Shedeur Sanders seems to bring controversy with him to every game. In Week 1 against North Dakota, the quarterback had a left leg cramp that some believe gave his Buffs defense extra time to regroup. 

Well, whether that cramp was real or just a strategic move is still debated, but now there’s a new controversy. In Week 2 against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Shedeur faced a bigger issue, raising questions about whether the referees were favoring Deion’s son. 

The last 10 minutes of Saturday’s game were certainly memorable for Shedeur, though not without debate. Holding the ball, he appeared defenseless in the final minutes when Nebraska linebacker Mikai Gbayor made a hard hit to his head. After reviewing the play, the refs called it targeting, flagging Gbayor for a personal foul and a late hit. Well, he’ll likely miss the first half of their Week 3 game against the Panthers.

On the surface, the call seemed fair given the forceful contact. But after Gbayor was ejected, Colorado quickly moved to Nebraska’s 10-yard line, where Shedeur completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to WR LaJohntay Wester. After that, Shedeur was benched, and backup QB Ryan Staub took over.

While some argue the refs made questionable calls, it wasn’t just one-sided. Buffs WR Jimmy Horn Jr. too, clearly made a catch with his foot planted and ball secure, but it was ruled incomplete, sparking outrage online. In the end, the referees seemed to have brought bad moments for both sides. 

But Shedeur Sanders might have more to rant about the night, which was filled with awful officiating.

History repeats for Shedeur Sanders

Shedeur Sanders did his best to shine individually, but his team still has those ‘4-8 vibes.’ At times, it looked like the 2023 Buffs all over again, with Shedeur getting sacked 5 times by the Nebraska defense. Even backup QB Ryan Staub, who came in at the last minute, took a sack. Well, the 52 times Shedeur was sacked last season now feels like a close memory.

Despite Deion Sanders boosting the offensive line with some huge figures, the line struggled again to protect its star quarterback. In the post-game press conference, Shedeur was asked about the constantly poor O-line. He simply replied, “I’m not sure, I haven’t watched the film yet.” Clearly, the loss weighed on him, and he wasn’t ready to point fingers. Even when asked about the reason for the defeat, he simply added, “Maybe we just wasn’t ready,” keeping it simple.

But even with a shaky offense, Shedeur managed a decent game, completing about 75% of his passes which was 23 out of 38. Well, hopefully, Shedeur will study the film from the September 7th game to learn from it and avoid taking more hits in the future.