Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis didn’t hold back when he spoke about the Buffaloes’ performance that resulted in a devastating 41-7 loss to Northwestern.
“Honestly, it was pitiful if I had to say so,” Lewis told the media after the game.
The offense totalled 348 yards, but had as many turnovers as points. Running backs Micah Welch and Damian Henderson II helped CU’s 180 rushing yards on 33 attempts (5.5 yards per carry), but both fumbled early. Welch fumbled to start the second drive, and Henderson fumbled in the red zone to end CU’s third drive. The offense also got stuffed on three fourth downs.
And Lewis, who turned 19 two days after the loss, had the worst game of his college career.
The second-year field general threw two interceptions, including one on the drive after Henderson’s fumble; he hadn’t thrown a pick in his six prior appearances. Lewis completed 19 of 29 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown, though he had several crucial misfires, including one on third-and-7 on CU’s opening drive. He was sacked once. And even though he ran for 15 yards to start the second quarter, many questioned why he ran out of bounds before the first-down marker later in the drive, before Henderson’s fumble.
Naturally, head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders said he doesn’t want to put pressure on Lewis for the interceptions.
“That’s going to happen,” Sanders said after the game when asked about Lewis’s first career pick. “You didn’t think we was going to go through the whole darn season without a pick? That's not going to happen… Just like a cornerback getting beat; flush it and let’s go.”
By Tuesday afternoon, the focus became about who Sanders dismissed from the team, rather than Lewis and the offense, but he still answered questions about the unit and its shortcomings.
“Offense is not doing what they're supposed to do,” Sanders said. “Take away the cupcake game that we had, I think we're averaging nine, 10 points a game, something like that.”
Officially, CU is averaging 10.5 points per game outside of Weber State, along with 146 passing yards to 181.5 rushing yards. Both the run and pass game have struggled with turnovers, posting four against Northwestern with some close calls against Georgia Tech; Sanders noted turnovers as a main contributor in the loss.
When asked about Lewis’s leadership, Sanders didn’t dismiss the inquiry.
“I sat there a while ago. I said, ‘he’ll be coming around the mountain when he comes,’ right?” Sanders said of the younger quarterback, staying consistent with his expectations. “So what does that mean? He's not there yet…My job as a coach is I got to find the best that you can be in you, and highlight that and put you in those situations to succeed. I can't expect something out of you that's not in you.”
Sanders added later that he took the quarterback position for granted his whole life; his son, Shedeur, played for him his whole coaching career until just over a season ago.
Still, Lewis accepted the brunt of the blame after the loss.
“It all starts with the quarterback, right?” Lewis said in postgame presser. “It starts with me. I have to do better at getting the ball to the open guys, just keeping everybody motivated to continue the drive.”
When asked about the interceptions, Lewis chalked the first one up to a misread, saying he anticipated a window being open to wide receiver Joseph Williams. Despite a few other dangerous passes and off-target throws, Lewis’s second giveaway didn’t come until CU trailed 38-7 in the fourth quarter.
To fix those mistakes, some may expect another week of “extra work.” After scoring 52 points against Weber State, Williams said Lewis forced the receivers to get in an extra 30 minutes of reps after practice after Week 1’s close win.
So, while the Black-and-Gold’s other position groups are far more experienced, it has still shown the underlying expectations for the quarterback. As Lewis takes on the challenge, the team is growing with him while the older players set the example.
“We got to do better at every position,” Sanders said on Saturday night. “But it starts there.”
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