Analyst prays star Colorado transfer ‘isn’t upright’ by season’s end

Deadspin’s Sean Beckwith is praying Colorado football star Shedeur Sanders “isn’t upright” by season’s end — hoping that Coach Prime and the Buffs coaching staff will keep him from being put on his back repeatedly by Utah’s defense, which is ranked behind only UCLA’s in the Pac-12.

“The success of this Colorado team is tethered to its quarterback, and as talented as he is, no one player (or coach) can carry a program through Pac-12 play,” Beckwith wrote while referencing USC and Caleb Williams as an example. “The Buffs remaining schedule is as follows: Oregon State, Arizona, at Washington State, and at Utah. The programs bookending that stretch should both be ranked, and I pray Shedeur Sanders isn’t upright for the trip to Salt Lake City.”

Sanders was pressured 24 times, hit 17 times, knocked down 13 times, and sacked seven times by UCLA on October 28. While Oregon State, Arizona, and (especially) Washington State don’t pose nearly the same threat, it should be noted that Sanders has been under pressure every game this season, no matter the opponent, behind one of the nation’s worst offensive lines.

Coach Prime on Shedeur Sanders’ injury during Colorado football postgame press conference

Coach Prime revealed during the Week 9 postgame presser that his son Shedeur had received an injection at halftime due to the pain caused by the porous pass protection.

“Offensively we’ve gotta improve, you see that,” Coach Prime prefaced before saying, “Quarterback is taking a beating. He got an injection at halftime. Probably shouldn’t tell you that but you know I’m 100. Just to block some of the pain. So I’m going to give him the next few days off so he can at least be mobile because I know once that block is off, he’s going to feel it tonight. We’ve gotta do a better job of protecting him.”

Colorado’s offensive line needs to prevent the reckoning of a Sanders-less offense. If it can’t, we know where Coach Prime will want them to jump in.

To clarify, it (slant) rhymes with “banter mortal.”