It stands to reason that we knew this would happen at some point. Reflecting on No. 19 Colorado football and its 3-0 start, the Buffaloes were deeply flawed. Shedeur Sanders had been sacked 18 times in 14 quarters. Stand-out two-way player Travis Hunter was out because of a hit he took against interstate rival Colorado State.
Oregon isn’t the tenth-ranked team in the country because their jerseys are cool — and their jerseys are cool — they have a Heisman Trophy contender and perhaps one of the best offense-defensive line combinations in college football. In addition to being elite in the trenches, the Ducks have a deep running back room.
Everything Oregon does well exposes Colorado, especially along the line of scrimmage. To make matters worse, head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks felt disrespected because all the attention was on the Buffaloes. They felt like no one wanted to talk about the #10 ranked team in the country.
Unsurprisingly, Oregon was prepared and wanted to dominate — no pun intended. That was precisely what Oregon did. The Ducks were dominant on the offensive and defensive line. Bo Nix carved the Colorado secondary like Swiss cheese, and the stable of running backs had holes you could drive a truck through.
Here are offensive and defensive takeaways and what comes next for both teams.
3. Offensive takeaways for Colorado football
When a reporter asked legendary college and NFL coach Jim McKay about his offense, he said, “I’m in favor of it.” Deion Sanders and offensive coordinator Sean Lewis would have favored any semblance of offense. The Buffaloes had fewer than 100 real-time offensive yards. That said, it was going to take a super-human effort by quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and he didn’t have it today.
The offensive line could not block Oregon, and Sanders had no time to throw. Without a running game to take the pressure off Sanders, Oregon’s athletic defensive line could pin its ears back and come after Sanders. The Ducks sacked Sanders seven times on the day. As a result, Sanders had his worst day, completing 23 passes for 159 yards and one late touchdown.
The running game was again non-existent, with a paltry 35 yards rushing.
Offensive takeaways for Oregon
The Ducks offense was the opposite of its counterparts. Bo Nix showed everyone watching why he is a Heisman Trophy candidate. The Auburn transfer threw three touchdown passes with only five incomplete passes. He also had 276 passing yards. The offensive line was outstanding in both pass protection and run blocking.
Oregon running backs combined for 240 rushing yards and three touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards per rush attempt. Bucky Irving led the Ducks’ running backs with 89 yards, including a 25-yard run. Troy Franklin led Oregon receivers with eight receptions, 126 yards, and two touchdowns.
2. Defensive takeaways for Colorado football
Everything starts at the line of scrimmage. Teams aren’t going to find success if you can’t win up front. Colorado football found that out the hard way. The Buffaloes could not get any penetration in Oregon’s backfield this afternoon. Oregon consistently stayed in front of the chains, averaging seven yards per play.
The secondary without Travis Hunter struggled against Oregon’s wide receivers. The Ducks averaged 9.4 yards per reception and had plays of 36, 29, and 18 yards. The most telling stat was that Oregon had just nine third downs. The Ducks were rarely in challenging situations offensively. Oregon was routinely in second and five or less.
Defensive takeaways for Oregon
The Ducks dominated Colorado’s offensive line. The Buffaloes averaged 3.2 yards per play. Colorado routinely found themselves behind the chains. Oregon defensive linemen were routinely in the backfield. In addition to having seven sacks, the Ducks were in double-digits in tackles for loss. By the second quarter, Colorado didn’t try to run the football.
The loss of Travis Hunter was felt on offense as well. Without Hunter, Sanders had no safety valve. Oregon defensive backs pressed those short-timing routes and forced Shedeur Sanders to hold the football longer than he wanted.
1. What’s next for Colorado football?
It won’t get any prettier for Coach Prime and the Buffaloes. The fifth-ranked USC Trojans invade Boulder next weekend. Though USC’s defense isn’t as good as Oregon’s, they have defensive linemen that can exploit Colorado’s questionable offensive line. Then there’s 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.
What’s going to be interesting is how the Buffaloes respond. They’ve been on such a high with their first three wins; how do they rebound from a loss of this magnitude? Coach Prime and his staff have to prepare for yet another opponent at the top of the conference.
What’s next for Oregon?
The Ducks made sure everyone knew they were a top-ten team this afternoon. Coach Lanning had Oregon ready to play. They were the superior team with the superior roster and did not come out flat. They obviously wanted to send a message to the rest of the Pac-12: they are here and trying to make the college football playoff.
The Ducks travel to the Farm and take on the Stanford Cardinal before playing three ranked teams: No. 8 Washington, No. 21 Washington State, and No. 11 Utah.