Colorado University Athletics
Freshman WR Miller Adds Another Weapon To Buffs Offense
October 06, 2023 | Football
BOULDER — Colorado freshman wide receiver Omarion Miller's sudden emergence as the Buffaloes' newest offensive threat has garnered him some exciting attention.
Miller went off in week 5 versus the eighth-ranked USC Trojans, accounting for 196 yards on seven catches, including a phenomenal sliding 9-yard touchdown catch on fourth down. Miller's performance played a big role in Colorado's comeback, as the Buffs scored three straight touchdowns late to cut a 48-21 deficit to 48-41 in the final minutes.
Miller's performance was so noteworthy that even Snoop Dogg took notice.
Earlier this week Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders told media about the phone call he received from the rap superstar, saying, "I got a dear friend who called me and summoned me to get him on the phone to FaceTime. He wanted to talk to (Omarion) and wanted to let him know that he has a tremendous gift. I don't know what the conversation was, but I know I just handed him the phone and said, 'Somebody wants to talk to you.' He looked at the phone like 'Oh my God'. Yeah, it was Snoop wanting to talk to Omarion."
After practice Wednesday, Miller was asked about the experience of getting on the phone with the rap star.
"Oh, it was crazy," he said. "He was just telling me to keep working. He liked what I did."
While Miller saw the field versus Nebraska and Oregon, the USC game would be the first time Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders looked to the 6-2 195-pound freshman as a regular target. The opportunity presented itself after a slow start from the Buffs offense, but given the opportunity, Miller rose to the occasion.
At the post-game press conference Sanders addressed the media on Omarion's success, saying, "I told him, bro you could be a big part of the offense, or you could just have a freshman year and just wait."
Sanders and Miller connected for the Buffs longest play of the day, a short pass that Miller turned into a 65-yard gain to set up the Buffs' third touchdown of the day.
Sanders added, "I'm glad he finally came and understands who he is as a player and understands the level. Everybody is human, everybody can be beat, and he has what it takes to be able to go out there and dominate."
Millers dominating performance also earned him Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors. With CU two-way star Travis Hunter still sidelined by injury this weekend, it's likely that Sanders will look to Miller as another regular passing target when the Buffs head to Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils at 4:30 p.m. MT. (Pac-12 Network).
The shift of expectations was something else Coach Prime touched on during the Tuesday press conference saying, "We want to see what we saw against USC. To prepare with the expectation is tremendous. That was our word of the day —expectation. We defined that. We've talked through it. I made a point that it is not the expectation that others have of you, it's the expectation that you have of yourself that should matter the most."
