A different opponent on a different day, but the same story played out for the Nebraska football team.
While the Husker defense kept NU competitive for long stretches, the simplest of mistakes offensively cost Nebraska dearly.
A first-half surge from the Huskers amounted to nothing as a four-turnover game — including three from quarterback Jeff Sims — gave Colorado the opportunities it needed.
No. 22 Colorado scored 16 points off turnovers during a 36-14 win over Nebraska on Saturday at Folsom Field that dropped NU to 0-2 on the season.
One week after dismantling TCU and putting up 550 yards, the Colorado offense initially found themselves with a challenge on their hands.
Colorado’s (2-0) first three drives of the game all ended in punts as Nebraska’s defensive line brought the pressure and its defensive backs did the rest.
On one play, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders moved left, then right. Sanders stepped up and spun around, backpedaling as he evaded Nebraska’s pass rush at every move.
As the play stretched on and on, Sanders kept waiting for one of his wide receivers to break open.
They never did. The Nebraska secondary outlasted Sanders on that pivotal third down, eventually forcing him to step out of bounds for a coverage sack.
Tied 0-0 for the game’s opening 20 minutes, that type of low-scoring game with limited possessions was exactly where Nebraska wanted to be — but its own offensive execution was extremely lacking.
The Huskers took the game’s opening possession to the edge of field goal range, only for quarterback Jeff Sims to fumble a third down shotgun snap promptly recovered by Colorado.
After two drives that stalled out with punts, running back Gabe Ervin Jr. broke off a pair of long carries to get Nebraska back into Colorado territory.
Another third-down miscue struck, though, when NU’s shotgun snap hit a motioning player in the backfield.
Freshman kicker Tristan Alvano was forced into a long 45-yard field goal attempt as a result, which fell no good off the right upright.
A third fumbled snap of the half hurt Nebraska the most. On the first play of a fresh possession, Sims dropped another shotgun snap that resulted in a Colorado recovery just outside the red zone.
The Husker defense held strong again by keeping Colorado out of the end zone, but the Buffaloes scratched across a 31-yard field goal that represented the game’s first points.