No. 10 Oregon obliterated No. 19 Colorado, 42-6, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, putting forward one of the most dominant high-level performances we've seen a third of the way through the 2023 college football season. The Ducks held the Buffaloes' previously productive offense to just 194 total yards as Oregon moved to 4-0 and ended Colorado's undefeated season.
Oregon got off to a brutally fast start against the Buffaloes, scoring on their first three possessions. Colorado had no answer as the hosts averaged 7.2 yards per play, including an absurd 6.3 yards per carry against an overmatched Buffs defense.
Colorado struggled massively against Oregon's front seven as quarterback Shedeur Sanders stood under constant duress. Sanders was sacked seven times as the Buffs were held to 40 yards rushing and spent most of the first three quarters in the negatives before the Ducks took their collective foot off the gas.
Troy Franklin caught eight passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns to pace Oregon in a dominant performance by QB Bo Nix, who completed 28 of 33 passes for 276 yards with three touchdowns, an interception and bonus rushing score. Oregon didn't give the ball to any running back more than 10 times, but Bucky Irving led the way with 89 yards rushing.
Sanders completed 23 of 33 passes for 159 yards for his first game under 348 yards and two touchdowns at Colorado. The Buffs were held scoreless for the first 57 minutes of the game, only posting on a garbage-time touchdown to end the fourth quarter as Sanders found tight end Mikey Harrison for a 6-yard score. Even the extra-point attempt was blocked to add a final insult to injury.
Ducks made a statement
Oregon flew under the radar through three games after a tough contest against Texas Tech and big performances against overmatched opponents. However, Ducks coach Dan Lanning clearly wanted to send a message in the Buffs' first game against a top 10 opponent.
During his pregame speech, Lanning took direct aim at the hype and glitz that has defined Colorado football through its magical start to the season. "They're fighting for clicks, we're fighting for wins," Lanning said. "There's a difference, right? This game ain't going to be played in Hollywood. It's going to be played on the grass."
Oregon took that message right to Colorado, physically punishing the Buffs on both sides of the ball. CU showed some shortcomings defending the run through its first three games, and Oregon spammed it to the tune of 240 yards on the ground. For comparison, the Ducks ran for just 195 yards in a 49-10 over the Buffs last season.
While Colorado remains one of the most difficult teams to rank, Oregon cemented itself as a national contender by handing the most hyped team in college football a showcase loss.
Cinderella ride ends
Multiple broadcasts of Colorado games have joked that the Buffs' rise to prominence under coach Deion Sanders was so unbelievable, it felt scripted. Picking up a win over national finalist TCU, dominating historic rival Nebraska at home and coming back in double overtime against hated rival Colorado State got the sports world buzzing.
Unfortunately, reality set in during the first game against a legitimate Pac-12 contender. The Buffaloes are nowhere close to conference contention and have many of the fatal flaws that analysts feared while projecting their season. Notably, Colorado is unable to hang in the trenches, and even offensive coordinator Sean Lewis was not capable of scheming around all the issues.
Sanders took issue with the characterization that Colorado needed a game like this to be "humbled" before entering Pac-12 play.
"It's not something we needed," Sanders said, per Yahoo Sports. "That's like saying we needed a car wreck. It's like saying you needed that. That's stupid."
Colorado still has a solid path to a bowl game with Arizona State, Stanford and Arizona still on the schedule. The other five games all come against ranked opponents, starting with No. 5 USC next week. Ranked opponents provide opportunities, but the Buffaloes are settling into the middle of the Pac-12 race.
Nix keeps Heisman Trophy pace
Nix entered the day as one of the early Heisman frontrunners and kept things rolling with a hot game against Colorado. The Oregon star completed his first 11 passes and 85% of his throws on the day to lead the offense on six touchdown drives. All four of his touchdowns came in the first half before Lanning pulled him from the game.
The Ducks moved the ball at will, but Nix's consistency stood apart against a talented Colorado secondary. He completed 25 of his first 29 passes and only one longer than 30 yards -- a 36-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin. Instead of relying on explosive plays, Nix has been reliable down-to-down, an important benchmark as he projects to the next level.
Oregon sits at 4-0 and has Nix on pace for Heisman contention. On a day where its offense shut down Shedeur Sanders, Nix stood apart as the best signal-caller on the field.
Shutting down Shedeur's hype?
Through three games, Sanders ranked top 10 nationally with 1,251 yards passing and 10 touchdowns. Oregon used a variety of pressures and coverages to confuse the Colorado offensive line and force Sanders into limited decisions.
Sanders was sacked seven times and pressured on numerous others as he tried to create any semblence of offense. He was officially credited with -34 yards rushing because of all the sacks. Through the air, Sanders did not complete a pass of more than 21 yards and finished with 159 yards passing on 4.8 yards per attempt.
Granted, Oregon is one of the most athletic defensive teams that Colorado will play this season. Still, the Ducks showed a playbook of creating pressure against Sanders and putting some dents into what has to this point been one of the nation's most explosive offenses. With an aggressive USC team on the horizon, expect more of the same.
