What Deion Sanders must fix after Year 1 at Colorado to turn hype into results for desperate program

Colorado dominated the college football headlines last offseason after NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders took over the program fresh off a successful run at Jackson State. Early on, it looked like the Buffaloes — fresh off an unprecedented roster overhaul — had a chance to meet the astronomical hype that proceeded them. A 3-0 start coupled with an ascent into the AP Top 25 after starting the season unranked made the Buffaloes the talk of the sport.

Alas, Sanders and the rest of the country came to the stark realization that the rebuild would be a much more involved process once Pac-12 play began. The early season momentum gave way to a 1-8 conference record, equal to the dismal output from 2022. The Buffaloes lost their final six games to finish 4-8. Lows included a blown 29-point lead in a home loss to Stanford and a 56-14 blowout loss at Washington State that eliminated Colorado from bowl eligibility. 

The Buffs certainly showed flashes in the FBS debut for “Coach Prime.” But they will have to make major strides in the offseason if they want to be competitive in their 2024 return to the Big 12. 

So where does Sanders’ regime start on that front? Here are key areas to address.

Crippling offensive line 

There’s no sugarcoating it. The offensive line play was atrocious for Colorado in Year 1 under Sanders. The unit allowed 56 sacks — the most by any Power Five school in 2023 and the second most in the entire FBS. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was sacked a whopping 52 times, which makes it all the more impressive that the coach’s son managed to pass for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns with just three interceptions. 

That level of protection, or lack thereof, is simply not sustainable if Colorado intends to build a winner. It culminated in…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/what-deion-sanders-must-fix-after-year-1-at-colorado-to-turn-hype-into-results-for-desperate-program/

Author : Dean Straka

Publish date : 2023-11-30 23:25:25

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