Deion Sanders is known for being the ultimate player’s coach, but he might have a stern word with his son, Shilo Sanders, after Thursday’s opener against North Dakota State.
Midway through the second quarter of the Buffaloes’ season opener, the defense seemingly got a big third-down stop inside the red zone. But instead of forcing the Bison to bring out the field goal team, Shilo Sanders took a careless personal foul penalty by delivering an ugly cheap shot to a defenseless Barika Kpeenu after the pass fell incomplete:
That gave the Bison a fresh set of downs inside the 10-yard line. Fortunately for Shilo, the Colorado defense held North Dakota State to a field goal that only increased their lead to six points instead of 10.
But if Shilo Sanders hadn’t taken that penalty, the Bison would have had to attempt a longer field goal. Perhaps they miss the field goal and go scoreless on the drive.
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The Colorado defense got off to a miserable start, allowing the Bison to score on their first four possessions. Fortunately, Shilo’s brother Shedeur and the Colorado offense have managed to keep pace with Cam Miller and the Bison offense.
In his first year with Colorado last year, Shilo Sanders had three pass defenses and one interception. The Buffaloes finished 4-8 after a surprising 3-0 start, though they made progress by quadrupling their win total from 2022.
Expectations Are Higher For Shilo Sanders & Buffs This Year
Football fans and pundits didn’t expect much from the Buffaloes last season, but the 4-8 record in year one under Coach Prime was far from a disaster. But this year, the Buffaloes certainly aren’t flying under anyone’s radar.
Colorado rebuilt their offensive line (Shedeur Sanders was the most sacked quarterback in the nation last year) via the transfer portal. And with a healthy two-way star in Travis Hunter (he missed three games last year with a lacerated liver), the Colorado offense and defense should improve considerably.
Given those factors, expectations are certainly higher for the Buffaloes this year after a roller-coaster 2023 season.
