Colorado missed a chance for a significant win in its opener last weekend and now turns the page and focuses on playing Delaware on Saturday in Boulder, Colo.
Colorado (0-1) took some positives from the 27-20 home loss to Georgia Tech on Aug. 29, most notably ball security. The Buffaloes didn’t commit a turnover against the Yellow Jackets, but they didn’t take enough advantage of their three takeaways, scoring just once.
The most significant issue was clock management on the final drive. Head coach Deion Sanders’ squad had the ball with 1:07 remaining but didn’t use the two timeouts it had left.
Quarterback Kaidon Salter, taking over for Sanders’ son Shedeur (now with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns), had a solid day, completing 17 of 28 passes for 159 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to DeKalon Taylor to open the game’s scoring in the first quarter. Salter, a transfer from Liberty in his Colorado debut, also ran for 43 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
However, Deion Sanders said highly-touted freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis will take some snaps Saturday but declined to address who would start.
“He’s playing this week for sure,” Deion Sanders said. “I know when I’m going to see him. You just don’t know when you’re going to see him. I know when we’re gonna see him.”
Delaware (1-0) made the jump from FCS to FBS this season and opened with a 35-17 win over Delaware State. Quarterback Nick Minicucci threw for 270 yards (28 of 36) and three touchdowns and ran for 44 net yards and another on nine carries in the victory.
He will face a defense that allowed Georgia Tech QB Haynes King a combined 299 yards running and passing.
Saturday will be the first time the Blue Hens faces another FBS team since making the leap to the top level, and their first game ever against a current or former member of the Big 12 Conference.
Delaware’s roster has 14 transfers from Power 4 programs. One of those, defensive end Noah Matthews, came to the Blue Hens via the University of Kentucky to play for a school that is located an hour from where he grew up in the state.
“I wanted to come back and show people, this is what Delaware does,” Matthews told ESPN. “We can play big-time football, too. After this year, they’ll know exactly who we are.”
Sanders is impressed by Delaware.
“I love what they’re doing,” Sanders said. “On film, they do some nice things. They got some people that could make things happen offensively, as well as them getting to the ball defensively.”