It took nine weeks, but the shine has officially come off of the 2023 Colorado Buffaloes season. The hype train has run its course and Coach Deion Sanders (Coach Prime) is already thinking ahead to what next year may hold.
Things were close for three quarters, but the Buffs dropped another one against a ranked foe, dropping their fourth game of the season. This 28-16 loss to UCLA may not have been as ugly as a couple of the others but it definitely feels demoralizing to Coach Prime and his program.
How it Went
Though it wasn’t pretty, the first quarter went better than the Buffs could have hoped. A pair of Alejandro Mata field goals gave them a 6-0 lead heading into the second quarter. That lead disappeared quickly as UCLA QB Ethan Garbers threw a touchdown pass to Carson Steele just :41 into the quarter.
Things never really picked up after halftime. The offensive line could not keep the offense going, allowing a litany of pressures and a whopping seven sacks on the day. When Garbers found Moliki Matavao for a 26-yard touchdown pass early in the second half, the game felt like it may have been out of reach.
Continuing the trend of scoring within the first minute of a quarter, T.J. Harden found paydirt from just three yards out to put the Bruins up 21-9. The lead was insurmountable, and it felt like that at the moment for the Buffs.
Another touchdown run put the game out of reach with just over six minutes remaining, though Jimmy Horn Jr. did haul in an 18-yard touchdown pass with 2:37 to go to at least make the score look respectable. This was close for a half before the Bruins found enough offense to pull away early in the fourth quarter.
they ejected colorado’s best defensive player for this hit the refs definitely got money on ucla pic.twitter.com/u11WsTbS84
— 🥷🏽 (@llauoykcufA) October 29, 2023
The Biggest Issue: the Offensive Line
It is the worst-kept secret in college football that the Colorado offensive line is miserable. Maybe not as bad as the defense (ranked last in a few categories) but it has resulted in some serious pain for an offense that otherwise displays serious talent.
In the loss to UCLA, QB Shedeur Sanders never had a moment to feel comfortable. He spent the entire night running for his life, ultimately getting banged up in the process. He was hit 17 times, knocked down 13 times, and sacked seven times. The Colorado offensive line simply could not protect him, and the dual-threat quarterback was caught late in the game looking as dejected as can be on the bench.
Coach Prime kept it short and sweet when it came to his offensive line. “Big picture, you go get new linemen. That’s the picture and I’ma paint it perfectly,” he said to the media following the loss.
Sanders also made one thing clear regarding the intent of the program. “I don’t give a damn about no bowl,” he said in the wake of the loss. “We’re trying to win, period. The consistency just isn’t there at this point because of the lack of talent in certain positions.”
UCLA leaves the backdoor open ‼️
✅ Colorado +14.5 (+200 boost)
— ClutchBet (@ClutchBetSB) October 29, 2023
A Blessing in Disguise?
If there is one positive to take away from this game, it may be that the hype around Colorado has officially died. There are going to be detractors who still relish in any failures Sanders and the Buffs have going forward, but they aren’t getting regular national attention in the same way they were after wins over TCU and Nebraska.
The attention was initially a good thing, putting a shine on a program that could use some. As is the case with teams that garner a lot of attention, the haters came out in full force, hoping for bad results in every facet. They have been rewarded with several embarrassing losses for the Buffs.
UCLA quarterback Collin Schlee #9 runs for a touchdown during an NCAA college football game between UCLA and Colorado, Oct. 28, 2023, in Pasadena, Calif. (Ringo Chiu via AP)
Next Week Looks Rough
Despite the fact that the Oregon State Beavers are coming off a 27-24 loss at Arizona, this game looks like it could be ugly for the Buffs. This is an OSU team that has definitive wins against Utah and UCLA. Their two losses have been by a combined six points against teams that are probably better than Colorado.
Even being at home, things are likely to not go well for Colorado. The defense actually had one of its better performances this season and still gave up 28 points. The offensive line couldn’t stop a Pop Warner defense at this point, and Shedeur Sanders is visibly frustrated all the time.
The Buffs are going to need to start looking at the positives from this season aside from winning more games. What once seemed almost certain, bowl eligibility may be out of reach this season. Games against Oregon State, Arizona, Washington State, and Utah to end the year could have the Buffs staring down a 4-8 finish.
