Colorado won big against Weber State, but left plenty to be desired
Colorado won by 31 points and still left more on the table.
The Colorado Buffaloes defeated the Weber State Wildcats 52-21 in their home opener, but they didn’t do it convincingly.
Sure, quarterback Julian Lewis dropped 366 yards through the air alongside four passing touchdowns. Running back Micah Welch ran for 106 yards, becoming the first triple-digit rusher in the “Coach Prime” era.
Those are all things that should happen against an FCS opponent. What the Buffaloes didn’t do was prove they are legit.
Colorado needed to prove its resilient week one dub wasn’t a fluke. All the grit and passion shown against Georgia Tech were missing against a lesser foe.
Head coach Deion Sanders agrees, even having to calm himself down before his postgame presser.
“We didn't get it done what we wanted to get done,” Sanders said postgame. "There's no way that we're satisfied with the outcome."
The media agrees too. The Buffs were left off the “others receiving votes” category in this week’s AP Poll. But the AP Poll isn’t the biggest concern.
The bigger concern is that Colorado looked a lot like the same ol’ Buffaloes from last season rather than the one that stunned Georgia Tech nine days prior. Even worse, the Buffaloes' blemishes shown in the ATL were amplified for their home crowd.
The secondary that the Yellow Jackets carved up looked arguably worse against an FCS squad.
Colorado couldn’t defend the sidelines as Weber State signal caller, Nate Dahle, was taking what the defense gave him. The Buffaloes passing defense allowed 244 yards and three touchdowns, with 121 of them coming from Weber’s star wideout Noah Kjar.
Seventy of Kjar’s total came when he mossed Colorado starting cornerback, Makari Vickers. That 70-yard explosion set up Weber State’s second touchdown, which was two more house calls than the Buffaloes gave up against Georgia Tech.
That cannot happen, especially against an FCS opponent. And especially to a team that’s supposed to be improved from a season ago
“We're really disappointed with our performance,” safety Randon Fontenette said postgame. "We gave up 14 points in the first half, but we're going to learn from it ... It'll be fixed versus Northwestern."
Colorado’s defense didn’t look spectacular, as it should against an inferior squad. That’s going to be a problem when the Buffaloes face three ranked opponents at home later on.
Then came the penalties.
Colorado couldn’t control the easiest thing it can either: itself. The Buffaloes were rung up 13 times for 112 yards. Colorado had a shopping list of flags: three delays of game, two offensive holdings, one illegal substitution, one offsides, one unsportsmanlike conduct, and one false start. All very preventable, discipline-focused miscues.
“That's not good, that's not good at all,” Sanders said of the penalties. "That kind of happens when you get up and you get lackadaisical. We're going to take care of that ... We can't win consistently with those type of penalties. And they are mindless penalties, they don't even make sense. We're better than that."
Against Georgia Tech, Colorado showed discipline to pull off a game that came down to the wire. Against Weber State, the Buffaloes shot themselves in the hoof. That’s frustrating, even in a 31-point rout.
Luckily for Colorado, it's only week two. And what the team missed last year was a higher standard. Sanders is holding them to that standard.
“We're trying to win a championship, we're not just trying to win a game,” Sanders said. "Maybe you're comfortable with that. I'm not comfortable with that. I'm happy and I'm enthusiastic about the win ... but I'm a darn winner."
Colorado has one more prove-it game before their daunting Big 12 schedule. “Coach Prime” and Co. travel to Evanston, Illinois, to face off against Northwestern on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MT (FOX).
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