Colorado Daily

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Colorado Daily – Kansas Week

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November 23rd – Game Day!

… CU in a few minutes … 

Daily Camera: Five Jayhawks to Watch

From the Daily Camera …

5 Jayhawks to Watch

CB Cobee Bryant: First-team All-Big 12 in 2022 and 2023 and a preseason choice for All-Big 12 this year. He’s having another great season, with 32 tackles, four interceptions and four pass breakups.

QB Jalon Daniels: After two injury-prone years, he’s been healthy all season, completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,985 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 338 yards and six touchdowns. He’s thrown for 6,282 yards and rushed for 938 in his career.

CB Mello Dotson: Along with Bryant, he was named preseason All-Big 12 by media. He earned honorable mention last season. This season, he is leading the Big 12 with five interceptions, while also posting 41 tackles and six pass breakups.

WR Luke Grimm: Fifth-year senior is leading the Jayhawks in receptions (44), receiving yards (582) and touchdowns (six). In his career, he’s caught 170 passes for 2,364 yards and 23 touchdowns.

RB Devin Neal: Ranks fifth in the Big 12 in rushing (926 yards, 12 TD) and is on the verge of a third consecutive 1,000-yard season. Earned second-team All-Big 12 honors last year and has rushed for 4,003 yards and 45 touchdowns in his career.

When Kansas has the ball …

The Jayhawks are led by dynamic dual-threat quarterback Jalon Daniels, as well as a running back duo of Devin Neal (926 yards, 12 TD) and Daniel Hishaw Jr. (376 yards, 3 TD). KU is third in the Big 12 in rushing (199.5 yards per game) and topped the 200-yard mark four times. Daniels is a solid thrower and seems to have overcome some early mistakes. He threw five touchdowns and eight interceptions in the first five games, but has flipped that to eight TDs and two interceptions in the last five. CU has become one of the best defensive teams in the conference and has had some success against the run, especially last week in shutting Utah down. “Every team in this conference is talented, so we just have to prepare the right away, according to the game plan and just do what the coaches say,” CU safety Shilo Sanders said. Daniels could present some problems as a dual-threat quarterback, but the Buffs have had some success against dual threats before. “It don’t matter,” Shilo said. “Game Plan, play the calls that coach calls and everything will work out.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 22nd

… CU in a few minutes … 

Neill Woelk’s Keys to the Kansas Game

From CUBuffs.com … Getting a win against suddenly feisty Kansas (4-6, 3-4) won’t be easy. After an early season five-game losing streak knocked the Jayhawks out of conference title contention, they have bounced back and look like the team that opened the season as the nation’s No. 22 team. They have won three of their last four, including back-to-back wins over ranked teams — 45-36 over then-No. 17 Iowa State and 17-13 over then-No. 7 BYU.

Guaranteed, they would like to make it three in a row over teams in the top 25.

But the Buffs are on their own streak. CU has won four in a row and all by healthy margins. The offense is clicking, the defense is creating game-changing moments and special teams are chipping in with big plays.

So how do the Buffs move one step closer to a championship game spot?

Our weekly Fast Five:

1. Protect quarterback Shedeur Sanders. No doubt, this has been a critical piece of the puzzle every week for the Buffs. But as they head down the stretch where the stakes are higher every week, it becomes even more important.

The Buffs are at their best when Sanders has time to work his magic in the pocket.

Kansas’ pass defense isn’t exactly stellar — ninth in the Big 12, allowing 229 yards per game and 18 touchdowns this year. But the Jayhawks do have a good pass rush, with 24 sacks to their credit (third in the Big 12). That includes three sacks in the win over Iowa State and two against BYU.

Colorado’s much-improved offensive line needs to provide Sanders with a solid pocket. If they do that, the Buffs’ offense will produce.

2. Get pressure on KU quarterback Jalon Daniels. It’s been an up-and-down season for Daniels, who was supposed to be one of the Big 12’s premier signal callers.

Instead, he was plagued by interceptions early, a big reason for KU’s five-game losing streak. In that stretch, he threw seven interceptions and just three touchdown passes.

But since then, he’s been much better, with just two interceptions and six touchdowns in the last four games.

The Jayhawks would rather lean on their run game. But if the Buffs can put KU in passing situations, they can get to Daniels and force some errors. Colorado leads the Big 12 in sacks with 33. If they can add a few to that total Saturday, it will be a big step in containing the KU offense.

… Continue reading story here …

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DC Robert Livingston’s impact on CU defense “dramatic”

From CUBuffs.com …When Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders hired Robert Livingston, some national media questioned the hire. A defensive backs coach with the Cincinnati Bengals, he had never run his own defense.

But Coach Prime saw something in Livingston that convinced him to put CU’s defense in his hands. Now, Livingston should be a strong candidate for the Broyles Award, given annually to the best assistant coach in college football.

What attracted Coach Prime to Livingston was his NFL-style approach. Unlike most college coordinators, who devise a scheme and then try to fit players into the plan, Livingston came in with a different approach.

He assessed Colorado’s talent, determined what each player could do best — and then developed his scheme to fit the players.

The result has been an attacking, opportunistic defense that has created turnovers, produced consistent pressure on the quarterback and — most importantly — come up with momentum-shifting plays at the most critical of moments.

 The difference between Year One and Year Two of the Coach Prime era has been dramatic. CU’s defense was one of the worst in the nation in 2023.

But CU’s head coach hasn’t been too keen on wasting time making the comparison. Last year is in the past. The only thing that matters is this season, and this season has seen Colorado’s defense become an impact-producing unit.

Not that the Buffs have to live and die by their defense. CU still has one of the most productive offenses in the nation, one that is averaging more than 34 points per game.

But when the defense has needed to make a stand, the Buffs have delivered far more often than not.

Both units will be on display Saturday when CU heads to Kansas City for a 1:30 p.m. matchup with Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium (FOX).

“I knew we had a special team this season,” safety Shilo Sanders told the media Wednesday. “I’ve been saying that before the season even started. Everybody thought I was crazy. But now y’all see. I told y’all even last year’s close games and now we got the guys that we can get over the hump and that’s what we’ve been doing. So we just have to continue doing that, keep winning and just win.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 21st 

… CU in a few minutes … 

ESPN: Who does Julian Lewis compare to?

From ESPN … Perhaps the most important components to this commitment are the timing of the portal period opening combined with Colorado’s success on the field. That could prompt higher-profile, better players to want to go to Colorado, which in turn would give Lewis a better supporting cast as many of the top targets on offense are departing this team.

As far as how Lewis will perform, expect to see more timing and decisiveness from Lewis in offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s offense. Lewis is a rhythm and timing passer with comparable athletic traits to Shedeur Sanders but is maybe not as resourceful when things break down. Lewis is at his best anticipating and getting the ball out of his hand. He’s a right-handed version of Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel.

What does this mean for Deion’s future at Colorado?

On its own, one commitment from a high school player — however well-regarded he is — isn’t going to impact Sanders’ career path in the slightest.

The takeaway here is more about Sanders and his staff’s ability to instill confidence in a player of Lewis’ caliber that he will be around — and that’s important. It is unlikely Sanders will ever be able to fully escape speculation about his career, so it’s natural for recruiting targets to want reassurances related to that. In this case, Lewis was comfortable enough with what he heard about Sanders’ future to commit.

But it’s also important to understand that if Sanders’ circumstances change and he leaves for whatever reason, players are free to transfer without penalty. That dynamic lowers the stakes of any commitment in this era.

Sanders has said publicly on several occasions — including this week — that he is happy in Boulder and has no plans to leave. There is no reason to question his happiness at Colorado, but it would also be misguided to take any coach’s comments about their future at face value.

… Continue reading story here …

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Travis Hunter on playing both ways in the NFL: “I like when people tell me I can’t do it”

From ESPN … Hunter would like to play both positions at the next level. He has increased his production at wide receiver — setting career highs for receptions (74), receiving yards (911) and receiving touchdowns (9) — while recording three interceptions at corner and regularly logging more than 120 total snaps per game.

“It’s never been done,” Hunter said of playing two positions full time in the modern NFL. “I understand that it will be a high risk, [teams] don’t want their top pick to go down too early and I know they’re going to want me to be in a couple packages. But I believe I can do it. Nobody has stopped me from doing it thus far.

“I like when people tell me I can’t do it.”

Hunter and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders are both top candidates for the Heisman and projected top picks for the 2025 draft. Sanders, the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Famer, said Hunter should win the Heisman if it’s a choice between the two close friends.

Colorado’s only Heisman Trophy came in 1994, when running back Rashaan Salaam won the award.

“If it’s between me and him, I would want him to get it,” Shedeur Sanders said. “He does a lot of amazing things and things that haven’t been done before. I’m not a selfish guy. I know what he’s capable of, so I would rather him win.”

Hunter said he would be thrilled if Sanders wins the Heisman and hopes Sanders at least gets invited to New York as a finalist for college football’s top individual honor.

“Even if he not invited, he’s invited,” Hunter said.

Kiper projects Sanders as the No. 7 overall prospect and the top quarterback for the 2025 draft. Sanders has completed a career-best 72.9% of his passes this fall for 3,222 yards and 27 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Colorado, which went 4-8 in Deion Sanders’ first season as coach, can reach the Big 12 championship game with wins Saturday at Kansas and next week against Oklahoma State.

“I feel like I was the best quarterback in the last draft, too,” said Shedeur Sanders, referring to April’s draft, where quarterbacks went with the top three picks and five of the first 10. “Ever since I was draft eligible, I knew I’m the best quarterback. It’s not up for me to prove myself to talking about why. … The main thing now is you either see that or you don’t.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Nice timing – 5430 Alliance Press release announces “Pay It Forward” pledge campaign

Press release from 5430 Alliance … 5430 Alliance, the official NIL Collective for CU Athletics, has launched the Play It Forward pledge campaign, giving Buff fans a new way to support CU basketball and football student-athletes. Fans can pledge financial contributions for wins, assists, sacks, or touchdowns for the remainder of their season.

Play It Forward allows Buff supporters to directly contribute to CU Football and Basketball student-athletes’ Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities while celebrating the teams’ performances on the court and field. Whether it’s cheering for a big win, a game-changing assist, a Top 10 touchdown, or a crucial sack, fans can make an impact by pledging a set amount for each statistical category.

“We’re excited to launch the Play It Forward pledge campaign, a unique opportunity for Buff fans to make a direct impact on the lives of CU student-athletes,” said Natalie Sharp, Executive Director of 5430 Alliance. “This initiative is all about celebrating the incredible performances of our basketball and football teams while helping to expand NIL opportunities for our athletes. Every win, assist, touchdown, and sack is a chance for our supporters to contribute to the growth of CU’s NIL program and create lasting opportunities for the student-athletes who give it their all every season. Play It Forward strengthens our community and ensures these athletes can continue to thrive both on the field and in their personal endeavors.”

Fans can sign up for 5430 Alliance’s Play It Forward HERE and pledge any amount for every win, assist, touchdown, and sack recorded this season. With each milestone achieved during the season, fans will be notified of their contribution and the impact they are making on the student-athletes’ NIL earnings.

The funds raised through the Play It Forward campaign will go directly to supporting the Buffs Basketball and Football players, helping to create more opportunities for them to engage with fans, create content, and receive compensation for their NIL activities.

For more information about the campaign or 5430 Alliance, please visit www.5430alliance.com or contact us at natalie@5430alliance.com.

ABOUT 5430 ALLIANCE

5430 Alliance is the premiere Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective supporting 350-plus student-athletes at the University of Colorado. Supporters, fans, and alumni who support 5430 Alliance are pledging to maximize opportunities for student-athletes to build their brands and engage with the community. There are various ways to get involved, including corporate partnerships, memberships, and charitable contributions. 5430 Alliance is powered by parent company Blueprint Sports.

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November 20th

… CU in a few minutes … 

CU sending six to the East/West Shrine Bowl for the first time in school history

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November 19th

… CU in a few minutes …

*Coach Prime Weekly Press Conference (with Miss Peggy)*

… Today is Miss Peggy’s 100th birthday … Discusses what it meant to have 54,000 signing Happy Birthday to her … Favorite games: Beating Nebraska; games during 1989-90 national championship runs .. “Coach Prime an honorable man” … Which bowl does she want? “Anyone they’ll give us” …

… Appreciates that Kansas coach Lance Leipold reached out to him as a new coach in the Big 12 … Kansas has not given up … Drelon Miller had 100-yard game replacing Jimmy Horn. Miller is “phenomenal” – we have another weapon … Going to try and shut down the Kansas rushing attack, and make the Jayhawks one-dimensional … Defensive lineman Keaten Wade will not redshirt; he will play the rest of the season … If Jimmy Horn shows he can run, he’ll play … Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig – when you put the tape on, he shows out. He’s the backbone of the defense … Travis Hunter is the best offensive and best defensive player in the country … He should win the Heisman, the Thorpe, the Biletnikoff, the Bednarik – every award there is to give … Amari McNeill – what you are seeing now is what we expected. He’s not just a pass rusher; he’s a complete defensive player … I don’t understand what a let down is. I just plan for success. The word for this morning’s practice was “Finish” … We don’t subscribe to pressure; we apply pressure …  I’m happy where I am. I’m good. I’ve got a kickstand down … I’m good. I’m happy. I’m excited. I’m enthusiastic about where I am. I love it here. I truly do … When talking about freshman contributors: It says a lot about our stability. We ain’t goin’ nowhere. We’re about to get comfortable …

… Plus … Safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig and wide receiver Drelon Miller …

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November 18th

… CU in a few minutes … 

CU’s final games with Shedeur and Travis: Savor the Moment

From Pat Rooney at the Daily Camera … Often during February and March I felt appreciative for being able to watch the special season being put together by now-former Colorado guard KJ Simpson. No offense to the other key players that helped lead a late run that included a Pac-12 title game berth and a pair of wins in the NCAA Tournament (First Four and first round), but it was Simpson who provided the ‘Wow!’ factor.

Buffs fans surely should feel the same way about Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. The clock is ticking on their time in black and gold.

Hunter’s ability to electrify the packed houses of Folsom Field has been rivaled by only a select few in program history. The numbers on both sides of the ball speak for themselves. To me, though, some of his most impressive traits are less quantifiable. The way he’s always coming back to the football after coming out of his breaks. The way he isn’t in a hurry after making a catch, often using patience and even hesitation to gain extra yards. His blocking ability downfield. And all that’s just on offense.

To some, Sanders’ long toss that led to Hunter’s acrobatic catch against Utah might be dismissed as a desperation heave bailed out by his receiver’s superior athleticism. Yet Sanders’ ability to put just the right mix of touch and arc on passes that drop right on the heads of his tall, athletic receivers will serve him well at the next level. That skill was on display just after Hunter’s high-flying catch when Sanders dropped a pass on Will Sheppard for a touchdown.

Their CU careers aren’t guaranteed beyond the two remaining games in the regular season. If things go sideways and the Buffs fall short of the Big 12 title game, Sanders and Hunter, both likely high first-round draft picks, might not risk playing in a second-tier bowl game if that becomes the Buffs’ fate.

Like Simpson, the Hunter and Sanders highlights will be gone before we know it.

… Continue reading story here …

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Amari McNeill and LaJohntay Wester earn Big 12 Player-of-the-Week honors

Press release from the Big 12 …  The Arizona State tandem of Jordyn Tyson (a former Buff) (offensive) and Sam Leavitt (newcomer), the CU duo of Amari McNeill (co-defensive) and LaJohntay Wester (special teams), Arizona’s Genesis Smith (co-defensive) and WVU’s Reid Carrico (co-defensive) were selected as the Big 12’s football weekly award winners.

McNeill was an instrumental part of Colorado’s defensive unit that held the Utes to 31 rushing yards, which marked Utah’s fewest yards on the ground since the 2011 season. The Buffaloes also forced four turnovers and four sacks as McNeill tallied three tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble in the 49-24 win. The Suwanee, Georgia native has been key to CU’s pass rushing prowess that has tallied 33 total sacks that ranks sixth nationally.

Wester’s impact on special teams for Colorado was highlighted by his 76-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter of the Buffaloes’ 49-24 victory over Utah. The speedy wide out caught the punt before slicing through the middle of the field untouched and breaking away down the left side of the field for the score. Wester also tacked on 10 catches for 77 yards to end his day with 153 all-purpose yards.

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Coach Prime: “Our expectations ain’t your expectations” 

From the Daily Camera … With two weeks to play, the race for the two spots in the Big 12 title game – to be played Dec. 7 in Arlington, Texas – is tight. CU and BYU are tied for first with 6-1 league marks, while Arizona State and Iowa State are lurking at 5-2. Five other teams are still alive at 4-3.

(Note: CU can clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game with a win over Kansas … and … a win by BYU over Arizona State … and … a win by Utah over Iowa State)

Lose one of the next two and CU could fall short of the title game, but that, of course, isn’t the mindset of these Buffs. Beat Kansas and they’ll be in great shape.

“Our expectations ain’t your expectations,” Coach Prime said. “Our expectations are our expectations, and we expect a lot out of ourselves. We practice with the type of intensity and passion and love and effort that you can’t help but be successful in what we do.

“When we don’t do things properly, it shows. We’re beating ourselves at times. Nobody’s beating us; we’re beating ourselves. And we just gotta focus on those little things and correct them so we could be flawless. That’s the goal, to come out here and be dominant offensively, defensively, as well as special teams.”

Coach Prime was happy with the dominance of the defense and special teams on Saturday. He was more critical of the offense, led by his son Shedeur Sanders, but then glanced at the stats at the end of the game. Shedeur went 30-of-41 for 340 yards and three touchdowns and the offense scored 42 of the Buffs’ 49 points.

“It’s hard to critique them,” Coach Prime said. “I was on Shedeur’s butt all day today and I look up he’s 30-for-41. I think any coach in the country would accept that willingly.

“I guess I’m just a hard dad to please at times, as well as a hard coach.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Shedeur Sanders continues to set CU season and career passing records

From the Daily Camera … Shedeur Sanders wasn’t completely thrilled with his game on Saturday, considering he threw an interception and lost a fumble. However, he managed to hit some milestones.

He has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in 46 consecutive games, which ties an NCAA record for all divisions. He’s the fourth player to reach 46, along with Central Washington’s Mike Reilly (2005-08), Marshall’s Rakeem Cato (2011-14) and Grand Valley State’s Bart Williams (2016-18).

Sanders has thrown a TD pass in all 21 of his games at CU. He broke the record of 20 consecutive games with a touchdown, previously held by Sefo Liufau (2013-14).

In throwing for 340 yards on Saturday, Sanders now has the most 300-yard games in one season (six) at CU. And, he’s the first QB in program history with two 3,000-yard seasons, as he now has 3,222 this season.

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Neill Woelk: The scary part? The Buffs still have room to improve

From CUBuffs.com … Saturday afternoon, Colorado’s Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders said publicly what every coach remaining on the Buffaloes’ schedule is privately thinking.

“You guys understand the progress and you understand that we haven’t even put it all together yet,” Sanders told the media after his team demolished Utah, 49-24. “We haven’t even played our best game. That should be, in itself, scary. When I said we coming, we still coming. We are coming, and we ain’t nearly there yet.”

Scary indeed. While the Buffs were far from their best, they were still dominant against a very good defensive team.

The Buffs scored six offensive touchdowns, finishing with 405 yards total offense. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for 340 yards and three scores, Will Sheppard caught a pair of touchdown passes, freshman Drelon Miller had his first 100-yard receiving game and two-way star Travis Hunter recorded the first rushing touchdown of his career.

Colorado’s special teams also delivered. LaJohntay Wester notched CU’s first punt return for a touchdown since 2022, a 76-yard scoring jaunt in the first quarter and punter Mark Vassett averaged more than 48 yards per kick on five attempts.

Then there was Colorado’s defense, which is orchestrating one of the more impressive turnarounds in the nation.

CU finished the day with four sacks, four takeaways and two huge red zone stops early in the game — after Colorado turnovers — that limited the Utes to just a pair of field goals. Meanwhile, two of those takeaways paved the way for Buffs touchdowns, pushing CU’s point total from turnovers this year to 55.

And the scary part?

The Buffs still have room to improve. They did turn the ball over three times (two lost fumbles and an interception), they did give up three quarterback sacks and they once again had some costly penalties.

Meanwhile, for all the big numbers the Buffs put on the board offensively, they still finished with just 65 yards rushing, with more than half of those coming on one attempt, a 37-yard Isaiah Augustave touchdown run. CU was also just 3-for-11 on third-down conversion tries (but 2-for-2 on fourth down).

“We showed flashes of having a running game,” Coach Prime said “Isaiah did a phenomenal job today, breaking one, but we got to be more consistent with that. The sky would be the limit if we can really have consistency … We need to really want and desire and just have passion to run the football at times. Prayerfully, we get it going because we could do some remarkable things if we have a more balanced offense.”

Indeed, the Buffs each week seem to move closer and closer to becoming exactly the type of team that causes opponents nightmares in playoff situations. A potent offense, an opportunistic, attacking defense and special teams capable of breaking momentum-shifting plays.

… Continue reading story here …

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