Colorado clearly wasn’t satisfied with its 52-21 win over Weber State.
From failing to reach the end zone 10 times that offensive coordinator Brennan Marion hoped for, to giving up three touchdowns, several special-teams blunders and 13 penalties, the team had plenty to clean up. Head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders shared his displeasure in his post-game press conference and relied on his faith to calm him down.
By the middle of the following week, though, Sanders believes his herd of Buffaloes has made strides in fixing everything ahead of playing at Northwestern.
“They're responding. They understand,” Sanders said on Tuesday morning. “We've given them a tremendous amount of statistics and knowledge based on penalties and [for] certain things that we succeed [at, that] I didn't feel like we were successful in a week ago. We could have done better…We’re here to win it all.”
From the outside, it seems the team’s “understanding” came soon following the final whistle. After Coach Prime’s frustrated post-game presser, linebacker Tyler Martinez, safety Randon Fontenette, quarterback Julian Lewis and wide receiver Joseph Williams echoed that the team needed to play better, even though they all posted solid stat lines; notably, Lewis earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week.
After Sanders spoke on Tuesday, defensive end Toby Anene, kicker Elliot Arnold and offensive lineman Sean Kinney repeated the sentiment. And the receiving core, represented by WR coach Rashad Davis and wideouts Ernest Campbell and DeAndre Moore Jr., sang the same tune on Wednesday.
“We haven't done anything yet to where anybody should be walking in here with their chest up,” Moore, who previously spent three years at Texas, said.
With a focus on themselves, the Black-and-Gold also have their eyes set on the Big Ten opponents waiting for them in Chicago. From Sanders, who was the first to address the media to start Week 3, to Davis and the players, there is a lot of respect for the experienced, physical Wildcats.
Coach Prime started with the opposing tenured coaching staff. He shouted out Northwestern head coach David Braun for his career accomplishments, which include the 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. He also shared his affinity for offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, mentioning the hospitality Kelly showed Sanders and his son, Shedeur, at a UCLA training camp several years ago.
Sanders knows the culture those two men and their coaching staff have built, and that the disciplined roster has experience.
“Big 10 team, you know they're going to be physical,” Sanders said. “I'm pretty sure they're not going to make many mistakes. They had two weeks to prepare for us. I like it. I like this task for us. I really do.”
Offensively, Kelly and his experience bring some danger. He’s definitely not afraid of an up-tempo offense, which puts stress on a defense. And while Kelly has just one game with his new program under his belt, a 34-18 win over South Dakota State, his offense was three shy of 500 total yards (273 passing, 224 rushing).
With Northwestern’s rushing attack, CU will need another stellar performance from its defensive front and linebacker core. Yet, with fourth-year Michigan State transfer Aidan Chiles under center, playing a dual-threat style, the Buffs will have their hands full; Chiles ran and threw for a TD in his 2026 season opener.
“Being able to get out of the pocket, extend plays, athletic guy,” Anene said about Chiles. “[Ends] Coach [George Helow] is telling us today you got to tackle him like a running back. So can't go high on him. Got to wrap him up and run your feet on contact.”
While the Buffs’ defense has been sound so far, it has dealt with injuries on the line and is working out who will be the full-time nickelback; CU moved Boo Carter to the slot in place of Makari Vickers last week, allowing Jason Stokes Jr. to play outside where Carter usually is. So, there will be multiple moving parts.
“That's who I think he is, and in the NFL I think he could play the slot, corner, and safety,” Sanders said of Carter. “Boo is going to play corner this week as well. Is he going to play the slot as well?”
For Colorado’s offense, though, it will be facing a team that allowed 18 points and 432 total yards (285 passing, 147 rushing) against SD State.
Throughout the week, CU’s receivers mentioned zone concepts that Northwestern runs, with Moore focusing on consistent match principles. Campbell noted the Wildcats’ hard-hitting safety, Robert Fitzgerald.
Yet, while Colorado and Brennan Marion have emphasized knowing the opponent inside and out, CU feels that the talented receiving core creates too many mismatches.
“We just got a lot of speed, so it's pretty much pick your poison,” Campbell said. “Just going to find the weakest DB.”
Of course, Moore, Campbell and Williams are coming off big games; the trio caught at least one touchdown each against Weber State. But highly-touted transfer Danny Scudero is nursing an injury, while a now-healthy Kam Perry looks for his first standout game.
Naturally, Northwestern has plenty to worry about stopping the air attack, especially after CU’s dominant rushing approach has stretched the field to start the season; running back Micah Welch posted the first single-game 100-yard rushing performance in the Coach Prime era.
“I've never seen a coach like him, OC like him, where he knows like he knows the coverage, he knows what's going to happen pre-snap, and he's telling – not telling, but telling – Ju what to do with it,” Campbell said of Marion. “He's smart, like crazy smart. It's crazy. I can't lie, I ain't never seen that like that in my [prior two] years of college.”
For everyone, weather will likely be a factor. Regardless, Coach Davis said his WRs need to catch the ball. And Arnold, who’s “gotten his swagger back,” has been practicing kicking in the conditions. The young kicker nailed a 52-yard field goal and sailed multiple kickoffs out of the back of the end zone against Weber State despite returning from a
With momentum from a 52-21 win, motivation for improvement and the challenge the Northwestern Wildcats present, Colorado will look to jump to 3-0 in Chicago at 5:30 p.m. MT on Saturday night (FOX).
