Colorado got an opening win 31-26 over FCS North Dakota State. Here’s the good, bad and ugly from the win:
The Good
— WR/DB Travis Hunter is elite. Sure he pushed off a couple of times but he was also held in the end zone on a Bison TD. The officiating had nothing to do with the win. He was just too fast and his ball skills are too elite to be stopped.
— QB Shedeur Sanders looked very good. His release is effortless, he throws a catchable ball and his accuracy is excellent. His ability to feel the rush has improved greatly, he’s getting out of danger quicker and he can throw on the move. He won’t hurt you with his legs that often and he’s not a dual threat but he’s becoming more shifty. I think he had a great game.
— This team didn’t fold and got stronger into the fourth quarter. That’s key. This will be a win that they can build on against a tough and physical team that they hung with throughout.
— The halftime adjustments on defense worked for the most part. There were still breakdowns at times but there was a much better effort overall in the second half on defense especially in the middle of the field and secondary.
— The offensive line wasn’t a turnstile and the protection held up for the most part.
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— The WR group is fast and exciting and one of the best in the country. They will do work against the Big 12.
The Bad
— The defense still lacks awareness, allows big chunks of yardage and the pass rush isn’t there. They are especially weak at linebacker and defensive tackle and that will be a problem.
— The running game isn’t close to elite and will hurt them. They lack backs who can make people miss and you can drop extra defenders into pass defense because the run doesn’t scare you.
— Aside from Hunter, there is an overall lack of athleticism on defense that is troubling. This wasn’t a fast NDSU team compared to some of the Big 12 teams they will face and they still struggled.
The Ugly
— Passing late in the game and giving NDSU about 40 seconds more than they should have had is bad coaching and dumb.
— Not knocking the ball down on the Hail Mary was stupid and could have killed them if the QB had reached the end zone.
— Shilo Sanders is a liability on defense with the late hits. He should have been flagged a couple of times at least and he cost his team with the one he was called for. He’s got to be a better team player while remaining physical.
— Travis Hunter has to be more subtle with his push offs. There was one egregious one on the long bomb that should have been called as it also involved the face mask.
— I’m sorry but there is no way Hunter lasts a full season playing that many plays on offense and defense. No way.
