Oklahoma State game was his fifth multi-receiving touchdown game of the season, already the school record and sixth of his career, matching the CU career record.
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With CU completing the 2024 regular season with a 9-3 record, the Buffs are going bowling for Miss Peggy, but have achieved so much more. The team has many players who have taken turns being stars, but it’s fair to say that the brighest stars have been Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
A quick prediction for next summer’s preseason magazines … There are pundits and haters who have barked all season that Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are “mid” – average players – as they try to put down Coach Prime and Colorado. Don’t worry … next summer, those same pundits will be telling us that Travis and Shedeur are once-in-a-generation talents who can’t be replaced by Coach Prime, and that CU will not be able to replicate its 2024 successes in 2025.
But, we, the Buff Nation, know different.
We know that Travis and Shedeur are unique, special talents to be appreciated. We also know that Coach Prime and his staff, if the recent commitments from the Recruiting Class of 2025 are any representation, won’t let the program slip.
Yes, the 52-0 rout of Oklahoma State was “good” … It was very, very good. One of the most dominating performances – at least on the scoreboard – by any CU team in a generation, if not several generations.
Yet the Buff Nation, with so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend, can be forgiven, just a little bit, for not looking past the Oklahoma State game to a bright future for the program. There are just so many good things going on with the program, all at once, that’s it’s hard to focus on any one amazing game.
Coach Prime has said that the 2023 season was about restoring hope, and that the 2024 season has been about expectations.
Well, expectations have been met, and then some.
Buff fans have every reason to believe that this is just the beginning …
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10 Replies to “Sensory Overload”
Before the season, Sander’s numbers are close to what I was posting as my expectations if the O-line and the play calling improved; go ahead and look it up, I’ll wait.
I was also giving Prime’s comments on both line’s improvement and the overall defense and the staff’s improvement as true and I was posting 9 or 10 wins possible. The Buffs got there and the new class is already looking good with more expected; you land the number One QB in the class and a lineman and others will follow.
The Buffs need a better line for the run game and the new signal caller, but do that and there should be little drop off in wins with the talent who are returning, the expected talent coming in and the inevitable transfers that this year’s success and Prime should attract… Along with recruits jumping on due to other recruits commitments, this year’s class as a whole will help fill in for losing Sanders & Hunter.
Looking forward to Wednesday.
Apologies for being a contrarian…and no doubt Prime has saved the program from what I imagined to be an utterly hopeless situation and will forever be thankful for his arrival. However, l am personally disappointed in the results. We didn’t play 3 of the top 4 teams in the conference and still came up short. If we knew how poorly teams on our schedule would play 6-7 wins would have been preseason expectations, we played (3)! Power 5 games vs teams w/a winning record (schedule never will be more favorable)!
Need to raise the coaching chops…never been a fan of the run game in this offense (it’s so bland, wouldn’t run it at our local HS). And the KU game….wow, just the utter lack of competitiveness was inexcusable given the stakes….traditionally that falls on the coaches.
Everyone hangs on how far we’ve come…but it’s a totally new team, with better players, we should be better. Finally, see Indiana, we were setup like they were, and they play in a ‘tougher’ conf. and are less talented overall than our Buffs (again, traditionally that’s coaching).
I understand, but Indiana found a perfect path to 11-1.
Yes, CU played three Power Five games v. teams with winning records … Indiana played all of two, including a 7-5 Michigan team which no one thought much of until the Wolverines beat Ohio State. Indiana’s one game against a team with more than seven wins was a 38-15 drubbing by Ohio State.
While CU was playing rivals Nebraska and CSU on the road (not to mention the No. 1 FCS team in the nation – until a few weeks ago) in North Dakota State, Indiana was feasting on Florida International (4-8), Western Illinois (4-8) and Charlotte (5-7), teams which couldn’t manage a winning record in their respective worlds.
The Big 12 had five teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, and CU played all five. Next season, the Buffs are set to play every team not named CU in the top five of the conference – Arizona State; Iowa State; BYU and Kansas State. Will all four be ranked next August? Who knows.
All I know is that Vegas, who knows about these things, had CU at 3.5 wins in 2023, and 5.5 wins in 2024. You can be disappointed if you want to, but I’m ecstatic with a nine win team which has a bright future …
Appreciate you!! Am ecstatic about next year too (esp. given where we’ve been), but I do believe in 2-3 years if things don’t break our way, many more will come to rue 2024…hope I am wrong!!
Lighten up, Francis
You touch my stuff, I’ll kill ya.
But seriously, I can see Irie’s point. I don’t agree with it, but you can say with a relatively soft Big 16 schedule – as it turned out, not as it was projected – CU “could” have done better. That’s true. But it’s also why they play the games.
And, for a team wallowing in sub-mediocrity for two plus decades (with the exception of 2016) dropping a couple they should’ve won isn’t unexpected (NU and KU). KSU could’ve gone either way. It’s been that same 20+ years since CU could overcome their own mistakes. This year, they pretty much did more often than not.
Nevertheless, I also think there’s a clear gap between the CU’s, Indiana’s and ASU’s and say the top five or 8 teams. But, to not appreciate their closing the gap is also silly. Particularly in light of CU’s lost couple decades.
Now, what follows next year?
Deion said they’ve solved the kicking touchbacks deal. He knows the deficiencies, to name one, and he’s shown he can address them pretty well. Now, with more proof of concept, what’s the team look like next year? It’s going to be interesting to watch who stays, who goes, and who comes aboard.
DB’s and WR’s are still seemingly loaded. Probably need more dudes on the lines on both sides. How does the QB pecking order shake out? Is Julian the guy on day 1? Probably some linebackers. Tight ends. Maybe a stud running back. Then depth, depth and more depth. Quality depth. They still comin’.
Go Buffs
To add to Stuart’s comments, 2 of the CU front runners two years ago (Ryan Walter’s and Tom Herman) have been fired and Bronco Menhenhall finished 5- 7 at UNM. The Prime effect has been nothing short of extraordinary. Enjoying the ride.
Everyone wants Travis to be the heisman winner. Dont get me wrong, he is a generational talent for his positions. IMO Shedeur should get it. With the complete lack of a running game he has been the Source and the engine of the Buff’s pundit deriding success this year. There is no other QB who has had the impact this year. Forget Gabriel and Ward. They might go on the success in the NFL but as of right now they haven’t done as much on their own.
Cant it be first and second place whichever Buff wins? If Shedeur isnt even invited it will be just more affirmation of my disregard for the award. I mean who does the voting anyway? Corrupt people like finebaum who arent big enough men to acknowledge their own failed BS.
I watched the the first 3/4ths of the ISU and KSU game. I wasnt impressed. I havent watched ASU or BYU at all this year but I would guess they would be a better challenge than the other 2 flatland teams in a bowl game.
Deion may end up being the most impactful football coach in CU history.
December is going to be really interesting to watch unfold. Not playing in the big 16 championship game frees up time for recruiting and such.
Go Buffs
In terms of overall impact, think he has already achieved that…just from taking us from an endless doom loop, to nationally relevant again, esp, given the new world of ‘college’ football (never would have been able to compete, period, w/out Prime) and would have recommend dropping down to the MW for FB just so we could be competitive again.