Observations from Colorado's home opener win vs. North Dakota State

The Deion Sanders–Colorado chapter two has begun. Colorado’s home opener was fascinating and shaky, but the Buffaloes came through when it mattered and defeated North Dakota State. It was a close 31-26 victory for the Buffaloes in their first game.

Cam Miller’s final “Hail Mary” pass was caught but a few yards short of the goal line. 

Here is what I saw…

The offensive stars shine – Sanders, Hunter, and Horn Jr. 

In case you are somehow not familiar with the stars in Boulder, this game should tell you everything you need to know. From the flashiness of Shedeur Sanders to the prodigy of Travis Hunter, and the emergence of Jimmy Horn Jr., this squad made a statement.

It all starts with the man behind center, Shedeur Sander, who seemingly can do it. From becoming a rapper to throwing absolute missiles into the end zone, what can Sanders not do? Shedeur laid his fingerprint on this game early.

Colorado initially opened up the game on the ground through Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden, and Charlie Offerdahl. Following this Sheduer Sanders opened up a perfect 6/6 in the passing game. 

The ground game allowed Sanders to take shots downfield and North Dakota State had no answer to for the deep shots. Hunter and Horn Jr. were the two culprits in the dismantling of the North Dakota State secondary. 

Travis Hunter accounted for the first Colorado touchdown on the season and that quickly turned into a show from the probable NFL first-round pick. Like many of America’s best football teams, all-star receivers need a co-weapon on the other side.

Batman had Robin with him tonight. On the other side of that field was Jimmy Horn Jr. who displayed lightning speed. 

Unfortunately, this Bison secondary had it out for them tonight. Jimmy Horn was just as much of a weapon as Hunter was. You could probably imagine the damage that did. Shedeur Sanders was on pace for 500 passing yards at the half. 

In addition to this mix of stars, we saw some other hidden gems to the Colorado offense including LaJontay Wester who shined in both the pass and run game.

Obviously, this all goes without mentioning the Colorado offensive line which certainly appeared better than in 2023 where they surrendered 56 sacks, the most in FBS. 

The front five often provided Sanders with the perfect amount of time to get a pass off before getting sacked. The protection was better, but the drastic improvement was not there. Maybe give it time for the team to gel, but Shedeur did take his fair share of hits. 

Ultimately the stats don’t lie. Sheduer Sanders finished with 445 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, while Hunter finished with 132 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jimmy Horn Jr. led the team in receiving yards with 198 yards.

Cam Miller leads North Dakota State 

Let’s not forget North Dakota State is an FCS team. The Bison's flaws were certainly exposed, especially when Colorado made defensive adjustments. Although many of us may be blindsided by the overwhelming betting choice of North Dakota State to pull off the upset, the Bison did impress.

North Dakota State had an extremely daunting task having to face Colorado in Boulder for the first game of the season. The core of leadership in the North Dakota State locker room was Cam Miller.

Having returned for his senior season, Miller was motivated by a hunger to bring home an FCS National Championship.

This guy displayed nothing short of grit in his season opener. North Dakota State came out of the gate slinging the ball and was sure to put the first points on the board. Following a Colorado touchdown, Miller led his team right back into the end zone where North Dakota State then took a lead. 

The Bison held a lead through the majority of the first half as long, sustained drives had forced the Buffaloes to keep their defense on the field.

The difference in time of possession was a crucial aspect that exposed Colorado’s defense. North Dakota State led this category with 36:44 compared to Colorado’s 23:16. 

Miller was essentially the heart of this team. He capitalized on everything the defense gave him including a huge fourth down stop at the start of the second quarter. Miller tallied 277 passing yards (18-22) with 1 passing touchdown, as well as 81 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. 

Coach Prime back at the helm

There is no brighter light than the gleam that points to Deion Sanders and his team in Boulder. The intriguing following built by Sheduer Sanders, Travis Hunter, and many others has cultivated a college sports movement far beyond your typical 4-8 team. 

Many are aware of the record Colorado finished with last season. For the incredible and unforeseen start the Buffaloes had, this losing record turned out to cause many critiques. Coach Prime heard them all and was not afraid to adapt to the intensive culture he had built. 

This game had incredible implications for many reasons. A loss tonight not only would have brought out the dark side of media trolls but also put Coach Prime’s successful coaching resume in jeopardy. 

While Prime is seen as an icon of this game, many still question him as an FBS coach. Frankly, last season was a reminder for all spectators that this is a rebuilding team. Just a few years ago Colorado had the single worst FBS record.

Upon this, Deion Sanders was hired to fix what was a trainwreck of a roster. 

Prime not only began to fix the mess before his eyes, but he revitalized what was a very dry Folsom Field. The anticipation brought into Boulder was never seen before. All eyes were on Colorado in 2023, and in 2024 there will be even more eyes. 

If this game was indicative of anything; while the Buffaloes still are working towards improvement, the drive is there. Prime and his unique persona have established a team of resilience and therefore a possible winning culture in the Big 12.

Side note: ESPN showed a graphic towards the end of the game which displayed the economic impact Deion Sanders had on Colorado University. Those statistics displayed a 505% increase in merchandise sales as well as an increase of 2.1 million social media followers.

Just let that marinate… 

Colorado will face Nebraska next week. Prepare your popcorn folks!