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September 6, 2024 • 12 mins
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I like football.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
Football is one of those things for me, and we
always like to do a little bit of a fun thing.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Where we go behind enemy lines.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
We learn about the opponent for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from
the opponent's perspective, and that is including the Colorado Buffaloes,
who are very high profile these days and joining us
right now is a beat rider for buff Zone in
the Boulder Daily Camera, Colorado Buffalo's beat writer, Brian Howell,
joining us on the phone line. Brian, thanks so much
for being on our show today.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
You having me. I appreciate it, all right.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
So Brian, let's go ahead. Week one, big national television audience.
Not as many games as there would be on a
Saturday night for Colorado on the first game of the season,
and they're not playing any cupcake. This is an FCS
program in North Dakota State that has won several national
titles in recent years, is ranked in the top five
in the FCS rankings, and Colorado was able to get

(00:54):
the job done.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
At the end of the day, what did you make
of that first game with Colorado.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
It was a good first test for them. You know,
that's not like you said, that's not an easy opponent.
You I know, a lot of people look at it.
It's an SCS opponent. That's a really good SDS opponent.
I thought it was a good test for them, you know,
with especially with new offensive lines, new defensive lines don't
tu the state is really physical, and so that was
a good game to kind of break in with the

(01:21):
physicality and really get tested in the trenches. So I
thought it was a good test for them and a
good win.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
One of the things is Suder Sanders, and I think
his ability to rise above some of the noise just
there's so much social media, and we'll get to that
in a second with this program. But I think pretty
much anybody who watches college football watched this game last
week and said, you know, Shoulder Sanders actually is the
real deal. He's incredibly good.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
What do you how do you?

Speaker 2 (01:50):
You see him a lot more frequently with a lot
more of a more accurate scope, probably than most of us,
who are you know, watching him on TV every once
in a while and not really knowing what his demeanor
and personality is except for the TV interviews before and
after a game. What about him is making him kind
of elevate beyond that noise?

Speaker 1 (02:09):
To being a legitimate professional prospect.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
Well, I mean it starts with the fact that, you know,
obviously his father was a Hall of Famer and so
he grew up with that mindset and kind of learning
how to be a pro and so he's really truly
not phased by the spotlight or anything that's going on.
I mean, there's really no environment you can put him
in that he has been in before. There's not a
whole lot of defenses you can throw at him that

(02:32):
he had seen before, and so he's just a really
you know, confident, experienced player at this point.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Yeah, we're speaking with Brian Howell, who covers Colorado football
as we go behind enemy lines here ahead of this game.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
This is an interesting one.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Last year, Deon Sanders and the Buffalo Shitter Sanders, Travis Hunter,
the whole gang took on Nebraska Nebraska in year one,
game two at that point of the Matt rule era,
and it was a festive atmosphere. There are a lot
of Nebraska fans that made the trip over there to Boulder.
A couple of poorly time turnovers in the first half
for Nebraska helped get Colorado some space and they did

(03:08):
not look back as they got off to a great
start last year, but the Wheels kind of fell off
after a thrilling victory in the Rocky Mountain showdown there
against Colorado State. How can you best describe how the
entirety of the twenty twenty three season went for Colorado
and kind of the attitude of this program coming into
this year.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah, all the ball. I mean it was a kind
step for them. I mean, they've made a lot of
progress from the year before, when you know, the totally
different team. They were really the worst team in Powerfire Football.
They're terrible. Yes, the Wheels in some ways fell off,
but they were in a lot of those games at them,
they just weren't able to finish them. I think they
just never really recovered mentally from an inexplicable loss to Stanford.

(03:53):
You know, they're up twenty nine to nothing at halftime
and lose the game in overtime. That would have made
them five and two, and I think they get a
bowl game if they'd win that game. And so I
just don't think they've ever recovered from that. But this
year's team, I think they've kind of taken some of
those lessons. They've gone out in the portal. They've added
some pieces that they feel you can make them better

(04:13):
equipped to handle a lot of those things. And I
think it's a better team than it was last year,
and one that's more equipped to handle some adversity from
last year.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
You watched that game up close and personal.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
Complete side note was the Ilik Iomaner second half plus
overtime about as good as you've seen a player have
in the last like five or ten years.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
It's close. Yeah, you know, Khalil Tate against Colorado a
few years ago for Arizona. The quarterback was unreal, you know,
for I don't remember what year was, twenty seventeen or eighteen,
something like that, that was pretty unreal. But yeah, what
he was doing that night was kind of mind boggling.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, anybody who didn't watch that Stanford in Colorado game,
which was one of my favorite games of the year
honestly to watch because this was, you know, a random
comeback that you just never expected late at night when
no other game was still going on.

Speaker 1 (05:05):
And this random guy that I had not heard of.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
I think he's a freshman last year, al like Iomanor
had like through almost three hundred receiving yards in the
second half in overtime alone.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Pretty wild.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
So anyway back to Colorado this year, Travis Hunter is
another name that we know and he's both sides of
the ball guy. Week one, something like two total offensive
and defensive snaps he was not on the field for.
Is this something that he can keep up? I'm sure
it's gonna look similar against Nebraska. Is that what you're
kind of expecting though? For the entirety of the season,
is like a ninety eight or ninety nine percent of

(05:35):
the snaps he's going to be taking on both offense
and defense.

Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yeah. Pretty Of the two that he missed last week,
one was because his helmet came off after a catch,
and by Louell, he had to miss a snap, So
that's no reason he missed one of those. But yeah,
that's just the way Travis is. And I think that
you know, I was a little surprised because I thought
they are a deeper receiver and corner. I thought that

(05:59):
might be able to allow him to have oportunity to
give him some breathers, but he didn't take any, and
so I think he's certainly capable, and as long as
he's healthy, I think he's going to play. You know,
ninety snaps.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
It's wild to say, but he is incredibly talented and
this is one of the cool things about you know,
watching a player of his caliber.

Speaker 1 (06:19):
You don't see a lot of two way stars these days.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
But because he's out there, he enjured, Sanders's going to
get a lot of that attention. Give me a couple
of names that we need to be aware of before
we get into this game, and you know that we're
going to be hearing on either the television broadcast or
Immemorial Stadium.

Speaker 3 (06:33):
Yeah, well, Jimmy Forton Junior had a huge game last week,
you know, one hundred and ninety eight yards receiving. But
there's a couple other guys that didn't really get going
last week that we're going to see at some point
this season, and we could be this week. That's so
John day Western and Little Shepherd, a couple of receivers
that that got in the portal that were both you know,
elite for their previous school. So watch for both of

(06:54):
those guys. And you know, on defense, you're going to
see some guys like you obviously Shiloh standards, but you know,
Jim McKinney and Preston Hodge at corner and slot corner.
Those guys have been really key to some of the
changes they've made and in the trenches. Just as a group,
I think they're better than what we saw last year.
I mean, Nebraska got to should do her seven times

(07:16):
last year. I think they're hoping, I know they're hoping
that that number is much less this time around. I
think their office why it is better than they were
a year ago.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah, and you know, from your perspective as you kind
of scout in Nebraska a little bit, being somewhat aware
of kind of the system, even though it's going to
be a very different looking team for Nebraska as well
heading into this game versus the game that you guys
saw last year, what about the Huskers? Do you think
he's going to give Colorado the most problems?

Speaker 3 (07:44):
Well, I think something is when you mentioned right off
the bat that you know there were some untimely turnovers
for Nebraska last year. I think you start with a quarterback.
I know Dylan's only a freshman making a second start,
but I don't anticipate Nebraska had the same type of
corequarterback issues they had a year ago. And I don't
know what he was like for the rest of games

(08:05):
for Nebraska, but at least in Boulder, Jeff was a disaster.
I don't expect that out of deal, and I think
that right there closes a lot of the gap. But
I think he's going to be a bigger challenge for
Colorado than what they faced in quarterback last year. And
you know, I think just the physicality user is something
that bust has got to be ready for. That's why

(08:25):
I think last week was a good test because it
kind of got them physically ready. But I think that
you know, Nebraska was going to take it up at
not from what they even last week.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
Speaking with Brian Howell, who covers Colorado Buffalo football, and
you've been doing this for a while, Deon Sanders is
a pretty unique character. One of your colleagues, not necessarily
you work with directly, but you guys are around each
other to cover this team. And he was banned from
asking any questions to Deon Sanders. That made a lot
of national headlines, a lot of people saying that this

(08:57):
is a circus, this guy's really only only in it
for the publicity for his kids kind of thing. There's
a lot of complexities with having somebody this notable be
a head coach at a program that hadn't been relevant
in a while. From your perspective covering this team and
getting a chance to see it up close and personal,
how can you best describe the relationship that Deon Sanders

(09:19):
has with the people who cover this team.

Speaker 3 (09:21):
It's honestly pretty good overall. I mean, I think those
that describe it as a circus are not in Boulder,
and I think that if they hung around the team,
and we're around the team much, I think there's a
lot of people to be surprised how normal it feels
and how very football it feels, and that it's not
circus like. And then, frankly, you know, Deon standers. Yes,

(09:42):
he can have his moments, but I've covered a lot
of coaches in Colorado because they've fired a lot of coaches.
They all have their moments, and you know, I don't
I've heard of described as a bully to the media.
I wouldn't describe him as that. I think there's other
coaches that I've covered here that are probably more like
a bully than he is. And overall, I think it's
a cut a relationship. Like I said, he has his moments,

(10:02):
You know, he's been pretty good to us, and there's
he's the only coach I've ever covered that. You know,
when the sports information people are ready to in the
press Conmas and they'll say last question, a lot of times,
Dann will say, no, I'm good, keep going, you know,
And he's done that a lot, so he's good to
us overall.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
I think it's good perspective there as well. Last thing
before I get you out of here, Brian Uh. This
Colorado program is definitely one that a lot of people
are paying close attention to. And I know a lot
of people who are the haters out there really would
like to see, you know, them go another four and
eight this year and Deanna get humbled.

Speaker 1 (10:38):
I don't know how realistic that is.

Speaker 2 (10:40):
I know the Big Twelve is a little bit of
a different schedule for them, But if you're looking at
this from a perspective of somebody who follows the team,
what's kind of the ceiling that you see for them
in their first year in the Big Twelve and the
second year of the Deon Sanders era.

Speaker 3 (10:52):
I think they were last year and and to me,
this is the Bowl team. I'd be surprised if they
weren't in a bowl game, because I think that's the
floor and I think ceiling. You know, if they get
better in the trenches that even we saw last week
and they were okay, But if they get to get
better and improveser off the season, I think there's a
realistic chance that they could contend for the Big Twelve title.

(11:15):
I don't expect that, but I think that there's certainly
capability there. When you have a quarterback like Shador and
a talent like Travis Hunter.

Speaker 1 (11:22):
Now it's worth paying attention to.

Speaker 2 (11:23):
Definitely two of the best players in college football this year,
both suiting up for the Colorado Buffaloes and coming to
Lincoln to take on the Huskers this week, and Brian
Howell covering the Colorado Buffaloes for buff Zone, among other things.
Brian has always really appreciate you taking us behind enemy
lines today and good luck hanging out with this team.

Speaker 1 (11:41):
All year long.

Speaker 3 (11:42):
Thank you. I appreciate it all right.

Speaker 2 (11:43):
That'll do it for that interview. Pretty interesting stuff here,
and from somebody who knows from the inside about this
incredibly interesting program.

Speaker 3 (11:53):
Em Marie's sung You Long Go to College on news
radio eleven ten kfab
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