North Dakota State gave Deion Sanders and Colorado everything they could handle during their college football game in Boulder last Thursday. The Bison almost went into the Centennial State and pulled off an FCS upset of an FBS program on its home field.
Coach Prime was inspired by his opponent’s strong performance!
North Dakota State totaled 449 yards on offense and held the Buffaloes to 31 points. While that may not seem like an impressive defensive performance, it was. The Bison had 11 hats to the ball on every play. They swarmed like bees.
Sanders found a contrast in how his opponents approached the game versus how Colorado approached the game. He was so encouraged by North Dakota State’s effort that he actually used the game film to teach his guys a lesson before they travel to Lincoln to face Nebraska on Saturday.
I cannot say that I have ever seen this happen before.
College football teams are always going to review the tape from the week prior. They typically use it to learn from their mistakes and to go over things they missed.
Not in this instance! Coach Prime watched the film with the Buffaloes to employ them to play more like the team that almost beat them. It was less about what they did wrong and more about what their opponent did right.
Say what you will about Deion Sanders and Colorado, but this is pretty cool. Not only is North Dakota State getting the respect it deserves after a strong performance, a historic powerhouse program actively set an example for how to approach every week.
While the Bison return to an FCS schedule, the Buffaloes face a gauntlet ahead. If they can channel some of the effort put forth by the team that nearly (and probably should’ve) beat them in Week 1, they will have a much better chance of success in Weeks 2 through 12.