Colorado trailed 28-0 at halftime and lost 28-10 on the road to Nebraska on Saturday night.

Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (23 of 38, 244 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) was under constant pressure all night, suffering five sacks and 10 quarterback hits. In the fourth quarter, he was also hit helmet-to-helmet by Nebraska linebacker Mikai Gbayor, who was sent off for targeting.

Colorado’s offense was out of rhythm all night due to the pressure, and Sanders had to make many plays on the run, with defenders in his face or with his back against the wall.

Colorado’s first five drives, which totaled 12 yards, ended as follows: punt, turnover on downs, pick-six, punt and punt.

Tommi Hill scored a seven-yard touchdown on a pass from Sanders after Colorado faced a first-and-10 at its own two-yard line.

The PAT gave Nebraska a 14-0 lead with 5:46 minutes left in the first quarter. Colorado never recovered.

Colorado performed better in the second half, scoring its only touchdown after Sanders found LaJohntay Wester for a seven-yard touchdown with 8:45 left, but by that point it was too little, too late.

There were some highlights. Two-way star Travis Hunter caught 10 passes for 110 yards and Colorado’s defense kept Nebraska at bay in the first half.

But after the first two quarters, that victory was clear. Nebraska ran for 149 yards and Dante Dowdell scored two touchdowns. Freshman Dylan Raiola was effective and efficient, completing 23 of 30 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown.

Ultimately, it was a brutal loss for Colorado, and Hall of Famer (and head coach) Deion Sanders finally got the word out.

Sanders took over a team that had a 1-11 record in 2022. Colorado quadrupled its win total in 2023, but the Buffaloes also finished last in the Pac-12 with a 1-8 conference record.

This second year brought more hope for Sanders’ program.

Colorado defeated Division I-FBS North Dakota State 31-26 in its first game, but suffered a brutal loss in Week 2.

There is still a long stretch of the season ahead of us, but given the team’s failure to protect Sanders and the overall performance in the first half, there was a lot of criticism of the head coach on Saturday night.