After losing to Georgia Tech, 27-20, in Week 1, the Colorado Buffaloes bounced back on Saturday with a convincing 31-7 win over Delaware at Folsom Field. The victory showed signs of improvement in key areas of Deion Sanders’ unit, like discipline, defense, and special teams.
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But the biggest takeaway from the game was the offense, where Sanders rolled out all three quarterbacks in a bold experiment. Liberty transfer and QB1 Kaidon Salter opened strong, completing 12 of 15 passes for 80 yards and rushing for a nine-yard touchdown to cap the first scoring drive.
Highly touted freshman Julian Lewis made his debut soon after but struggled to sustain momentum, finishing just 2 of 4 for eight yards. Then came the surprise of the day: sophomore Ryan Staub, Shedeur Sanders’ former backup, who entered just before halftime and lit up Delaware’s secondary.
In only four series, Staub completed 7 of 10 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns, orchestrating three scoring drives and flashing the wrist celebration once trademarked by Deion Sanders’ youngest son. Staub’s 267.9 passer rating capped off a performance that left the Colorado student section chanting his name.
Yet even with the win, not everyone was convinced the offense is where it needs to be. Former Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel, in his latest media appearance, singled out one recurring issue: Colorado’s overreliance on bubble screens.
“Those old school bubble screens, man, are killing me… They’ve been running these same plays since the first game of the season… a cornerback with instincts and ball skills would take one of those screens to the house,” Samuel said.
He delved deeper by pointing to the Buffs’ opening play against Delaware, which was nearly intercepted, as proof that defenses already know what’s coming from film study.
This led to the 4x Pro Bowler warning that the Buffs’ problem isn’t just predictability but also execution:
“I don’t like the distance in between the receiver and the quarterback on those throws. It keeps the football in the air way too long, which is going to give people like me an opportunity to go make a big play, and take it back to the house for six points.”
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While Samuel’s co-host suggested that OC Pat Shurmur may have been showing the play intentionally to set up future opponents like Houston, the former Falcons star disagreed. To him, the strategy had already backfired, with Delaware’s cornerbacks sitting on the screen and leaving themselves exposed to Staub’s downfield throws.
In his view, all Deion Sanders & Co. need to do with their existing plan is simply update it with quicker releases, tighter spacing, and more variation to avoid being a liability.
However, this wasn’t Samuel’s only note of caution. He also emphasized how easily tendencies can trap defenders, saying the Colorado Buffs’ screen game looks “exactly like the cut-up film you get from your coach to study.” So, for the 2x Super Bowl champion, that makes them predictable plays opponents are too prepared for.
Still, balance is important. For all the concerns about the passing game, Deion Sanders’ Buffs showed real progress in discipline, cutting penalties to just four for 40 yards, while their special teams flipped field position all afternoon.
If Colorado can pair those improvements with more creativity in the offense, Saturday’s dominant win could be a sign of better things ahead.
