Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are doing their best to hide a “Prime Time” mess at Colorado

Good ol’ X was ablaze on Thursday night, as fans from all over watched one of the most entertaining football games so far this season with the Colorado Buffaloes holding off FCS foe North Dakota State to escape with a 31-26 home victory. The general public was amazed by the Bison’s upset bid, falling just a few yards short on a last-second Hail Mary attempt from quarterback Cam Miller.

While the North Dakota State squad’s valiant effort was a huge storyline, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and do-it-all athlete Travis Hunter were the ones that stole the show. A part of the massive offensive performance, Sanders threw for 445 yards and four touchdowns, while completing 26 of 34 passes. Hunter was one of the main recipients of that effort, hauling in seven receptions for 132 yards and three scores, a career high.

Hunter, who is being projected as a potential top five selection in the 2025 NFL Draft class (same as Sanders), continues to defy logic while he also starred on the defensive side of the football at cornerback. Durability doesn’t seem to be even a topic of conversation for Hunter, whose impact is always felt seemingly on every play. The countless number of acrobatic catches was something to marvel over.

Those two, along with wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., were the players of the game for the Buffalo. In fact, they managed to take some attention off of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders , who had a less than stellar showing after a controversial offseason. X didn’t spend a ton of time talking about that, instead marveling at what the duo was able to accomplish during the game.

For the practical fan, they are going to do the same, then eventually turning attention to a much deeper issue that extends well beyond what we saw in 60 minutes on Thursday night. Coach Prime came to Colorado with a promise of dominance, of creating a culture, and a sustainable product. Many expected the team to take a step forward in 2024, and it’s hard not to leave with one prevailing thought: This team looks eerily similar from the 2023 version.

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We can move beyond the in-game blunders for a second. You can spend time talking about how Colorado did not seem as well prepared as North Dakota State, a team that came out with swarms of energy and confidence.

We also don’t have to talk about the ending to this game, some painfully questionable time management that allowed the Bison to get one more crack at the upset victory. You can also choose to ignore the fact that this “revamped offensive line” didn’t look all that different. His son was under duress all night, and Colorado was only able to muster a measly 2.6 yards per carry.

How about that really improved pass rush that you got from the transfer portal this offseason? Oh look, there goes Cam Miller for another big gain. Wasn’t that all promised? So far, there seem to be a lot of empty promises in Boulder.

Meanwhile the most productive thing we actually saw this offseason from Coach Sanders was his intent to control the media, and pick and choose the pressure he wanted to face. As a leader, you would think running away from criticism wouldn’t be the best answer or example to make. If you want the attention always on you, you can’t pick and choose who is watching and what people say.

While many will give Coach Prime a pass for only being game one, there is no questioning that this performance did nothing to change the narrative, or comfort the promised ascension of the program. Luckily for him, Hunter and his son were able to lessen that criticism with heroic performances. As for the future, it’s uneasy to think about what the program will look like once both are gone next year.

This season needs to be about building a stronger foundation for the future, and all we saw tonight was a lot of the same. We have all heard that they’re coming, but when exactly do they arrive, and what exactly is going to happen when they do? Sometimes looking beyond the paint and wallpaper, and inspecting the foundation, can show that there are some cracks that have already been created and ignored.