Initial thoughts from CU Buffs’ 31-26 season-opening win over North Dakota State:
Hunter, the target: Two-way player Travis Hunter possesses the endurance of a triathlete and the moves of Michael Jackson. North Dakota State had no one who could cover Hunter, the receiver. It took the Buffs six plays to exploit the mismatch. Sanders connected in the flat with Hunter, who ducked a tackler and disappeared for a 41-yard touchdown. That was just the start. Hunter dominated the second half, showing nuanced NFL push-offs as he caught a 40-yard pass down the sideline and a 13-yard score that left the Bison defender on the ground complaining of offensive interference in the third quarter. He punctuated his small-sample-size Heisman performance with Gumby bend on a 3-yard touchdown pass with 7:57 remaining in the game. Forget corner, he looks like a clear first-round receiver.
Third and short: CU’s defense spent the first half with red faces but then became a stop sign in the third quarter. North Dakota State trampled CU for 242 yards in the first 30 minutes, enjoying success through the air (160) and on the ground (82). It conjured images of last season when CU allowed 453 yards and 34.8 points per game. Finally, CU stiffened, yielding 44 yards in the third quarter. While helped by NDSU’s perplexing rotating of quarterbacks, the Buffs’ ability to get off the field and win at the line of scrimmage set the vibe for the second half. CU required one last stand with 31 seconds remaining after the Buffs inexplicably threw the ball on first down on their last possession, preventing them from running out the clock. NDSU’s caught Hail Mary finished five yards short.
Shoe Horn: On a team with a pair of Heisman candidates in quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr. can get lost in the wash. But nobody should overlook the senior in openers. His two 100-yard games at Colorado have come in the season’s first games. Horn was better in space than NASA, running through, around and past Bison defenders. Horn had 191 yards early in the third quarter and briefly flirted with Paul Richardson’s school record of 284 yards set in 2011 before finishing with 198.
Shilo, high low: CU Buffs safety Shilo Sanders plays without fear. He will hit anyone. This aggressiveness, though, requires balance. His numerous punishing tackles were overshadowed by a late hit in the first half that extended a Bison drive. On the game’s first possession, he pushed two Bison players out of bounds, with one running into the bench and the other sliding into the base of the wall. Sanders sets the tone for the secondary but must play to the whistle not beyond it for a defense that isn’t good enough to give up extra yards on penalties.