The Colorado Buffaloes have secured a win in their first contest of the season against the North Dakota State University Bison, an FCS school.
Colorado won just four games last season after entering the year full of expectations and plenty of hype as well. The Buffaloes have won their first game since October 7th of last year and snapped their six game losing streak dating back to last season. Colorado did not have an easy time against the Bison, but were able to secure a win behind Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, and Jimmy Horn Jr.
Colorado Buffaloes Defeat North Dakota State Bison, 31-26,Behind Travis Hunter
The Colorado Buffaloes football team has walked away with a win in their 2024 season opener against a tough opponent. The North Dakota State University Bison, nine-time FCS Champions, are known to be a team that big schools would prefer not to have on the schedule. This is not to say that teams fear the Bison, but rather that they are not the walk in the park that other FCS schools might be.
The Bison put up quite the fight against the Buffaloes, scoring 26 points and putting plenty of heart into their performance as well. Unfortunately, the Bison were not enough for Colorado and lost the game mainly due to their pass defense. Colorado tore through the second of the Bison and created plenty of space whenever they needed to pass.
On offense, wide receiver Travis Hunter led the team with three touchdown receptions and a handful of tackles on defense as well. Hunter continues to be a versatile, do-it-all player for the Buffaloes despite the added depth to the roster. The athlete played every snap of the first half for the Buffaloes, an accomplishment he had done a handful of times last season.
What Did the Colorado Football Team do Right Against the Bison?
Colorado played against a team that has no quit in them for sure, and fights for every yard that they record. The Buffaloes did not have the best performance themselves but handled the game well and did not make many mistakes. The Bison fought hard and picked up gritty yards on power runs at times that proved to be too much for the Buffaloes’ defense.
Besides a 48-yard play and a 27-yard play, the Buffaloes did not allow the Bison to beat them over the top. The Buffaloes did a good job of preventing North Dakota State from opening up their offense and airing out the ball. Colorado also tackled well against the Bison, saving themselves from potentially massive drives in particular during the fourth quarter.
Offensively, there were two main things the Colorado Buffaloes did well with the first of the two being the limitation of sacks. North Dakota State was not able to generate much pressure against the Buffaloes, and when they did, both the offensive line and the running backs picked up the incoming pressure. A season ago, Sanders was one of the most sacked quarterbacks in college football and Colorado has since put a premium on finding quality offensive line talent.
The Colorado Buffaloes also found the space necessary to read havoc on the Bison defense throughout the game. Both Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr recorded triple-digit receiving yards with Hunter hauling in three touchdowns for Colorado. Each receiver cut through the opposing defense and found separation on nearly every play they ran.
Get More NFL and College Football Content
For more news and trends in the college football world, follow me on Twitter @JarrettGuerrera
