You know Coach Prime is going to tell it like it is. He didn't hold back in doing so in the aftermath of Colorado's disappointing performance in a 36-20 loss at Houston on Friday night.
The Buffs started slow, falling down 13-0 early in the game. But Colorado responded as we've often seen in the Deion Sanders era, cutting into the lead and trailing just 16-14 at halftime. But the second half was all Houston, with the Cougars scoring 17 unanswered to open the half to build a 33-14 advantage. Colorado didn't score in the second half until the game was long since decided.
The stats tell the story: Just like the season-opening loss to Georgia Tech, Colorado was overwhelmed on both lines of scrimmage. Houston outrushed Colorado 213-96. Worse, Colorado produced 93 of those 96 yards in the first half. They couldn't feign a ground attack in the second half, which put way too much on the shoulders of redshirt sophomore Ryan Staub, making his second career start and his first in two years.
“It wasn’t good. I’m at a loss for words,” Sanders said. “No one could have told me that it was gonna turn out like this, after the week of preparation we had."
Some soul-searching is needed for Coach Prime and Colorado moving forward
Colorado is 1-2 through three games, and now 0-1 in the Big 12. Any margin for error Colorado had coming into the season has been used up through three weeks. The schedule doesn't get much easier. After next week's game against Wyoming, the Buffs will finish the season with eight straight conference opponents.
They're going to have to do some soul-searching. They're going to have to find an identity on both sides of the ball. Football is still a simple game, despite all the eye candy. It is often won and lost at the line of scrimmage. Colorado can't continue losing on both sides of the line and expect to have a winning season.
"Normally, when you give up 200 yards rushing, that's not in the winning cause," Sanders said. "So we got to do much better stopping the opposing team from running the football.
"We’re not struggling. We’re getting our butts kicked. You don’t have to be polite with me. You don’t have to sugarcoat it."
Colorado has a veteran group of defensive linemen who should not be getting pushed around the way they are. As much criticism as OC Pat Shurmur has taken - and it's deserved as the Buffs still have no offensive identity through three weeks - DC Robert Livingston can't be absolved so far. He did great work with the defense last year, but football is all about what have you done for me lately.
On offense, regardless of who the QB is going forward, Colorado invested too much in its offensive line - and has too many talented running backs - to not be able to move the ball on the ground.
"I feel as though we have the players to be physical and run the darn football."
Coach Prime and the Buffs exit Week 3 with a whole lot more questions than they have answers. Taking a step back from last season with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter gone was expected, but being as non-competitive as they were in the second half against Houston was not.