Colorado’s second half rally falls short as USC steals win at Folsom
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders throws a pass during the fourth quarter against USC Saturday September 30, 2023 at Folsom Field. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
BOULDER, Colo. — The Buffaloes had upset on their minds when they hosted the No. 8 team in the country Saturday afternoon.
Coach Prime’s squad was ready, and the sold out crowd at Folsom Field was turned all the way up. However, Colorado started slow out of the gates again, and fell behind by three touchdowns before a light bulb came on. The Buffaloes rallied back in the second half though, but ran out of time and the Trojans prevailed 48-41.
Coach Prime was confident his team would’ve been victorious had they received one last possession. Regardless, USC recovered Colorado’s onside kick, and Coach Prime’s players had to take that walk of shame back to the locker room. Although it was the Buffaloes’ second-straight loss, and first at home this season, Coach Prime was proud that his players battled back, and never gave up.
“I just addressed the team and told them I love each and every one of them, coaches included, because they were resilient,” Coach Prime said. “They did not give up when they had multiple opportunities to give up.”
After all, no one gave Colorado (3-2) a chance against USC prior to kickoff. As a matter of fact, the Buffaloes were 21-point underdogs. Still, Coach Prime proved that games aren’t played on paper. The Buffaloes were held scoreless in the first quarter. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders rallied the troops though, and they executed better in the second half.
Once the smoke cleared, Colorado led USC in number of plays, first downs, total offense and time of possession. There’s no denying the Buffaloes played well enough to win the game. Still, Coach Prime refuses to let his team settle for moral victories. Instead he’s trying to build on the positives, and have his players better prepared for game six. In Coach Prime’s eyes it’s simple, the Buffaloes have to start faster out of the gates. He doesn’t want his team to keep falling down before they swing into action. The coaches have to do their part too.
“That’s game-planning, that’s scripting, going out there and understanding what’s at hand,” he said. “We don’t need to get warmed up to do this, we got to come out smoking and ready to go, like when we come out of the locker room.”
The Buffaloes racked up 564 yards of total offense, including a season-high, 193 on the ground. Colorado’s defense held USC’s offense scoreless in the fourth quarter, and limited it to a season-low, 498 total yards. Not to mention the Buffaloes averaged 6.3 yards per play, and recorded 32 first downs. The 90 plays Coach Prime ran left USC’s defense fatigued down the stretch too.
Sanders was able to take advantage of that. He completed 30 of his 45 passes for 371 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. The signal-caller also had 50 yards on the ground, and a rushing score.
Wideouts Omarion Miller, Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr., hauled in seven passes apiece. Miller’s performance caught Coach Prime’s attention. He finished with a career-high, 196 receiving yards, including 91 after the catch and a touchdown. USC’s gunslinger Caleb Williams shredded Colorado’s defense for six touchdowns, but Coach Prime thought his secondary held up well, despite being down three starters.
Rodrick Ward led the team with nine tackles. Omarion Cooper added five stops, including a tackle for loss and a sack. The stellar outings from those two defenders is something Coach Prime wants the unit to build on. Practice next week will be intense, but more leaders need to emerge, and accountability goes a long way.
“You can only hold people accountable when you’re doing your job,” the 56-year old said. “So the more that these young men do their jobs, and do it like the expectation we have for them, then they can hold others accountable, but they’re tremendously reluctant.”
After playing two top-10 teams in back-to-back weeks, Colorado will take a step down in competition against Arizona State and Stanford. The Buffaloes have a great chance to improve to 5-2 after those games. So Coach Prime is planning on ironing out all of the wrinkles to get his team back on the winning track. He understands that it’s going to take all parties involved to get Colorado to the promised land. Which is why Coach Prime is encouraged about the near future of the program.
“Overall I’m really proud of not only these young men, the coaches, the fan base, the student body, I’m truly proud of the way we represented Boulder today.”
