After winning just a single game in 2022, No. 22 Colorado is off to a 2-0 start under coach Deion Sanders following the Buffaloes' 36-14 victory Saturday against Nebraska. Colorado never trailed in its first home game under Sanders, and the party was on once the final seconds ticked off the clock.
No, the Cornhuskers weren't ranked or even favored Saturday, but that didn't stop fans from storming the playing surface at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, once the Buffs were finished taking care of business. It marked the first time Colorado had won consecutive games since the 2020 season -- fans were not allowed to attend that year due to COVID-19 -- and also gave the Buffs their first three-game winning streak in the series with Nebraska since 1956-58.
All things considered, that is plenty of reason for the Colorado faithful to celebrate as the hope of a dream season in Sanders' debut lives on for another week.
GO CRAZY COLORADO @CUBuffsFootball fans rush the field after their win against Nebraska pic.twitter.com/mAU0qL2FMe
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 9, 2023
Colorado and Nebraska looked like they might be in for a rock fight Saturday after the game was scoreless with less than five minutes to play in the second quarter, but the Buffaloes rallied to take a 13-0 halftime lead before the offense really got cooking in the second half. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders passed for 393 yards and two touchdowns in the victory, just one week after setting a single-game school record with 510 passing yards in the team's 45-42 win at TCU.
Nebraska's offense, meanwhile, was marred by turnovers for a second consecutive week as the Huskers fell to 0-2 in their first season under coach Matt Rhule. Nebraska turned the ball over four times in the loss, including what was already Jeff Sims' fourth interception of the season after he committed three turnovers in the Huskers' Week 1 loss at Minnesota.
Colorado will have a chance to climb even higher in the AP Top 25 rankings this week before it hosts Colorado State in Week 3 with a chance to move to 3-0 before Pac-12 play arrives in Week 4 at No. 13 Oregon. But, for now, the celebration rages on as the "Coach Prime" era continues to match the hype early.
