Colorado kicked off its 2024 season on a bright note with a 31-26 home victory over North Dakota State on Thursday night. While the Travis Hunter, and Shedeur Sanders duo shined bright once more, the win didn’t satisfy either Coach Prime or his vocal critic Paul Finebaum.
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The college football expert and NYT best-selling author shared his takeaways from the game on “Get Up.” While Finebaum heaped praises on Shedeur and Travis, he remained critical of the Buffs’ defense and their future:
“We learned that he’s got two of the most exciting if not the most exciting players in college football and a very pedestrian defense, Greeny…The problem is what happens when they face big-time opponents…I think this team is very capable of getting to a winning record in a bowl game. I don’t think they’re capable of going much beyond that.”
Shedeur threw for 445 yards, while Travis recorded seven catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns. Hunter’s final two touchdowns were the deciding scores that secured the Buffaloes’ victory. However, the defense made a criticial error, when it gave up nearly 90 yards towards the end of the game.
A vocal Coach Prime also expressed concern over the lack of dominance by his team. “You ever feel like you won but didn’t win?” he asked reporters.
He addressed Colorado’s shortcomings, particularly their inability to prevent the last touchdown, which “bothered him.” He emphasized that his team “takes pride in getting after the quarterback” and added that they have a “multitude of young players” capable of achieving it.
“But I’m thankful and happy that we got the W, and we get one step closer to a dream. Thirty-one NFL scouts were on hand tonight, and I think they saw what they came to see,” he added.
Coach Prime’s reflective words struck a chord with former wide receiver Desmond Howard too, who highlighted why the HC’s approach was right for his team.
Howard believes Coach Prime is in “perfect position”
The 2024 season was a new test for Coach Prime. The Buffs suffered an embarassing end to their 2023 season, followed by a mass exodus within the team, in the run-up to the training camp.
After a roller-coaster year that saw over 35 transfers, Sanders has done well to lead his team against a strong North Dakota State program, according Howard. He reminded the fans that “everything is not going to fit at the beginning in your first game,” adding:
“Well I think that Deion is in the perfect position right now because a situation where you win a game but you didn’t play great is a coach’s favorite position to be in because now he can say we get the W, but we have a lot of things we need to do to get better at.“
Coach Prime and his team face a challenging matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Week II. Sanders will be looking for the Buffs to step up their defensive game, aiming for a dominant performance to secure back-to-back wins for the season.
