“I wasn’t protected like I needed to be. The O-line just didn’t give me the time to make plays,” Shedeur Sanders had complained after the Colorado Buffaloes’ 10-28 loss to Nebraska on September 7. While the game got off to a terrible start with Sanders throwing a costly Pick 6, the Buffs’ despair was only catapulted by Nebraska’s defense, who made sure their opponent trailed 14-0 after the end of the first quarter. The Huskers then put up 21-0 in the second quarter with 6:44 remaining and later drove another 70 yards to settle their score at 28.

The Buffs’ score at that point? Zero. Thankfully, they at least scored ten crucial points. But the QB—who was sacked six times in that game—was far from happy. “How many times did Raiola get touched?” the player asked, referring to the Nebraska QB and his offensive line during a post-match conference. He had also thrusted the blame on RB Drelon Miller, saying, “It was a rookie mistake on his part. He ran the wrong route.”

“Of course, when you’re able to run the ball consistently, that opens up the pass, you know? But it’s just like, you’ve got to understand what your team’s good at. Why would we keep running the ball when we get out there and there’s a must-get situation and we don’t get it?” the QB further complained, mirroring his father’s sentiments, earning and industry insiders’ wrath. But we’ll get to that later, as…

The 22-year-old seemed to have taken a lesson or two from his now infamous outburst. On October 12, the Buffs suffered their second loss of the season against Kansas State (28-31). CU trailed 14-7 at the half and 21-7 with just seven minutes remaining. However, mounting a furious comeback, the Buffs clinched a TD to settle at  21-14 with 4:44 left in the third quarter, before going further at 21-28 with a 72-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. However, as the final whistle marked a sad day for the Buffs—where their QB finished 34-for-40 for 388 yards and three touchdowns, but still lost—there was a sudden lightness in Sanders’ tone. 

Contrary to the “zero accountability” allegations by fans post the Huskers loss, Coach Prime’s son was all about shouldering responsibility this time. “No, whatever the ref calls he’s calls. The call wasn’t pass interference, so it’s okay. We’ve just got to move forward and … assess what we did wrong and go into the next week and fix those things.” Deion Sanders, on the other hand, was furious at his son. 

“I thought he played horrible…I thought (Shilo) was rusty. I thought he didn’t have his footing. I thought he wasn’t breaking down. He was coming up trying to make the play … he’s going to do better. I know what he has in him,” the veteran said. Notably, this is in direct contrast to his reaction after the Huskers loss, where he had opined how “protections were a problem”….

“I’m trying to be polite and say it, because you know I can say the same thing you’re thinking, but if I say it, you’d say I’m throwing my guys up under the bus. I’m not doing that whatsoever. Protections were a problem. We gotta figure out a way to prevent that and do a better job with that,” the 57-year-old had firmly stated.

Having said that, the last game was still better than the previous loss many would say. However, can the Buffs recover from the dent it left on the roster?

Colorado loses more than the game

Colorado had to take the fall. Shedeur Sanders and Co. just faced a disappointing roadblock that wiped off their 3-game winning streak. The aftermath of the game is grim for the Buffs, who not only lost the game but also lost several key players to injury. 

Shedeur Sanders’ poised demeanor extended to the replacements of injured players. Despite losing these key starters, the 22-year-old QB motivated everyone with his statement, “It’s next man up. The guys that got in were ready to play.”

The Buffs’ biggest weapon, Travis Hunter, is among the fallen Buffs who left the game early. The Heisman Trophy frontrunner sustained an apparent shoulder injury and left the game in the second quarter. The two-way star got injured by a hit from Kansas State safety Daniel Cobbs during a 14-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders, with about eight minutes remaining in the second quarter. He returned to the sidelines in the third quarter in full uniform, but didn’t enter the field anymore.

WR Jimmy Horn Jr was also out with an injury in the second quarter and didn’t return either.

Omarion Miller filled in their roles but suffered a left leg injury after his eighth catch for 145 yards never to return for the rest of the game. Despite the adversity in their Week 7 game, Shedeur Sanders and team still managed to pull the game within attainable limits. So, for now, let’s believe Nick Saban’s theory that a humbling loss is good for a college football program.