Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders was unhappy after his team lost their Week 1 matchup against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 27-20, at Folsom Field on Friday night.
He was unhappiest at the offense. And his frustrations were specifically geared towards Buffs offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
“Timing, personnel… I’m not gonna say what I really want to say,” Sanders said, when asked why the offense stalled.
“That’s a tough one, especially provoking three turnovers… Gotta be more explosive, more definitive, more decisive with what we do with the ball on offense.”
Kaidon Salter was uneven on short throws and perhaps overly ambitious on downfield tosses. He finished 17-for-28 passing with 159 yards, a touchdown pass to DeKalon Taylor, and added another 43 yards and a score on the ground. Four-star freshman quarterback Julian Lewis, who Sanders said would get “a chance to shine,” didn’t make his college football debut.
Worse yet, though, three turnovers by the defense led to just seven points. That’s a direct failure on the play-calling not to capitalize on golden opportunities to beat a Yellow Jackets offense that Haynes King doesn’t allow to beat itself.
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Ultimately, before giving any substantial fodder to the media, Sanders struck an optimistic tone.
“We definitely going to be fine. We could have won that game… We take advantage of those opportunities, I have a better mood right now,” Sanders said.
Read more: Deion Sanders Sends Warning to Big 12 on CU’s new roster
Pat Shurmur Has Lost the Plot in Boulder
There’s no doubt that Shurmur is now the scapegoat at CU following an atrocious outing for his unit. One particular sequence served as a perfect microcosm of the evening and got him clowned by the Denver Post’s Sean Keeler.
“CU got the ball back to start the second half, but the Buffs’ opening salvo fizzled out at midfield,” Keeler wrote.
“Two explosive Welch runs set up a second-and-4 at the Tech 47. On third-and-2, Salter kept it on a bootleg and rolled into trouble again, throwing the ball away.
“With left tackle Jordan Seaton gesticulating madly at his teammates, the Buffs sent the offense back out on fourth down, only to set up a better punt with a delay-of-game call.
“On that one, your guess is as good as ours. Heck, at this point, it might be a heck of a lot better than Shurmur’s.”
When you’re remembered for a bad play-call, and not having your new starting quarterback looking capable, even if Salter was “jittery” out there, you know you’ve lost the plot. Especially with a zinger like Keeler’s. If anyone can do Shurmur’s job, why is he being paid $850,000 to do it?
We’ll see if Shurmur can get it back or go the way of his predecessor play-caller, Sean Lewis.
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