Deion Sanders’s Colorado Buffaloes survived a late hiccup to make a winning return in the Big 12 with a home win against the North Dakota State Bisons. But can this team challenge for the title? Nick Saban gave his take on the team’s performance and odds of survival.
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Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Saban applauded the team’s improved offensive squad but was unconvinced with the ‘unbalanced’ team’s odds of making it far in the Big 12 without significantly improving its defensive line:
“They didn’t have much balance last night which showed up at the end of the game when they couldn’t take the air out of it and gave the ball back to North Dakota State.”
The legendary former head coach highlighted a few glaring gaps in the Colorado team’s fumble in the 4th quarter when the offense lost the ball and the Bisons received a chance to make a hail marry attempt whereas the Colorado defense looked clueless.
At the beginning of the 4th quarter, both teams were neck to neck with a score of 24-20 (Buffs-Bisons). After that, Hunter’s 3rd touchdown of the day put the Buffs in a comfortable lead of 10 points.
However, in the dining moments of the game, the Bisons wrestled the ball back and quarterback Cam Miller’s rushing touchdown brought the score to 26-31. The Bisons made a final play and gained over 90 yards without any resistance from the defense but were ultimately beaten by the bell.
Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter once again shined on the field, as Hunter’s final two touchdowns made a considerable impact on the game.
Another thing the fans and analysts were looking forward to seeing was how Coach Prime’s transfer portal moves, where he added 42 players to the roster, helped in improving the Buffs.
Can Coach Prime’s offseason roster moves turn around the team?
Coach Prime is looking to transform the team and the transfer portal remains his favorite tool. This offseason the Buffs had 42 players from the transfer portal but is it possible to turn a backmarker team into a frontrunner within a year? Saban gave his take on the possibilities.
Saban explained that the new transfer rules can certainly make a massive impact on any team but it will all depend on “bringing the right kind of guys” who can fit in the culture of the team and can work effortlessly with the current squad.
Big names who made their Buffs debut in the season opener were former Ohio State RB Dallan Hayden and wide receiver LaJohntay Wester, a former Florida Atlantic wide receiver with over 1000 yards to his name in 2023. In their first outing, both of them failed to impress as the whole offensive play was dominated by Hunter.
