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Colorado vs. Nebraska score: Highlights from Cornhuskers football win over Buffaloes today

brent schrotenboer, usa today
·12 min read
28

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska Cornhusker fans have been starving for all of this.

A win against rival Colorado? It’s been 5,034 days since the last time that happened in 2010.

A 2-0 start to the season? It’s been eight years since that last happened, in 2016.

And to achieve both against Colorado’s flamboyant coach, Deion Sanders, after getting beat by his team last year in Boulder?

All those red stars aligned here Saturday, when Nebraska beat Colorado, 28-10, in front of a sold-out crowd of 86,906 at Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola completed 23 of 30 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. Dante Dowdell led the team on the ground with 74 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The Huskers led from the start and built a 28-0 lead at halftime as Colorado limped to the locker room without two of its starters on defense. Safety Shilo Sanders, Deion’s son, injured his forearm earlier in the game. Linebacker Trevor Woods also was disqualified after being called for a targeting penalty late in the second quarter.

Nebraska sacked Buffaloes quarterback Shadeur Sanders five times for 33 yards lost. He finished 23-of-38 passing for 244 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

The two teams had played only four times since 2010, when both were members of the Big 12 Conference. After leaving for other conferences after that, they signed a four-game contract in 2012, with Colorado winning the first three of those games in 2018, 2018 and 2023.

Next week, the Buffs play at rival Colorado State on CBS. Nebraska hosts Northern Iowa.

USA TODAY Sports has all the highlights and updates from the game below.

Deion Sanders postgame interview

Colorado touchdown: LaJohntay Wester score makes it 28-10

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska linebacker Mikai Gbayor was disqualified from the game with about nine minutes left in the game after he was called for a targeting penalty against Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Gbayor hit Sanders with his helmet as the quarterback was sliding down on a first-down play.

The penalty brought Colorado to the Nebraska 10-yard line, where Sanders set up and found receiver LaJohntay Wester two plays later for a  5-yard touchdown pass.

It was Colorado’s first touchdown of the game and helped cut Colorado’s lead to 28-10.

Attendance for Nebraska vs. Colorado: Another sellout

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska enters the fourth quarter with a 28-3 lead after sitting on the ball for the final six minutes of the third quarter. The only scoring after halftime has been a field goal for Colorado, but Nebraska now wants to put this game away and start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016.

The announced attendance at Memorial Stadium is 86,906, the 398th consecutive sellout for Nebraska.

Colorado field goal: Kicker Alejandro Mata makes score 28-3

LINCOLN, Neb. –  Colorado finally scored against Nebraska but elected to go for a 27-yard field goal instead of trying for a touchdown on fourth down and goal from the 10-yard line.

Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata booted it through the uprights to shrink Nebraksa’s lead to 28-3 with 10:38 left in the third quarter. The drive went 49 yards in eight plays on Colorado’s first drive of the second half.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is 17-of-30 passing for 178 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

Halftime score: Nebraska 28, Colorado 0

LINCOLN, Neb. –  Nebraska leads at halftime 28-0 after a disastrous stretch for Colorado.

It began when one the Buffaloes’ top defenders was disqualified from the game after being flagged for targeting late in the second quarter. Linebacker Trevor Woods was penalized for targeting when his helmet ran into the head of Nebraska receiver Isaiah Neyor. By rule, he is disqualified from the game as a result, with Nebraska also gaining 15 yards from the penalty.

That brought Nebraska to the Colorado 33-yard line, where the Cornhuskers took advantage for a subsequent score. After another penalty by Colorado (pass interference),  Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola fired a pass to running back Rahmir Johnson, who almost had the ball taken away by Colorado defender LaVonta Bentley. But the ball went through Bentley’s hands and into the hands of Johnson, who ran it in for an 18-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left in the first half.

The Buffs then tried to kick a 61-yard field goal to end the half but fell well short.

Shilo Sanders injury update

LINCOLN, Neb. –  Colorado starting safety Shilo Sanders injured his forearm and is out for the rest of the game against Nebraska, his father and coach Deion Sanders told NBC at halftime.

Shilo Sanders left the game in the first quarter and didn’t return. He was Colorado’s leading tackler last year and is in his final season of college football after graduating from Jackson State last year and then transferring to Colorado to play for his father.

Read full story about Shilo Sanders' injury here.

Nebraska touchdown: Rahmir Johnson score for 28-0 lead

Targeting: Colorado's Trevor Woods disqualified

Colorado field-goal try blocked

LINCOLN, Neb. —  Almost nothing is going right for Colorado in the first half. After driving 63 yards in nine plays and threatening to score, the Buffaloes’ 29-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by Nebraska’s DeShon Singleton with 3:33 left before halftime.

Nebraska still leads, 21-0. Colorado’s kicker, Alejandro Mata, launched a low kick, which wasn’t high enough to evade Singleton’s hand.

Nebraska touchdown: Dante Dowdell scores again for 21-0 lead

LINCOLN, Neb. – A big pass play by Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has led to a 21-0 lead for the Cornhuskers with 6:44 left before halftime against Colorado.

Raiola rolled right on first down and threw across his body to the left side of the field, where receiver Jaylen Lloyd caught it one yard from the goal line for a 36-yard gain. Running back Dante Dowdell then ran it in for a score on the next play, helping Nebraska go up 21-0.

The scoring drive went 86 yards on nine plays and ate 4:46 of clock. Raiola is 10-of-12 passing for 81 yards.

Nebraska 14, Colorado 0: Score after 1st quarter

LINCOLN, Neb. –  At the end of the first quarter, Nebraska leads Colorado, 14-0, and has dominated the Buffaloes on both sides of the ball. The Cornhuskers have compiled 103 yards of total offense, compared to minus-2 yards for the Buffaloes.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has completed 8 of 9 passes for 32 yards, while his counterpart at Colorado, Shedeur Sanders has been sacked three times and has been intercepted once – for a 7-yard touchdown return.

Sanders is 3-for-7 passing for 25 yards and has minus-25 yards rushing because of those sacks.

Nebraska touchdown, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders intercepted

LINCOLN, Neb. –  Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is off to a terrible start. He was sacked twice on his first four plays and now has been intercepted by the Cornhuskers for a touchdown.

Nebraska leads in the first quarter, 14-0.

On his third possession of the game, Sanders opened the drive with a first-down pass intended for freshman receive Drelon Miller on the right side of the field. But Nebraska defensive back Tommi Hill stepped in front of Miller to grab it and return it 7 yards for a touchdown with 5:46 left in the first quarter.

Shilo Sanders leaves field

The Colorado safety and Coach Prime's son walked off the field in the first quarter, holding his helmet. No details on why he left the field were immediately provided. According to the NBC broadcast, "he is probable to return."

Red balloon release after Nebraska football TD

LINCOLN, Neb. –  Red balloons are back in the air above here Memorial Stadium. The tradition resumed in Saturday’s game against Colorado, with fans releasing them into the sky after the Cornhuskers’ first touchdown in the first quarter.

It’s the first time they’ve been allowed to fly since Nebraska’s then-athletic director Trevor Alberts announced the tradition would cease in 2022. Alberts cited a helium shortage for the decision, and Nebraska said the tradition will continue on "select special occasions."

Nebraska touchdown: RB Dante Dowdell scores for 7-0 Cornhuskers lead

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska has struck first against Colorado, taking a 7-0 lead on its first drive after a 12-year touchdown run up the middle by running back Dante Dowdell.

The drive went 49 yards in seven plays after the Cornhuskers stopped Colorado on its opening possessions with a third-down sack against CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The Buffaloes went three-and-out on that drive with Sanders throwing two incomplete passes on first and second down.

Nebraska stadium capacity

Memorial stadium has a capacity of more than 85,000 and regularly sells out for Cornhuskers football games.

"Nebraska has continued its NCAA-record streak of consecutive sellouts that dates back to 1962 and is at 396 games entering the 2024 season," Nebraska's website reads. 'Nebraska celebrated its 300th consecutive sellout with a stadium record crowd against Louisiana-Lafayette in 2009."

Who is Tommie Frazier?

Tommie Frazier was on the field at Memorial Stadium as part of the 1994 national championship team introduced before the Nebraska vs. Colorado game.

Nebraska finished 13-0 that year at No. 1. Colorado finished No. 3 at 11-1. Its only loss that year was vs. Nebraska in Lincoln.

Frazier quarterbacked Nebraska's back-to-back championship teams in 1994 and 1995. He was the Heismen Trophy runner-up to Ohio State's Eddie George in 1995. He also won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award that year, among his many accolades.

Colorado vs. Nebraska kicks off

The game kicked off at 7:30 p.m. ET at memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. Colorado had possession first but didn't do much with it, and Nebraska quickly started its first drive.

What channel is Colorado-Nebraska game? TV, streaming options

Who’s working the NBC broadcast of the Colorado-Nebraska game?

Former NFL and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy will make his debut for NBC after recently announcing his retirement from football. McCoy, who turned 38 on Thursday, will serve as the game’s analyst in the broadcast booth alongside play-by-play announcer Paul Burmeister, a former Iowa quarterback. Reporter Kathryn Tappen will work the sidelines for the broadcast, which is part of NBC’s Big Ten Conference football package.

Nebraska vs. Colorado odds, predictions

Nebraska is a -7.5 point favorite. Here the odds for the game tonight, provided by BetMGM Sportsbook. For other games, check out the USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub. Lines last updated Saturday at 5:45 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Colorado +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | Nebraska -275 (bet $275 to win $100)

  • Against the spread (ATS): Colorado +7.5 (-115) | Nebraska -7.5 (-105)

  • Over/Under (O/U): 58.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)

Deion Sanders gets cold greeting in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. – Colorado coach Deion Sanders didn’t get a very warm welcome from the Nebraska crowd before the game. He came out of the locker room about 65 minutes before kickoff after a throng of fans had gathered along his path to the field. Then after entering the field through the end zone with his bodyguard, he jogged toward the Nebraska student section, which greeted him with a profane chant:

“(Expletive) CU.”

Sanders, 57, has been here before, as a player for Florida State in 1986. He was credited with four tackles in that game, which Nebraska won, 34-17

Last game in Colorado-Nebraska contract

This game marks the last of a four-game contract between the two rivals that was signed in 2012. Colorado won the first three games: at Nebraska in 2019, at home in 2019 and at home again in 2023, when the Buffs won, 36-14.

It’s not clear when the two will play each other again. There has been no announced plan for when the series will resume.

As old members of the Big Eight and Big 12 Conferences, the two teams had played each other annually from 1948 through 2010. Both then left the Big 12 to join other conferences, forcing them to make a contract for non-conference games if they wanted to keep playing each other.

Nebraska leads the all-time series, 49-21-2.

Coaches Deion Sanders, Matt Rhule offer a study in contrasts

Saturday’s game between Colorado and Nebraska poses a fundamental question about the rapidly changing modern era of college football:

Which is the right way to build a team these days?

The head coaches of both programs started at the same time, in late 2022. But since then, Colorado’s Deion Sanders and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule have taken wildly divergent paths in their quest to rebuild two rival rosters.

A detailed look at their differences is discussed in this story here.

Deion Sanders glasses

If you find yourself searching for Coach Prime's sunglasses, here's all the info you need on his signature look.

College football Week 2 schedule, Top 25

College football picks Week 2

Here are USA TODAY Sports' expert picks for all of Saturday’s ranked games.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado vs Nebraska score: Highlights from Cornhuskers big win today