Colorado Buffaloes fall flat in 28-10 road loss to Nebraska

The Colorado Buffaloes made the trip north to Lincoln for a matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and it went about as bad as it possibly could’ve. The Buffaloes struggled greatly, trailing wire-to-wire en route to their first loss of the season.

In the first quarter, Colorado’s offense tried to attack in a familiar fashion. They utilized quick passes—wide receiver screens, swing passes, short hooks, and shallow crossing routes—but Shedeur Sanders struggled to get on the same page with his receivers. The noise in Lincoln seemed to affect the Buffs’ offense, as Nebraska’s defense rallied behind their 12th man. Jimmy Horn had a big kickoff return to start Colorado’s second drive, but the offense ultimately turned the ball over on downs after a close 4th-and-1 run. On the following drive, backed up into his own end zone, Shedeur made a panicked decision to throw a quick hitch route, which was jumped and returned for a pick-six.

Early on, Colorado struggled to contain Nebraska’s power run game. Multiple runs up the middle broke open for significant yardage, one of which resulted in a touchdown. Colorado played well against the quick passing game but allowed receivers to get open on deep balls.

Nebraska had an opportunity to go up 21-0, but a dropped pass by a wide-open receiver in the red zone forced them to attempt a field goal, which was missed. Colorado escaped a miserable first quarter trailing 14-0.

In the second quarter, Colorado tried harder to get the run game going, with some success, but quickly shifted from the rushing attack as they drove down the field. Late in the quarter, Colorado sustained a drive and set themselves up for a chip-shot field goal, which was blocked. On Colorado’s final drive of the first half, Shedeur seemed to be running for his life on every play, and the offensive line had no answers for the confusing defensive fronts Nebraska threw at them. The Buffs ultimately went scoreless in the first half and headed to the locker rooms to regroup.

Defensively, Colorado found some solutions to Nebraska’s run game, but Dylan Raiola still managed to lead a long drive, culminating in a one-yard touchdown run that put Nebraska up 21-0 early in the second quarter. For the rest of the quarter, Colorado’s defense tightened up, forcing punts and addressing some of their earlier issues.

Near the end of the quarter, discipline became a significant problem, with constant penalties extending Nebraska’s drives. Those penalties led to a 28-0 Nebraska lead going into the half.

Colorado’s first drive of the third quarter showed promise as they marched down the field. Will Sheppard caught his first deep ball of the season, setting the Buffs up in the red zone. Yet again, Colorado couldn’t convert in the red zone, settling for a field goal to cut the lead to 28-3. The second and final drive of the quarter was anticlimactic, ending in a punt.

With the game becoming lopsided, Colorado’s defense needed to get off the field quickly, but couldn’t do so. Even with Nebraska being held scoreless in the third quarter, they dominated possession with a steady mix of short passes and power runs, eating up clock and moving the chains.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Colorado finally broke into the end zone with a pass to LaJohntay Wester, marking his first touchdown of the season. This cut Nebraska’s lead to 18 with just under nine minutes left. This would be the last bit of momentum Colorado’s offense would generate. They got the ball back one final time, but Shedeur Sanders and Chidozie Nwankwo exited the game early, as the Buffs effectively waved the white flag with just a few minutes remaining.

By the fourth quarter, Colorado’s defense looked worn down. Nebraska continued to generate big plays, though several were called back due to ticky-tack penalties. Despite these setbacks, the Cornhuskers kept the clock running with timely first downs. The game ended with Dylan Raiola taking a knee, while Nebraska’s student section stormed the field to celebrate their victory.

The Buffaloes now fall to 1-1 on the season, dropping their first game to the Cornhuskers in 14 years. Colorado’s three-game win streak against Nebraska has officially been snapped in unceremonious fashion. The Buffs will head to Fort Collins next weekend for another rivalry game when they take on the Colorado State Rams. Fans can tune in on CBS at 5:30 MT next Saturday.