EVANSTON, Ill. — The 80 yards in penalties would’ve been difficult to overcome on any night.
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Yet it was the timing of those miscues that proved most damaging to Colorado.
The Buffaloes suffered their first defeat of the season Saturday night, getting rolled 41-7 by Northwestern in the final game at Martin Stadium before the Wildcats move into their renovated, highly modernized home at Ryan Field.
One week after piling up more than 100 penalty yards against an FCS-level foe during a home win against Weber State, the Buffs were arguably worse in the penalty department against the Wildcats.
Of CU’s nine penalty flags, many occurred at inopportune moments that might have reversed the momentum for the Buffs.
In the first quarter, Toby Anene batted down a pass from Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles on third-and-9, but a defensive holding penalty on CU’s Cree Thomas kept the Buffs defense on the field. The Wildcats scored their first touchdown three plays later.
The first career interception for CU quarterback Julian Lewis was preceded by back-to-back holding penalties, forcing the Buffs into a first-and-30 situation. And late in the first half, CU defensive back Boo Carter was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when Northwestern was about to face a third-and-11. The Wildcats again took advantage, punching in a touchdown that put the Buffs in a 21-0 hole at halftime.
Through three games, the Buffs have compiled 247 penalty yards, an average of 82.3 per game.
“We gotta do better,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said. “We penalize these guys for what they do. Fifteen yards is 15 gassers. So they’re going to be in shape or they’re going to stop. Because it don’t make any sense. Especially self-inflicted ones that no one has nothing to do with and you’re jumping offsides. Like, c’mon man, the play hasn’t even started. That don’t even make sense. But we’ll get it right. I promise you we’ll get it right.”
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Wheel-routed
Northwestern running back Joseph Himon II finished with 28 rushing yards on four carries, but he torched the Buffs in the passing game. Himon recorded just three catches, but all three ended in touchdowns on similar plays called by Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, with Himon finding open space on wheel routes out of the backfield.
“Obviously, Chip Kelly is a really good offensive coordinator,” CU defensive back Naeten Mitchell said. “We’re going to go out there and see if we can fix it.”
Career performance
Sanders offered high praise for Chiles, a former starter at Michigan State who finished 17-for-22 with 241 yards and three touchdowns. Chiles added two short rushing touchdowns in the first half.
“That kid played his butt off. That’s the best football game I’ve ever seen him play,” Sanders said. “We wanted him to not scramble. We wanted him to sit in the pocket and throw. We wanted to force him into tough throws. And guess what? He made those throws. He plays like that, they’re going to have a tremendous season.”
Running back slack
First-half fumbles from running backs Micah Welch and Damian Henderson II helped put the Buffs in an early hole. Neither back saw the ball much after the miscues, and JaQuail Smith picked up the slack by rushing for 91 yards on just eight carries.
“We’ve got four or five backs that can really run,” Sanders said. “You miss your turn and you don’t handle the ball properly, you gotta wait your turn again. That’s pretty much how it goes.”
