Same Ol' Colorado? Deion Sanders seeing same problems as last year, just earlier

Deion Sanders and the Coach Prime effect captured the attention of the college football world right away to start the season a year ago with the Colorado Buffaloes. An upset win over TCU, a beatdown over Nebraska, and then a nailbiter victory over rival Colorado State had the Buffs ranked and everyone wondering what this team, led by Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, could be capable of.

But we know how that story ended. Colorado fell flat on its face over the end of the 2023 season, going 1-8 over their final nine games of the season and becoming more of a punching bag or target than a contender themselves.

Naturally, this offseason led to some big changes for Sanders and the Buffaloes. He hit the transfer portal hard again, revamping both the offensive and defensive lines, while also improving the secondary and adding some high-level recruits at skill positions. So the hope was that things would make a stark turn for the better in Boulder.

One half into the season, and that just doesn't seem to be the case.

Colorado showing the same ol' issues against North Dakota State

Colorado opened its 2024 season on Thursday night in Week 1 by hosting the nine-time FCS national champion North Dakota State Bison. Everyone had their radars up for a potential FCS-over-FBS upset but, you know, maybe the Buffaloes could prove the doubters wrong. Instead, Colorado trailed 24-20 after the first half of the game with so many of the same issues still cropping up.

For the offense, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter were magnificent as the quarterback threw for more than 250 yards in the first two quarters with the two-way superstar, Hunter, catching the first touchdown for the Buffs this season. But when they found themselves in short-yardage situations (or sometimes just in general), the offensive line simply couldn't get the push they needed, something that plagued this team a year ago.

It was more glaring on the defensive side of the ball, however. North Dakota State, despite playing without their starting fullback and with a banged-up running back too, scored on each of their first four drives. There were multiple instances of poor tackling from Colorado that made small gains into large ones, there were blown coverages in the middle of the field, and they continued to be a saloon door against the run.

Now, it should be said that this is the first game of the season for Colorado. With such a transfer-heavy roster that was turned over so noticeably from last year, there should be a grace period to gel out there. However, it's hard to erase the un-fond memories of the latter parts of the 2023 season where the same issues persisted and wonder if this is just the norm for the Buffs.

Only time will tell, but it's certainly not off to a gung-ho start in Boulder.