Buffs Deliver Prime Performance In Spring Game
April 22, 2023 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado football fans wanted an "event" Saturday.
Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders and his Buffaloes delivered exactly that, putting on a Black and Gold spring game display that left a sold-out crowd with a taste of what they hope becomes a regular item on the CU menu.
The primary focus of the day was football, and the Buffs no doubt delivered in that aspect, giving an ESPN national audience a glimpse of how much has already changed within the CU program under Sanders' direction.
Clearly, the Buffs are bigger, faster — MUCH faster — and stronger than recent squads.
But the peripherals — from the appearance of a long list of Buffs greats from past years to what Coach Prime called an "MVP" performance from CU icon Peggy Coppom — provided a flair to the day that far surpassed any other spring game in anyone's memory.
"Phenomenal," Sanders said at his post-game press conference. "I'm amazed and stoked, if that's the proper word, about the attendance, the energy and electricity … Walking out of the locker room with the team was unbelievable. It was one of those moments that you will never forget."
Even Mother Nature cooperated after threatening to throw a kink into the operations. While a Friday night spring snowstorm provided some anxious moments early Saturday, CU's grounds crew had the Folsom Field surface clear and ready to roll at game time.
By kickoff, temperatures were brisk but comfortable and the announced crowd of 47,277 (larger than all but two of CU's home games last fall) settled in for the show.
The fans got what they came for — an afternoon of big plays and a tantalizing peek at the potential of next fall.
Sean Lewis' newly installed offense produced a rapid — almost dizzying — pace. Lewis has promised an up-tempo attack and the Buffs made good on that promise Saturday.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders guided the No. 1 offense up and down the field to three touchdowns, two through the air and one courtesy of his legs. Sanders opened the game with a 75-yard scoring drive, wrapping it up with a 14-yard scoring toss to Travis Hunter, who will no doubt be one of his favorite targets. Sanders then added a 98-yard scoring strike to Montana Lemonious-Craig before finishing the No. 1 unit's day with a 7-yard scamper into the end zone.
"I was looking for certain people to do certain things," Coach Prime said. "And the people I was looking to do certain things did those things well."
While there were no "official" statistics, unofficial numbers had Shedeur Sanders finishing 16-for-19 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Lemonious-Craig gathered in six catches for 168 yards, Hunter had four for 26 and Kaleb Mathis caught four balls for 31 yards.
For Sanders, this is his third offense in as many years of college ball. But he has clearly quickly grasped the concepts of Lewis' attack.
"I will say we're heading in a great direction," Shedeur said. "Now, I know what I want. Back then when I was younger, I didn't understand what I wanted. So I had to learn a lot. I have a couple years under my belt now, so I know exactly what I want and I know how to get the best out of guys. I know what's going to make Travis play his best, I know how to make Montana play his best and Jimmy (Horn Jr.) and Kaleb. Now we know exactly what we want and I'm able to really step up and lead us in the right direction."
CU's other two quarterbacks also performed well. Ryan Staub was 8-for-11 for 74 yards and Drew Carter completed five of eight for 20 yards.
On the ground, true freshman Dylan Edwards rushed three times for 49 yards, including a 35-yard burst on the opening drive that showed his breakaway speed.
Defensively, the Buffs did get a couple of big plays from linemen Shane Cokes and Jordan Domineck — but there were no turnovers on the day. That's a positive if you're judging the defense; not so much if you are focusing on the defense.
"I'm happy with their productivity," Coach Prime said. "Of course we need to find some people that can step up and do some things, the type of things that we're expecting."
Sanders has said he's not yet finished reshaping CU's roster. The weekend was a big recruiting weekend for the Buffs and there will likely be some additions via the transfer portal in the near future.
"We're trying to find smart, tough, fast and disciplined players so they can retain these things," Sanders said. "And, play fast like we desire them to play. Those are the types of guys that we're going to get and we got right now."
MVP PERFORMANCE: Coach Prime named Peggy Coppom the "MVP" for the day after delivering the first kickoff. The 98-year-old Coppom, who teamed with her late sister, Betty Hoover, to become CU icons met with Sanders for the opening kick to start the game.
"Peggy was the MVP of the game," Sanders said. "Her quick first step was unbelievable. She was very physical when she grabbed me and made sure I had her arm … She is just a breath of fresh air and breathes life into everyone that comes close to her."
SPECIAL TEAMS NOT SO SPECIAL: One area that didn't sit well with Sanders was special teams. The group had two kicks blocked, including a PAT that was returned the length of the field, and also took too long to get on the field after one touchdown.
"Special teams, as far as extra point and field goal, were horrible," Sanders said. "It was hot garbage. I got tired and didn't want to see that anymore so I kept them from kicking in the second half."
Players Mentioned
