Woody Paige: Struggles lay ahead for Coach Prime's Buffs

Seldom will be heard an encouraging word about the Buffaloes.

After Saturday night’s 28-10 defeat to the Cornhuskers, the only description of the Colorado’s football team effort is “stank.’.

Other than Travis “Big Game’’ Hunter with 10 receptions for 110 yards (but no touchdowns) and Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig with 11 solo tackles (three for lost yardage), the CU players and the coaches don’t deserve one silver and gold star.

Nebraska is back, and Colorado is way, way back. Forget completely about the national playoff appearance. Dismiss a conference championship game. Don’t even think about a winning record.

About the only positive for Deion Sanders now is “AFLAC!” Duck, CU.

At least, CU won’t have to play NU again for a long time, if ever. The Huskers have a real team for the first time in many years. Good for Nebraskans. They’ve been saving up their bowl-trip money forever and finally can spend it this year for a vacation in Florida, California or somewhere warm. The Cornhuskers aren’t playoff-worthy, either, but they certainly won’t be embarrassing this season and might even become relevant in the Big 10.

Coach “Prime’’ and the retooled, rent-a-players of Boulder weren’t prepared for a prime time, big-time game against a team that was bigger, stronger, faster and more skilled.

Could be a very long fall in the fall.

The Buffs still don’t have a protective offensive line or any kind of running game or a defensive front or much of anything — including quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who won’t win a Heisman Trophy and is mostly a moving target. Sanders completed 23 of 38 passes for 244 empty yards with one touchdown and one awful interception that resulted in one touchdown.

Celebrities and media types won’t be showing up in Colorado this season. These Buffs seem the same as those Buffs who staggered last year to six consecutive defeats and a 4-8 record. The first season of the return to the Big 12 potentially will be just like the departure season from the late, not-so-great Pac 12. Does it look like CU can win 5, 6, 7 games? Not if the Buffs look like they did in Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium.

The game in Fort Collins against Colorado State, which handled the University of Northern Colorado Saturday, will be a serious issue.

And the only wish for the Buffaloes is the Big 12 Conference — which now has 16 teams — is no threat to win a national championship or send more than one school to the 12-team playoff.

Sanders the coach has said throughout the spring and summer that the major fixes would be on the offensive line and at running back. But the line was not Hoover Dam, and the Cornhuskers sacked Sanders the quarterback six times and chased him hither and yon.

The Colorado rushing total was 16 yards. Yes, 16. Sounds familiar to ’24. Of course, Sanders the Younger was forced to scramble on eight plays for minus-30, and Dallan Hayden had five carries for 32 yards. But Charlie Offerdal was 4 for 4, backup QB Ryan Staub 3 for 4, and Isaiah Augustave 2 for 6. The Buffs had one double-digit running attempt.

But two fourth-and-one players were ludicrous and stopped short. What was Sanders The Elder, or good ol’ Pat Shurmur, the offensive offensive coordinator, thinking? Apparently, they weren’t.

Hype and hope is the strategy.

Sanders the Other (Shiloh, the defensive back) left the field injured and was diagnosed with a broken forearm. He may not play the rest of the season.

Shadeur was scheduled to outplay Nebraska freshman Dyland Raiola, who idolizes and imitates Patrick Mahomes. Raiola is not the Second Coming, but did have an efficient 23 of 30 for 185 yards and a score. More important, the Huskers ran 35 times for 149 yards. Nobody is ready to crown the Cornheads, but Nebraska has suffered with as many weak quarterbacks as the Denver Broncos for years.

Sincerely, Colorado is not a good team. The Buffs managed to outlast North Dakota State, but may not be as fortunate against three other “State’’ teams and in a trip to Disney World.

Coach Sanders only wants encouraging words from the mass media and the multitude of fans.

He will not get them.