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A rivalry is reborn this Saturday night as the #18 Colorado Buffaloes (2-0) host the Colorado State Rams (0-1) in the Rocky Mountain Showdown. Colorado leads the series 67-22-2, with the Buffaloes winning the last five matchups. The rivalry has been mostly one-sided, but there is a great purpose for this matchup.
This Saturday will have a new feel to the rivalry as ESPN's College Gameday will be there for exclusive coverage by making this matchup the game of the week. The biggest reason is the swift rise of head coach Deion Sanders and the superteam he developed from scratch.
The Buffaloes come into this matchup as heavy favorites as the team turns into one top teams in the nation. To go from a 1-11 team in 2022 to a potential championship contender in just one offseason is a remarkable turnaround. It goes to show how efficient of a coach and developed Sanders is and how talented his team is. The Rams, however, are not looking to go down quietly.
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This 2023 College Football season has not gone the way that many experts believed already. One of the main topics of surprising teams is the Buffaloes, who opened week one at #17 TCU as a 21-point underdog. The Buffaloes won the shootout 45-42.
Quarterback Shedur Sanders completed 38-of-47 of his passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns. The Buffaloes had four receivers that accounted for over 115 yards. Dylan Edwards caught five receptions for 135 yards and three touchdowns. The offense has accumulated 1,019 total yards in the two games played.
The Buffaloes are not as efficient on the defensive side of the ball as they are on offense. Colorado gave up 541 total yards (262 from the rushing game) from the Horned Frogs. Last week in the 36-14 home win over Nebraska, the Buffaloes allowed 341 total yards with 222 of them coming from the rushing game.
If there is any hope of the Rams establishing a rhythm on offense, it will be in the rushing game. The Rams only rushed for 37 yards on 20 carries in the 50-24 home loss to the Washington State Cougars in week one.
On the defensive side of the ball, the secondary will need to be better if they want to hold Sanders to a minimal performance. The Rams allowed Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward to pass for 451 yards and three touchdowns on 37 completions (out of 49 attempts).
Sanders has been one of the most explosive passers this season in college football and may continue his stellar play. In just one game, the Rams have shown they cannot maintain a productive high-volume quarterback. While Washington State is mostly an air raid offense, Sanders has the potential for big games. This is the mark of an early serious Heisman Trophy contender.
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While Washington State mostly threw the ball against Colorado State, they did run the ball 37 times. They scored three touchdowns in the process. Buffaloes running back Dylan Edwards has scored one touchdown on the ground. He has a great chance to get his second and third in this game.
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This game is going to show that Colorado looks to be one of the best and most productive offenses in college football. They were able to score 45 points in the win over TCU. While there is great faith in the offense of the Buffaloes, there is no faith in the Rams’ defense to contain them. The Rams allowed 50 points from Washington State. Colorado might put up even more against their biggest non-conference rival.
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The Colorado Buffaloes defeat the Colorado State Rams 52-23
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Michael Hanich is a sports journalist/analyst with a wide variety of experience in the newspaper and digital field. He has a love for all sports. The leagues that he covers are College Football, the NFL, the NBA, the NHL, College Basketball (men’s and women’s), the MLB, Lacrosse, Volleyball, and the WNBA.
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