Colorado (1-0) at Nebraska (1-0)
When/where: Saturday, 5:30 p.m./Memorial Stadium
TV/Radio: KUSA-9/850 AM
BetMGM Line: Nebraska -7.5, 56.5 over/under
Weather: Sunny, 76 degrees at kickoff
Three storylines
Run game: One of the big questions coming into the season was whether or not CU’s reconstructed offensive line could power a reliable run game. Early returns were mixed. The Buffs only attempted 17 non-QB runs against NDSU, producing a total of 42 yards and 2.47 yards/carry average. Was that just a lack of opportunity? Or did that four-down sequence against NDSU — when CU failed to get a first down on four straight runs — expose a weakness that hamstrung last year’s team? Going up against a Nebraska defense that allowed just 56 yards on 24 carries last week vs. UTEP, we’re about to find out.
Shedeur shines: Of course, when you have a quarterback as talented as Shedeur Sanders, that might not matter. The presumptive first-round pick threw for an FBS-high 445 yards in Week 1 and was sacked just once in the 31-26 win over NDSU. Given time to throw, Sanders had little trouble picking apart a Bison secondary with no hope of covering Jimmy Horn Jr. (7 catches, 198 yards) or Travis Hunter (7-132). The Husker secondary held up fine in its season opener against UTEP thanks to a pair of picks, but the Miners have nobody approaching the talents of Horn or Hunter. If a so-so Husker pass rush (2 sacks last week) can’t get home, CU might not need a run game in Lincoln.
More trench talk: As bad as NDSU’s rushing yardage total may have looked last week, the Bison needed 43 carries to gain those 157 yards — a 3.7 yards/carry average that CU defensive coordinator Robert Livingston will no doubt take. The degree of difficulty goes up a notch against the Huskers, who piled up 223 yards on 47 carries against UTEP last week. Only one NU back carried the ball more than eight times, and five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola was pulled after one possession in the third quarter, so the Huskers will be fresh. Did Matt Rhule save enough to be able to throw some surprises at CU in Week 2?
Predictions
Kyle Newman, sportswriter: Nebraska 31, CU 28
Is it a new era in Lincoln? This is Dylan Raiola’s chance to make that happen. This will be a back-and-forth game that comes down to the final possession, when Raiola combined with the Huskers’ run game engineer an impressive drive for the game-winning field goal. Shedeur Sanders plays well once again, but is sacked four times, a couple in critical situations. And when it comes down to it, the Buffs’ defensive front just doesn’t have the muscle to get critical stops on short-yardage downs, including a few third-and-short runs on Nebraska’s decisive fourth-quarter drive.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: Nebraska 33, CU 30 (OT)
If Shedeur Sanders has CU within a score and gets the ball last, the Huskers are in trouble. Matt Rhule knows this as well as anybody, and won’t want to give No. 2 the chance. While the Buffs’ defense offered flashes in the trenches against NDSU, they still struggled to contain designed QB runs. If there’s a weakness in the CU D, it’s still up the gut — the Buffs gave up 3.8 yards per first-down rush attempt and, more problematic, almost five yards per opponent run on second down. Three of NDSU’s 12 second-down rushes went for 10 yards or more. The Huskers need Dylan Raiola to be mature beyond his years, which means handing off and moving the chains. Then the Big Red are probably going to need to hang on for dear life.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: CU 34, Nebraska 28
How long have we been waiting for Nebraska to be relevant again? One or two decades? Dylan Raiola may be the savior Husker fans have been waiting for since Eric Crouch hung ’em up in 2001, but until I actually see Nebraska not fumble away a big game, color me skeptical. Shedeur Sanders and Co. will rip apart a Blackshirts defense unable to consistently apply pressure, and the freshman QB doesn’t have enough bullets in his holster to keep up.
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