BOULDER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 9: Head Coach Deion Sanders takes the field during warmups at Folsom Field. Coach Sanders led the Colorado Buffaloes in a match up against their long-time rivals, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, during Coach Prime's highly anticipated home debut. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
BOULDER, COLORADO (CC) - After getting off to a rocky start early in the game on offense today against their neighboring rivals, Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes finally managed to sink their horns in the Nebraska Cornhuskers, delighting the frenzied CU fans and walking away with a 36-14 victory in their home debut.
Wide Receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. stood out again this week before suffering cramps early in the fourth quarter. His teammate Tar' Varish Dawson had two touchdowns, one receiving plus a reverse for 8 yards right after Horn Jr. left the game.
Superstar quarterback Shedeur Sanders had almost 400 passing yards after tossing up for a school-record 510 yards last week.
Cramping his naysayer's styles, the Junior has passed for six touchdowns and is yet to throw an interception in the first two games this season.
Nothing could cramp his dad's style this week.
The contest between the 1990's going forward rivals marked Coach Prime's home debut in Boulder after his team upset national championship runner-up TCU in Texas last week.
After learning what the Colorado-Nebraska rivalry was really like from alumni and fans, Sanders who is a devout Christian said today's game was personal:
"I've learned the severity, the serious nature of this rivalry, and I'm embracing it 100%," Sanders said earlier in the week. "This is personal. That's the message of the week."
"We do not like Nebraska," his son and quarterback Shedeur said.
Nebraska's defenders must have felt lit by those words because they came out on fire in the first half - pressuring and sacking the QB seven times today.
He seemed out of his wits at times in the first half, along with his coaches and teammates.
But he started to feast late in the second half by tossing a 30-yard touchdown strike to Dawson with 2:35 remaining in the half. After adding a 32-yard field goal, the Buffaloes led 13-0 at halftime.
After the half, with the exception of a 57-yard touchdown run by QB Jeff Sims in the third quarter, the Huskers found it still very difficult to climb the mountain that was Colorado's defense in this game.
Sanders' team led 23-7 going in to the final quarter.
A Nebraska fumble early in the fourth gave Colorado the football at the Buff's 34-yard line.
A stampede to the end zone during a 65-yard drive over nine plays was finished by Dawson's 8-yard flash to the promised land.
Nebraska flash-traveled some 500 miles southwest of Lincoln to what is known as "God's Country" in Boulder, a college town located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, some 5,430 feet or 1.6+ miles above sea level - 25 miles northwest Denver.
The rivals had not footed the bill and played each other since Nebraska migrated to the Big Ten and Colorado moved to the Pac-12 in 2011.
This game was the third in a four-game non-conference series scheduled to end next season. The Buffaloes sealed the three-peat with today's victory.
Remarkably, Colorado did not have to punt today after the 5:38 mark in the second quarter, and scored on 7-of-8 drives after that - capped by a 6-yard touchdown juke by Shedeur who then performed the celebration dance made famous by his dad during his own playing days with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys.
The early Heisman Trophy candidate's day was then done with 4:54 left, as the Buffs held a commanding 36-7 lead.
The Buffaloes are loaded with superstar talent.
Coach Prime gave last year's 1-9 team a roster makeover - much to the surprise and criticism of some of his peers.
His son won offensive player of the week last week. Two-way superstar Travis Hunter won defensive player and Dylan Edwards top freshman.
Today, Xavier Weaver had 170 yards receiving.
FACTS
The Buffs have already won more games than they did last season. They were favored by 2.5 points against Nebraska but won by 22.
Today's game was televised nationally on Fox - the second week in a row that the Buffaloes were so-honored.
Coach Prime's second victory as the leading man for Colorado marked the Buff's largest victory against Nebraska since 2001 (62-36).
NEXT GAMES
Nebraska: Host Northern Illinois Saturday in Lincoln
Colorado: In-state rival Colorado State Saturday night in Boulder
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