BOULDER — College football is back and Colorado’s Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders believes his Buffaloes are ready to roll.
The Buffs open their season Thursday at Folsom Field with a 6 p.m. contest against perennial FCS power North Dakota State (ESPN). The game is the first of three crucial non-conference contests, followed by tilts at Nebraska and Colorado State.
But the opener is all that matters right now to Coach Prime and a legion of Buff Nation fans who are anxious to see their squad get back on the winning track.
After opening last season with three straight wins and earning a spot in the nation’s top 25, the Buffs struggled down the stretch. Their last win came more than 10 months ago — a 27-24 victory over Arizona State on Oct. 7, 2023 — which was followed by six losses to end the season.
But Coach Prime and his staff wasted no time in once again retooling their roster in the offseason, addressing a host of needs. The Buffs also added a new pair of coordinators — Robert Livingston on defense and Pat Shurmur on offense — as well as several other new position coaches.
Now, while last year offered hope for a CU fan base starved for some semblance of success, Coach Prime believes this year should be accompanied by a level of high expectations.
“I love the roster that we’ve established,” Sanders said at a Saturday press conference. “I love what I’m seeing on a day-to-day basis, not only from the players, but from the staff as well. Those guys are challenging, those guys do their jobs at a high level with no exceptions, and that’s what I love. I’m surrounded by a bunch of pros who know how to attack the game.”
Thursday’s season opener won’t be the “layup” variety many other teams schedule to start the season. Long a powerhouse in FCS ranks, the Bison have claimed 17 national titles and 37 conference championships. They reached the national semifinals last year before losing a double-overtime heartbreaker to Montana and while they have a new coach in Tim Polasek, they also return a host of quality starters.
They certainly won’t sneak up on the Buffaloes. At the Big 12 Media Day this summer, Coach Prime made that much clear.
“They’re good. They’re really darn good,” he said. “I’m mad at Rick (George, CU Athletic Director) right now for putting them on the schedule. Can you give me a layup or something? Those guys are wonderful. Their staff has always been amongst the best. Those kids play their butts off. They’re tough. They don’t make many mistakes. They’re accustomed to winning. They don’t give a darn about being at home or on the road. That does not faze them whatsoever. We can’t wait to see it. It’s going to be a phenomenal game, phenomenal matchup. But that program is second to none.”
The Bison certainly won’t be fazed by the big stage, national television or hostile atmosphere. They have seen all those things plenty of times and relish the opportunity to prove themselves against a “name” school from the FBS ranks.
But the Buffs also believe they have something to prove. After last season’s struggles down the stretch, they are ready to show they can become contenders as they return to the Big 12 Conference after 13 seasons in the Pac-12.
Coach Prime and his staff spent the offseason addressing a host of needs, particularly in the trenches. In particular, they added key personnel on the offensive and defensive lines, areas where they believe they will be greatly improved.
But while there are plenty of newcomers (nearly 40 new faces), the Buffs also boast a solid foundation of returning standouts, including quarterback Shedeur Sanders, two-way star Travis Hunter, wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., defensive lineman Shane Cokes and safeties Shilo Sanders and Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig.
“We revamped things to stop the run,” Coach Prime said. “The number one thing was to be able to run the ball, protect Shedeur, as well as to stop the run defensively. And that’s what we sought out to do. And we feel like we’ve done that. We don’t know how it’s going to play out. We think we know how it’s going to play out. But don’t underestimate the depth that we have at those positions.”
The newcomers include four new faces on the offensive line, along with center Hank Zilinskas, who saw spot duty a year ago. Defensively, CU beefed up its front with newcomers Dayon Hayes, Chidozie Nwankwo, Samuel Okunlola and BJ Green II, as well as adding quality corners in DJ McKinney and Preston Hodge.
“I’m excited about what I’ve seen in practice,” Coach Prime said. “I’m excited about what I feel like we’re going to see next Thursday, because right now, these guys are tired of hitting each other. They want to hit some other colors right now.”
BROADCAST CREWS: The game will be broadcast by KOA Radio with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and former coach Gary Barnett in the booth. The ESPN television crew will include Mark Jones, Roddy Jones and Quint Kessenich.
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Story by Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com. Content courtesy of the University of Colorado at Boulder.
