Game predictions
Troy Renck, columnist: The Buffs possess a talent edge, and will get nitromethane fuel boost from the rowdy crowd. All eyes will be on the bodyguards for quarterback Shedur Sanders. Will they keep him upright? Will CU commit to the run to provide the offensive line help against a relentless rush? The Bison will look to shorten the game with a physical ground attack, the blueprint Georgia Tech followed in tripping up Florida State last Saturday. In the end, it will be greasy, but not an upset. Colorado 33, NDSU 25
Sean Keeler, columnist: Plenty of seats available, kids. Can’t promise how good those seats are, mind you. Students swarmed in en masse at about 5:25 local time. Imagine, given Thursday rush hour on I-25 and the Turnpike, we’ve probably got a “Dodgers crowd” situation. We’ll see if the Buffs give them enough cause to leave early, too. Still think we’ve got a Bison cover, and a Shedeur drive late to win it. Colorado 35, NDSU 28
Pre-game updates
New threads 👀#GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/HlM50gijyO
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) August 29, 2024
Take a closer look 🥶#GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/ILzT6MSXzm
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) August 29, 2024
It’s finally game day!
We’re starting the season welcoming some future Buffs!💛🖤
Chief Jokerst and Deputy Chief Heyart hope everyone has a safe and fun evening at Folsom Field!#gobuffs pic.twitter.com/qyz5MTT3Fg— CU Boulder Police (@CUBoulderPolice) August 29, 2024
CU Buffs vs. Nebraska: Must reads
CU Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders enters senior season with potential to leave historic legacy
For Shedeur Sanders, last year stood as a convincing opening statement.
The quarterback started with a record-setting performance in an upset road win against TCU. A couple of weeks after that, he led a last-second, 98-yard TD drive to eventually beat rival CSU in double OT. And even when CU’s wheels fell off, he still showed mettle, flashed several well-timed watch-flexes and played hurt, until he couldn’t anymore.
Now, it’s time for Sanders’ closing arguments in black and gold starting with Thursday’s opener against North Dakota State at Folsom Field. And if the team plays better around the senior this fall, it could be historic.
“If (the offensive line) can protect him, this young man may put up one of the great seasons in college football history,” predicted CU play-by-play man Mark Johnson. “(Darian) Hagan is at the top as national champ, and Kordell (Stewart) is up there too, but Shedeur is going to put himself in the conversation as the greatest Colorado quarterback if he has another season like he did last year.”
Sanders, who missed the final six quarters of 2023 with a back fracture, is healthy again. The Buffs retooled their offensive line with transfers and the top high school left tackle in the nation, Jordan Seaton. Read more…
Mark Johnson, beginning third decade as voice of CU Buffs football, talks rodeo injury and faith
Mark Johnson is back in the booth for his third decade as CU’s play-by-play man, but it’ll be a while until he’s back in the saddle.
The cowboy who wears many hats as a broadcaster, outdoorsman and minister fractured his pelvis a month ago in an injury during team roping practice. The incident came on July 30, Johnson’s 57th birthday, and he’s been slowly rehabilitating since.
“The saddle horn hit my pelvic bone and popped my pelvis,” Johnson said. “They call it the open book — it just popped wide open. My first thought was, ‘That didn’t feel good.’ My second thought was, ‘I’ve lost my legs,’ which meant I couldn’t ride because I couldn’t squeeze the horse anymore. So I pushed myself off, went down, and broke some ribs on my right side.”
Johnson is now back on his feet, albeit with the aid of a walker or crutches. He has titanium screws and a plate in his pelvis, and doctors tell him it’ll be another few weeks before he can walk by himself, four months before he can get back on a horse, and about 10 months until he can go back to team roping. Read more…
Keeler: Deion Sanders’ CU Buffs look smart. Tough. Fast. But are they disciplined?
BOULDER — The old guard wasn’t worried about the Mid 12. Or the Nebraska trip. Or CSU and all those old wounds. Deion Sanders was eight points away from 6-6. Have the Buffs learned how to get out of their own way?
“If their penalty problems have been resolved, that, to me, is even more important than it was last year,” FOX Sports analyst and former NFL lineman Geoff Schwarz said of the Buffs, who open their season Thursday night at Folsom Field against plucky North Dakota State.
“So that’s always the (concern), I think, for college programs like CU. But it takes time. Especially because Deion hasn’t been a coach for a long time.”
Fine margins matter. Little things matter. You know what doesn’t get talked about nearly enough in CU circles? Last fall’s self-inflicted wounds. The correctable stuff. The coachable stuff. Read more…
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