The Colorado Buffaloes suffered a 48-41 loss to the USC Trojans in a Pac-12 shootout on Saturday. Despite a second-half comeback attempt, Colorado football was unable to overcome the Trojans' offensive firepower. In this article, we will discuss four Colorado Buffaloes persons to blame for the loss.
Buffaloes' Loss
The USC Trojans defeated Colorado football in a Pac-12 shootout. The Trojans were led by quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for 403 yards and tied a career-high with six touchdown passes. The Buffaloes fell to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in Pac-12 play, while the Trojans improved to 5-0, 3-0.
Despite falling behind 21-0 early in the game, Colorado rallied and had a chance to tie the game late. However, a poor onside kick attempt was secured by USC, and the Trojans held on for the win. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders had his best game of the season, throwing for 341 yards and three touchdowns, including a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Horn Jr. Colorado football's defense was finally able to get a stop thanks to some USC miscues, and the offense showed life, but they were unable to put points on the board.
Here we will look at the four Buffaloes most to blame for Colorado football's college foot ball loss to USC.
1. Coach Deion Sanders
Colorado's offensive play-calling was questionable late in the game. The Buffaloes had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but their play-calling was too conservative, and they were unable to convert on fourth down. This decision ultimately cost them the game.
This one hurt a bit in the final stretch of the game. There was no real clock management and with timeouts, it was a self-inflicted wound. Also, the consecutive running plays that went nowhere up the middle allowed USC to kill the clock at the end. Not sure what coach Prime and his staff were trying to accomplish, but it could've gone a lot better. Not to say Shedeur Sanders didn't do what he does and tried to pull the Buffs back into the game. It was just an unprepared mess.
2. Defensive lapses
The Buffaloes' defense had several lapses throughout the game, allowing the Trojans to score on several big plays. Colorado football's defense was unable to contain Williams, who had a field day against them.
CU got a couple of late defensive stands and even intercepted Caleb Williams once, but the Trojans still had 498 yards of offense in the game and made it look easy on a handful of scoring drives as they built a 27-point lead that wound up being insurmountable for the Buffs.
3. Secondary injuries
The Buffaloes were dealing with an ailing secondary, with safety Shilo Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter out due to injuries. This left Colorado football vulnerable to Williams' passing attack, and they were unable to stop the Trojans' offense.
4. Lack of experience
The Buffaloes are a young team, and they lack the experience of a team like USC. While they showed promise in their second-half comeback attempt, they were ultimately unable to overcome the Trojans' talent and depth.
Looking Ahead
The Colorado Buffaloes suffered a tough loss to the USC Trojans, and several factors contributed to their defeat. From questionable play-calling to injuries and defensive lapses, there were several Buffaloes to blame for the loss. However, despite the loss, the Buffaloes showed promise in their second-half comeback attempt, and they will look to build on this performance in their upcoming games.