Perfection needed<\/strong>: The end result of all those short-yardage throws? The Buffs’ margin for error was razor thin. A false start here, errant throw or drop there, and CU just didn’t have enough chunk-play mojo to make up for it \u2014 well, until the Buffs opened things up in second half, that is. One of the hallmarks of the Buffs’ win at TCU wasn’t just all the big plays they made, but that they played nearly flawless offensive football for large portions of the game. The Buffs couldn’t do that often enough in the first half against USC. And the resulting 27-point hole with 2:54 left in the second quarter was simply too big of a crater to dig out of.<\/p>\n Point for point<\/strong>: The other factor putting pressure on the Buffs offense? The defense is just not there yet on a consistent basis. With a five-game sample size to pick through, it’s probably now safe to say that the outlier for the Buffs was the Nebraska game. Remember, the Cornhuskers moved the ball. They just couldn’t stop turning it over. The other four teams the Buffs have played scored 42, 35, 42 and 48 points. Take away shutdown cornerback Travis Hunter and safety Shilo Sanders from that equation, and things get worse. Add those two, and maybe, just maybe, they have enough to take down a few more heavyweights.<\/p>\n Yeah, he really is that good<\/strong>: Normally, we’re not here for moral victories. There’s just too few games in a football season. But we just saw Caleb Williams and Shedeur Sanders go blow-for-blow, and the CU quarterback sure looked like the better player by the end of it. Immaculate deep passes. On-the-money out-routes. Freelancing at its finest. Williams threw six touchdown passes for USC, but Sanders (30-of-45 passing, 371 yards, 4 TDs) felt like the star. Well, he and CU freshman receiver Omarion Miller (7 catches, 196 yards), that is. If the rout in Oregon was the Buffs coming back down to Earth, this loss is them redefining their ceiling. This team competes. And that could lead to big things down the line.<\/p>\n Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.<\/em><\/p>\n 40,000 drivers caught on camera cutting illegally in and out of Colorado highway express lanes<\/li>\n Terrell Davis pays $3.3M for Cherry Hills mansion<\/li>\n Everything you need to know about the solar eclipse at Mesa Verde National Park<\/li>\n Lauren Boebert escorted out of "Beetlejuice" musical in Denver after "causing a disturbance"<\/li>\n Kiszla: Have 0-3 Broncos hit rock bottom? Frank Clark says: "This is going to be a season of grit. We're going to have to take some (bleep)."<\/li>\n Construction starts on $125M, 81-acre technology park in Broomfield<\/li>\n Gov. Jared Polis orders plan to keep Colorado's national parks open in a federal shutdown<\/li>\n Discovery of Suzanne Morphew's body raises new legal questions in 3-year-old case<\/li>\n Bustang canceled 51 Colorado rides over past two weeks<\/li>\n "Super El Ni\u00f1o" likely this winter, NCAR experimental prediction system says<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nShare this:<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/dfm-trust-indicators\/static\/images\/Trust-Logo-Horizontal.svg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n\n
\n
Most Popular<\/h2>\n
\n
40,000 drivers caught on camera cutting illegally in and out of Colorado highway express lanes<\/h3>\n
Terrell Davis pays $3.3M for Cherry Hills mansion<\/h3>\n
Everything you need to know about the solar eclipse at Mesa Verde National Park<\/h3>\n
Lauren Boebert escorted out of “Beetlejuice” musical in Denver after “causing a disturbance”<\/h3>\n
Kiszla: Have 0-3 Broncos hit rock bottom? Frank Clark says: “This is going to be a season of grit. We’re going to have to take some (bleep).”<\/h3>\n
Construction starts on $125M, 81-acre technology park in Broomfield<\/h3>\n
Gov. Jared Polis orders plan to keep Colorado’s national parks open in a federal shutdown<\/h3>\n
Discovery of Suzanne Morphew’s body raises new legal questions in 3-year-old case<\/h3>\n
Bustang canceled 51 Colorado rides over past two weeks<\/h3>\n
“Super El Ni\u00f1o” likely this winter, NCAR experimental prediction system says<\/h3>\n
Trending Nationally<\/h2>\n