Sep. 7th – at Nebraska – A Blessing In Disguise?

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.”

Like it or not, Colorado is the most polarizing team in college football.

The University touts the millions in extra dollars Coach Prime has brought to the Boulder community since he became CU’s head coach. CU weekly press release notes the 20% increase in enrollment, the 500% increase in merchandise sales, and cites the millions who tune in to watch the Buffs play every weekend. Against North Dakota State, CU fell just shy of its seventh straight shut out to open the Coach Prime era (49,438, with Folsom’s capacity being 50,183).

The haters point to CU’s record on the field since Coach Prime became head coach, now 5-9 after the Buffs fell hard in Lincoln, 28-10. The naysayers complain about how much attention the Buffs are getting … while spending all of their time talking about the Buffs.

It is what it is. It’s what Rick George and the Buff Nation signed on for when George brought in Coach Prime and his spotlight.

The spotlight, unfortunately, shown brightly on CU’s deficiencies on the field. Shedeur Sanders was sacked on four of CU’s first five drives … with the only sackless drive being a one-play, pick six “drive” which put the Buffs down 14-0 early in the game. The Buff offensive line couldn’t protect Shedeur, and couldn’t produce a rushing attack (CU was at zero total rushing yards before gaining 16 rushing yards on its final drive of the night).

Game Day! … Drew Litton’s take on CU/Nebraska … Daily Camera: Cornhuskers to Watch … Mel Kiper’s Big Board: Travis No. 1 overall; Shedeur QB 2 … Neill Woelk’s Keys to the Nebraska Game …

Big 12 announces conference championship game tie-breakers … ESPN: Take the over on CU/Nebraska (58.5) … CBS Sports 1-134 rankings update; CU up to No. 54 … AP poll: Five Big 12 move up (CU retains its one vote) …

When was CU’s last three-peat against Nebraska? … Saturday will be only the second-ever night game in the series … Best CU games v. Huskers … Nebraska jokes (you can tell) … Big 12 betting lines moving against conference teams …

Game Two of the 1994 season witnessed a Badger Mania invasion in Boulder, but CU dominated No. 10 Wisconsin … “Grated Cheese” and “Grilled Cheese” were some of the headlines after the Buffs rolled to a 55-10 victory …

Dylan Raiola is a prized recruit, but is still a freshman … Nebraska’s defense finished in the top 15 nationally last season in total defense and scoring defense … Does CU’s extra two days off give the Buffs an edge? … Who will win the sack battle? … Let’s find out …

Is Dylan Raiola the second-coming of Patrick Mahomes, or a true freshman quarterback in his first game against a Power Four opponent? … Were CU’s lapses against NDSU correctible mistakes, or a harbinger of tough games to come? …. Let’s find out …

On November 23, 2001, No. 14 Colorado took on No. 2 Nebraska … The 62-36 result not only propelled the Buffs to the Big 12 championship game, but arguably ended the Nebraska dynasty …

September 7th could be the last game against the Cornhuskers for years … Will it be a record-setting four-peat? … A look back at the last three wins, along with stories and videos of some of CU’s epic victories in the series …