College Football: Colorado Buffaloes Vs Nebraska Cornhuskers | Week 2 Preview & Prediction

all right guys what's going on welcome back to D College World podcast today me Nick here are be doing a week two preview and prediction for Colorado and Nebraska 6 and a half point line in favor of the Huskers 60 and a half is the total 7:30 p.m. eastern time on NBC Live from Linc looking at the Colorado offense this is a unit that was phenomenal against North Dakota State and you know we figured that they would have a field day against that secondary at least I did and Nick you shared a very similar sentiment um but even they did better than we could you know diagnosed 445 four touchdowns 76% completion rating for shadur Sanders and they were so confident they were having so much success even with the game locked up late instead of just running the clock out they were still throwing the football and you really can't blame them for doing that Nick because that's how much success they were having of course Travis Hunter was tremendous 132 yards three touchdowns Jimmy horn nearly 200 he had a score as well uh you know seven receptions for those two each Leon Wester a little bit quieter but did have five grabs for 50 eight and you also have will Shepard two receptions for only 23 yards but I mean this is a great foresome they have here Nick in terms of pass catchers a great unit led by a phenomenal quarterback we'll talk about the offensive line but even with pressure in his face he was so good at finding the soft spots his receivers were able to win as North Dakota State just did not have speed they didn't have great athletic ability and that's what we talked about so it wasn't much of a shock it's not going to be the same against Nebraska this is going to be a much different secondary one that for the most part in this game last year played pretty well until late in the game they were able to really start freeing up some space shadur was very accurate ended the day off almost 400 yards what do you feel about this passing attack going into this game a massive Road contest obviously again the offensive line was less than stellar and we'll talk about them more in detail in a second but in terms of passing attack it's one of the best in the country shadar certainly had a good day throwing the ball against North Dakota State and that was something that we highlighted that could have been a potential weakness for the Bison was that secondary that just has not faced a talent like him you know a true first round Talent at quarterback plus two incredibly talented wide receivers in Jimmy horn and Travis Hunter I first want to talk about Travis Hunter who really absolutely blew my mind in that game you know I've always said I thought Travis Hunter was a better defensive player and he had a decent day defensively as well with three total tackles and we'll get to him on the defensive side of the ball later but 132 18.9 yards to grab and three touchdowns including a really video game like one for his last touchdown of the night it's just absolutely impressive while Jimmy horn looked reliable as a Target as well with 198 and 28.3 yards for grab plus one score I really like what they were able to do passing to Horn and Hunter two really talented wide receivers that could lead the way for this offense Sanders 76.5% comp rate was really solid the interception obviously was not his fault just a very fluky play where it bounced off a defender's legs and into the arm of a bison's uh defensive player that's not his fault no issue there you know the secondary for North Dakota State they looked absolutely lost out there some of the times when they were in coverage just the Defenders were completely lost head turn not even paying attention at all and giving Sanders an opportunity to pick out his man and find the ball I literally thought it was interesting how he did spend a lot of time spinning around the pocket trying to escape making plays rather than taking sacks or throwing the ball away and that time to let the play develop allowed his players to be open at him to absolutely launch it downfield the offensive line gave a little bit more time which I thought was helpful as well he had a little more second to breathe although it's not to say the North Dakota State defensive line didn't have some success getting the back field and getting a sack or two obviously the total offense numbers are very impressive over 500 yards a total offense really solid they are great on third down as well seven of 11 on this offense which is a really solid number as well didn't commit a lot of penalties in offense which is another key key stat with a new offensive line the offense looked really good for Colorado yeah and the Buffalo didn't actually allow a sack in that game but they were very close on numerous occasions where shadur handled the pressure very well that leads you to the Run game they just wasn't much different you know 59 yards on 23 attempts two and a half yards per carry not much here from the Run game really to discuss D Hayden I think is a very talented back Charlie offerall he's you know a starter for them not really familiar with his game though um and shter ended up having six carries for 17 yards and this offensive line really wasn't much different we figured that it probably would be you know Jordan SE and obviously a true freshman he's going to have his struggles not going to be too much criticism there I thought Justin Mayers was probably their best offensive lineman in the middle though you know Hank zelas you know at Center not wasn't very good at all right Guard C Benson had his inconsistencies really wasn't that good in the run and that right tackle you know Tyler Brown also gave up three pressures and wasn't very good in terms of uh you know getting a push up front so the offensive Line's completely different from last year in terms of the faces they have wasn't much different Nick and this is against North Dakota State it was a very tough physical defensive line again doesn't have the same athletic ability as a power five team like Nebraska who has a very good defensive line so this is certainly going to be a concern coming to this game you're going to see a lot of short you know quick passes to try and free them up early on in this contest you know how do you think they'll fair in this game will they grow from you know week to week this early in the season the offensive line looked good not great looked better but not to the level it needs to be at I was impressed at sometimes you know not giving up a sack a solid stat giving shadar some more times but the running back the running game was horrible they weren't able to do anything on the ground again a really a a putrid number horrible stats on the ground which is certainly again something that's really concerning they were getting dominated in the time possession as well North Dakota state had 36 minutes of the ball wak only had 23 not really sustainable in my opinion if you look at it like that I think that's certainly an issue you know 59 yards rushing is just not good enough your offensive line didn't really hit the highs that a lot of people were hoping they would they looked better but now you're playing against a Nebraska defensive line that's a very strong unit that has some really incredibly talented players looks to be a tough match up for Colorado and now moving to the Nebraska offense def you know they got a soft opponent and utap Dylan Rola First Care career start 70% cight 238 two touchdowns you wonder what Isaiah neor would do you know a guy who's been pretty quiet the last couple years battling injuries and whatnot at different programs he exploded for six grabs 121 yards had a big score Jamal Banks a Wake Forest transfer they really like uh I mean those two guys led the way for them they had 11 different players catch a pass this is a very good receiving core for them um I think Nebraska this is a very young passing attack though going up against the defense that obviously is less than Stellar but still I mean this is going to be a tough challenge for Rola certainly going to see a lot of different concepts he probably hasn't you know seen yet so this is a passing attack that still I don't even think they showcase their full potentials you know they some guys not even get involved uh you know like Jaylen Lloyd he didn't see a pass Isaiah Garcia castona didn't really do much so this is a receiving cord that also has plenty of Versatility and guys that can get involved Alex Bullock only had one reception good passing attack here Nick certainly doesn't compare to that of Colorado but maybe some more balances in store for Nebraska cuz they you know they do a pretty good job of running the ball i' would say 223 yards three touchdowns you know last year this was certainly a group that was you know above average 177 yards per contest obviously that included henen Harbaugh running and maybe you'll see some wrinkles in this contest where he gets involved with some QB run um they have a variety of different players emit Johnson ended up leading the way Dante Dowell from you know Oregon transferred in had a score and then Gabe Irvin and ramir Johnson um you know Irvin had two touchdowns and then Johnson had the most carries of the bunch so a very versatile offense here more balanced than the buffalo have maybe the skill isn't as great but I think in terms of upside this year you're looking to see some great growth from Nebraska in a very important contest here led by Rola I do really like what I saw out of Dylan Rola in week one for Nebraska really solid statline 19 to 27 238 and two touchdowns looked confident looked comfortable didn't put the ball In Harm's Way 7 % comb rate really solid for a first career start looked good I really thought he had nice touch on it some of those touchdown passes were really solid I like Nebraska's balance I thought the balance was was really solid 284 yards passing 223 yards rushing 57 total yards of offense I like what they were able to do they were able to balance the ball spread it out I thought the running back room you know they had three different guys or four different guys get meaningful touches in this game which is really solid I think Gabe Irvin had two you know two touchdowns in the red zone he looked really good on 24 yards and six touches while ramir Johnson had you know 50 yards on 11 touches the most touches EMT Johnson also had a solid day with 71 yards on eight touches while Dante donwell had the single touchdown on 55 yards and eight attempts I think this was a solid rushing performance the wide receiving room they didn't use all their weapons the weapons they did use look good Naylor and Banks look solid like you alluded to this Nebraska offense looks to be in a solid position so far I know utep's not the most incredible team in the world they dominated time of possession as well which I think Nebraska could do in this game against Colorado is they could absolutely dominate the time possession similar to what North Dakota state did and really that could put Colorado in a tough position if this Nebraska team is going to just be able to run the ball chew clock and find themselves in a good position dominating the time of possession game and another team that also was you know over the last couple years had a very bad offensive lines Nebraska but they looked phenomenal in the opener this is a group we expected to really Jael this year all the experience they have you know Turner Cochran showcased great improvements at least in this first game they have an younger guy in Justin Jenkins who is their best pass blocker Ben Scott is a phenomenal Center M masukawa you know he transferred over from Florida was at Baylor before that so this is a guy that um played very well in his debut and then they have another veteran in Bryce Ben Hart who was a great run blocker for them two tackles there Nick that we've been highly critical of in the past they're playing a Colorado defensive line that certainly looked better and we'll get to them in a second but these tackles will certainly have some tough challenges because they're going to be facing some pretty good Edge rushers for the Buffalo certainly some heat coming off on the edge for Colorado and we did see that we'll get to that in a second I do think the offensive line looks good for Nebraska I think this unit has improved I think Ben Hart and cochan were really solid Justin Evans I liked him at left guard you know younger player thrust in there to starting at left guard I thought he looked good Ben Scott as well was not bad at Center I they were able to create nice running Lanes they gave r a lot of time gave opportunity to sit in the pocket and make his uh passes complete looked comfortable this offense was solid you know they were 11 of 17 on third down that's solid efficiency over two on on fourth down which is a kind of an interesting stat when you look at that but I don't think that's really that big of a deal early on you know they sort of just testing out the Playbook I like what they were able to do on offense I think the offensive line stood its ground I think Rola looked really good the wide receiving room has a lot of talent that's still yet to be Unleashed and then when you look at the running back room they were really balanced now looking at the Colorado defense this team was pretty good against the run you know 43 attempts they only gave up a buck 57 and two scores to a team that loves to run the football and they're very physical in doing so they were very good I thought you know this is defensive line certainly played with a different attitude obviously this is probably the most improved positional group on the roster you talk about those Edge rushers Deon Hayes Samuel okena BJ green you know they certainly had you know average games I guess you could say Amari mcneel another player that gets involved um but I think the growth is certainly going to be imminent for this pass rush throughout the season I think these are some very talented players they were able to go out and get none of those names I mentioned recorded a sack they only had two as a team but those guys were frequently winning it seemed and they were able to get in the backfield green and Pace specifically had a tackle for loss each so you know those are guys certainly impressive and I thought you know the best player for them was Choi Nano he was phenomenal against the Run look good as a pass rusher the Houston transfer on the interior very good player there this is going to be a different challenge though Nick because again this even though that's the FCS team it's very good and they run a certain style and they do it very well this is certainly at offensive line it still has to be proven Ryan bull thron Carter some other names that we didn't really see produce much in the season opener but this is a defensive line that is certainly I think built for moments like this going on the road and playing a good you know Braska team it's going to be improved up front themselveses this is where they have to win the game and I think they're certainly capable maybe doing so which is crazy to say compared to last year considering how poor they were BJ green looks solid in his first appearance for Kate to tackle for loss was in the back field was a constant presence when he was on the field I thought he was solid nwako was really good as well had that sack like you alluded to tackle for loss good numbers from him Shane Coes I thought he was okay as well as a returning piece didn't really do a whole lot but he had two total tackles I thought he was a solid presence on that line and Samuel koako as well was solid on this defensive line I thought they had a good rotation they were able to to bring in different guys Deon Haynes was solid he had five total tackles which is a really solid number for him plus a tackle for loss I thought he was a good player that felt comfortable coming off that edge there and looked to be a solid presence I was impressed at times they able to get in the back field they certainly put cam Miller in the ground in the back field once or twice who was a really mobile and you know good escape artist for that North Dakota State offense I like what I saw this defensive line it looked better there's still a lot of work to do and they're certainly going to be facing a tougher team in Nebraska here and I want to see what this defensive line continuers look like you know can we see a little bit more of BJ green is he going to get some more snaps I want to see what he's going to be able to do now you look at the middle of this defense lonte Bentley really starting to emerge as a playmaker for them it do a sound tackler but it wasn't great against the run wasn't great in coverage Trevor Woods you know the converted safety I think he's still going to be a good leader for them but he also was not very good in coverage I mean early on he got absolutely burned in a mismatch um you know a guy that certainly is going to improve throughout the year linebacker seems to be a bit of you know a less than Stellar unit for them and this is going to be an area they look to attack trying to get match ups with their running backs Nick they're you know obviously pretty deep at that position but also in terms of you know versatile Run game you know showcase the misdirection polling lineman I think certainly you know overwhelm with their physicality the linebackers are going to be just as important as this defensive line for Colorado because they can't do all the heavy lifting and even though I definitely think they're going to Showcase Improvement throughout the year they're still a group that has to prove that they can handle a lot of muscle up front so the linebacking group has to be key especially in a game like this I think Bentley is certainly capable of shooting run lanes and being productive against the run but he's going to need more help I was disappointed in the linebacking court even though Trevor Woods led the team and tackles in the first game with 10 total tackles he got beat a few times in coverage a couple Miss tackles did not have the best night Levon Bentley I was more impressed with him I thought Bentley was solid five total tackles plus a tackle for loss and which was a sack I thought he was solid Bentley was a good a good pressure against the run a good leader in the middle there I thought Bentley had a nice night he's going to have to have a big day against Nebraska if this Colorado team wants to be competitive and win this game he's got to have a huge day got to stand up in the middle there and really make his presence be known Woods has got to look better in coverage as well against this Nebraska a passing attack definitely some question marks at the linebacking room I think Bentley looked good you know Woods I need to see a lot more out of him now you look at the Colorado secondary that you know I certainly think still has good players across the board and of course that's led by Travis Hunter uh of course Shiloh Sanders had you know a pretty ridiculous penalty on him DJ McKenna Preston Hodge some transfers they think can be really good for them the secondary was not very good though against North Dakota State a team that does not typically throw the ball a whole lot with a whole lot of success and they were getting pretty much torched almost 300 yards allow uh and a touchdown as well but this passing attack early and often for the Bison were winning they ended up you know having a 77% completion rating it was not good still too much free open space bad you know discipline really in that secondary for Colorado now you're facing a quarterback who's a five-star who has a talent across the board a lot more than what North Dakota state has so really just wins on scheme and physicality and they're having a lot of Success Through the air Nick so we thought that they would run the ball very well and it was about the passing attack that kept them in this game and almost won it for him so I think this is certainly a concern going against this group of pass catchers on the road this is certainly a a concerning secondary that had a tough day at times against this North Dakota State team I think that was certainly concern they ended up throwing for 292 yards passing looked solid at times cam Miller was decent through the air and now you have a secondary that you know you know had some decent moments but also had some bad moments Travis Hunter looked good with his three total tackles looked good in coverage tyos Sanders he had nine tot attackers but his discipline's an absolute problem really you know he could have got at least three or four penalties for some of his actions after the play and obviously had that big one that kind of went around on social media unnecessary roughness he's got to cut down on that that's just you know unacceptable behavior for him at this moment in time he's got to really figure that out DJ McKenna and Preston Hodge looked okay as well McKenna had six total tackles while Hodge had two and he looked good in coverage I need to see a lot more of the secondary I'm not fully confident in this unit yet they have some star players they don't really seem to play as a cohesive unit and now they're playing against a Young quarterback who had nice confidence in game one plus a solid wide receiving room certainly looks to be a tough matchup and they didn't rotate much of these positions but Kenny and Hunter played almost every single snap at corner when Colton Hood got in the game he was no good so I'm not sure if you're going to see him in this contest Hodge was you know a main stay in the slot so they didn't really showcase much rotation I think these guys will certainly improve because I definitely think they're talented but this is not the ideal game or matchup to try and find that out looking at the Nebraska defense a unit that you they gave up a bit of a fluke touchdown to UTF in the secondary that was about it other than that this was a pretty stout units led by a phenomenal run defense only gave up 56 yards they have some muscle in the interior and Ty Robinson and Nash Hut moner these guys are phenomenal combine three tfl in that season opener obviously this is a group that also has plenty of Youth to you know work around the unit but those two right there in the middle that's what it's going to be about Jamari Butler is a phenomenal player Cameron lenhard I think he's going to step up as the year goes on princewell Yuna manelin as well two sophomores there that certainly are looking to make an impact against an offensive line that was shaky and they have a veteran MJ Sherman that can hopefully be a nice Edge pressing here in Tony White's 335 defense um you know this is a great run defense Nick you know last year they're playing Colorado very tough on the road offense did them no favors and then eventually the Buffalo were finally able to break loose and kind of put this game away I know Nebraska's certainly going to have that in their mind and they don't want to have a repeat of lash K but I think this is a match up that's very winable for them especially up front I do think it's a match up that's winable up front I do like what I saw out of this defensive line for Nebraska yesterday there was some solid moments Ty Robinson two total tackles two tackles for loss for him decent numbers Nash hutmacher was solid as well three total tackles plus tackle for loss for him he's a big physical player there Jamari Butler as well was solid off the edge want to see a little bit more out of him he had one total tackle but I do like some of the movements he had Prince Ley Prince Will un as well he got some snaps two total tackles for him a half half tackle for loss as well so some good rotation there this is a unit that I think that we you and I were both pretty high on to start the year and they were decent yesterday you know they really had a good good uh good success against this UTEP rushing attack UTEP was only able to go for 56 total yards on 24 attempts they were able to you know hold them to 205 total yards of offense as a defense so a really solid start to the season for this Nebraska defense and they rotated a lot not many guys uh saw more than 30 snaps a guy that did did play a lot though Stefan Thompson the Syracuse transfer they inserted him right away when his reunion with Tony white John Bullock a star for them in the middle this is a really good linebacking group here and Makai Gore you he ended up being the best player was a phenomenal run defender in this game he had a tfl and a half um and you know as a very young player there so this is a linebacking group that's clearly much improved with some of these younger guys getting involved uh and you talked about it with Colorado as well you know for them the Colorado linebackers they need to be good against the run for Nebraska they're probably going to have to be good against the pass because this rushing attack probably not going to threaten you all that much so these are very good players here Nick they have to be disappointing coverage I thought bulock last year was pretty sound in that regard so he's going to be the leader there for them in the middle Thompson a lot of familiar with this scheme so underneath I think in the middle of the field these might be very winable matchups for them B and Thompson each had two total tackles I think Thompson looked pretty solid plugging in into this system while G Gabor was really solid five total tackles one and a half tackles for loss for him really good numbers I really like what I saw this linebacking core I think this unit has some nice rotational depth I think Bullock was solid Thompson I think he's going to get better season goes on I like the middle of the field here this is a good match up for them and the biggest matchup that was going to be in the secondary everyone in the secondary saw 30 plus reps last week or last game yesterday it is um this is a secondary it's got a lot of veterans a group that we think is going to be very good this season and they have you know very tough ask against these receivers it's one of the best groups in the country Tommy Hill a phenomenal corner it's going to be a lot of weight on his shoulders Maris Buford on the other side certainly has at times had inconsistencies but this is a player that you know a doo really that's going to have a lot of pressure in terms of coverage but more importantly Isaac gford deshaan Singleton two very good safeties especially gford I mean this guy last season was just phenomenal for Nebraska and you know there certainly in terms of you know being disciplined giving up free space that's some not something this team typically does and they were very good against the pass last year 86 tackles eight pbus you know for gford I mean he was phenomenal Malcolm Hartzog a guy that um you know was less than Stellar at times last year you know 59 175 a guy they're certainly going to lean on as well ended up being the leading tackler in yesterday's contest so this is a secondary full of veterans a group that certainly doesn't give up a whole lot of plays last year you late in that second half they started up giving some big plays that kind of started falling apart for him they're looking for payback this year Nick I mean this is a veteran group right here I think this is a matchup that where they're just going to have to play Man coverage they going to have to lock up and be Stell their Zone though in this contest last year for the most part was very good so I think this is a secondary they can definitely slow down these wide receivers but it's going to be tough and you have to do it very consistently because one coverage bust one mismatch and the game could get blown wide open certainly agree there to be on their toes and totally Focus this game heart soog had a really solid day for this Nebraska team led team in tackles five total tackles plus had a pick looked really solid there I was happy with what he looked like early on I think he's a solid former Maris Buford as well well he looked good thir three total tackles for him he was solid in coverage I like what this unit has this unit's getting going to get better throughout the season they got burned last year at times they they definitely are not forgetting that they were solid against the pass gave up only 149 total passing yards as well as had two picks I know utep's not a very good offense but still two picks a solid number Raheem Stewart had the other pick uh he returned that for 18 yards so a good day for the secondary overall obviously getting a much tougher test here against Colorado want to see how they fa I think they'll be pretty solid here definitely a match up you want to keep your eye on if Colorado can find some success early on they could be in a good position I do trust this Nebraska secondary though and hardzog was the one who end up giving up that touchdown you know he was right with the receiver ining for most of the play and just kind of lost the ball right there before it reached the pass catcher so tough play for him but overall a guy that's certainly going to be solid I think in this contest look at the team comparisons I think for Colorado it's going to be a clear edic quarterback and wide receiver the rest of it across the board for Nebraska I don't think there's much of a debate really maybe from a talent standpoint Colorado because they have some new found depth maybe you can try and make an argument for that but I think Nebraska I mean this is a proven unit these guys all played last year and they proved how good they were I think in every other area though they certainly have a clear Advantage Nick um any you know con concessions from you or you think this pretty accurate I think this makes a lot of sense to me I think this is a very fair comparison here obviously quarterback and wide receiver are very dominant units for Colorado I they're going to beat most teams in the tail comp tape with those two options if we're going to be honest with you running back room you can't give that to Colorado considering they really just have not done anything at all so far but then you look at you know the defensive side of the ball I think the Nebraska defense Takes the Cake across the board although maybe you want to make the case for secondary at times I can't make that argument but certainly I think some people would try to now looking at the final thoughts and the prediction uh you know this is going to be an interesting game a massive contest for Colorado an opportunity they probably you know maybe break into the top 25 they can be a very good Nebraska team keie to the game you know for Colorado I mean the offensive line has to be better even though they didn't allow a sack they were giving up pressure and this is a team that against Nebraska they're not going to allow much on the ground I don't think and that's pass rush is certainly going to be a little you know extreme especially on the interior very winnable match up and I think their secondary also has to be very good for the most part especially in the long down and distances you also want to see that rushing attack you want to see Colorado though you know have a similar performance from last week against the run you know be serviceable they're pretty good I thought against the run against the Buys in and of course you want to be able to run your own offense and be successful doing so I think Nebraska's win this game though 35-24 I think the secondary is going to control them I think they'll win on the interior uh on the defensive line and I think they'll have pretty good balance as well you're hopeful that Rola won't make mistakes but I think they're going to have pretty open matchups the secondary again has good players but just you know it takes a while to Jael together and they didn't look very good last week against a you know team that's not very talented in terms of pass catchers now you have legit ball players here so I think they going win that match up thir 3524 here obviously you're hoping Colorado can outscore Nebraska but against this defense in this match up on the road just don't think it's going to happen this might be a very bad game for Colorado I don't think it'll be a complete blowout though but I think the riding might be on the wall for that to do so Nick especially if Nebraska forces a turnover too they can blow things wide open I think they can certainly blow things wide open I have Nebraska winning this game 3830 I think they're the better team in this game I think their defense will be able to get a bunch of key stops I really like what they have in the secondary the Lineback and Cor solid as well you know Colorado certainly will find some success passing the game but I think Nebraska is going to chew a lot of clock have a massive time possession Advantage similar to what North Dakota state had against Colorado I think Nebraska is going to run the ball a lot you saw some great balance with them in their week one matchup I think riola is going to have a solid day as well you know he might make a mistake early on I could I could definitely see Hunter Sanders getting a pick early on but I think he'll get comfortable in the game the crowd behind him you know playing in front of those those faithful fans going to be a great crowd over there in Lincoln for this rivalry game I think he'll be able to be comfortable and figure out I like Nebraska to win this game this is a very important game you know obviously Colorado's win has led to a lot of people being excited about the team again and that's fair you know they won but I think that this is going to be a game that's going to set the tone again for how Caro could look the rest of the season that they play a much tougher opponent on the road a tough environment one of the toughest places to play when that place is fully rocking and I expect Colorado to be competitive at first but tail off towards the end of the game giving Nebraska big key win and giving Matt rule a nice win to put on his resume as he sort of tries to build this Nebraska team team with a great young quarterback a really solid offense and a great defense for today's episode make sure you guys like comment subscribe see you next time