If you walked into Memorial Stadium on September 7, 2024, you didn’t just hear the noise. You felt it in your teeth. This wasn’t just another early-season non-conference game. For Nebraska, it was a decade of frustration condensed into four quarters. For Colorado, it was the moment the "Prime Effect" met a very real, very physical wall.
Honestly, the hype leading up to Nebraska vs Colorado 2024 was borderline exhausting. We had the Shedeur Sanders versus Dylan Raiola storyline—the veteran star against the freshman phenom who looks exactly like Patrick Mahomes. Then you had the Deion Sanders factor, which always turns a football game into a three-ring circus. But when the ball actually kicked off, the circus left town. What remained was a brutal, old-school beatdown that signaled a massive shift in the trajectory of these two programs.
The Night the Hype Died for the Buffs
Let’s be real: the first half was a nightmare for Colorado. Like, a "hide-under-your-covers" level of bad.
The Huskers didn't just win; they suffocated them. Nebraska jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and didn't look back. By halftime, it was 28-0. If you’re a Buffs fan, you’re probably still seeing Tommi Hill in your dreams. His 7-yard pick-six on Shedeur Sanders early in the game didn't just put points on the board—it took the soul out of the Colorado sideline.
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The discrepancy in the trenches was jarring. Colorado’s offensive line has been a talking point since Deion arrived, and in this game, it looked like they were trying to stop a tidal wave with a screen door. Shedeur Sanders spent most of his night on his back. He was sacked five times officially, but the "pressures" count felt like a hundred.
By the Numbers: A Tale of Two Halves
- Total Rushing Yards: Nebraska 149, Colorado 16. (Yes, 16. That's not a typo.)
- Sacks: Nebraska defense got home 5 times.
- Final Score: Nebraska 28, Colorado 10.
Most people expected a shootout. Instead, they got a defensive clinic. Nebraska's Matt Rhule basically told the world that his "Year 2" jump was very real. While the second half saw Colorado's defense "stiffen" (they actually shut out Nebraska in the final 30 minutes), the game was already over. It was garbage time with a high-profile name on the jersey.
Dylan Raiola vs. Shedeur Sanders: Beyond the Stat Sheet
The quarterback comparison was the "main event" according to the networks. Raiola was incredibly efficient. He didn't need to be a hero because his defense and run game were doing the heavy lifting. He finished 23-of-30 for 185 yards and a touchdown. It was a "pro" performance from a kid who was playing his second college game ever.
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On the other side, Shedeur Sanders was 23-of-38 for 244 yards. On paper? Looks okay. In reality? He was under siege. He didn't even play the final series, with backup Ryan Staub coming in to finish the job. There was a lot of talk afterward about Shedeur leaving the field early—basically heading to the locker room before the clock hit zero. People leaned into that as a sign of bad leadership, but regardless of the optics, his offensive line failed him.
Travis Hunter was, predictably, the only real bright spot for the Buffs. 10 catches for 110 yards. The guy is a freak. He played nearly every snap on both sides of the ball, but even a generational talent can't win a game when his team averages 0.7 yards per carry.
Why the 2024 Matchup Felt Different
This wasn't just about a rivalry that dates back to 1898. It was about identity. Nebraska has spent years being the "almost" team—the team that loses by one score in heart-wrenching ways. Winning Nebraska vs Colorado 2024 in such a dominant, physical fashion felt like the program finally exhaling.
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For Colorado, it exposed the structural flaws that flashy recruiting can't always fix. You can have the best receivers and the most famous coach, but if you can't block a Big Ten defensive front, you're going to have a long Saturday.
Key Takeaways from the Trenches
- Dante Dowdell is a load. The Nebraska back finished with 74 yards and two scores. He was the hammer.
- Protections were a disaster. Coach Prime admitted it after the game. If you can't protect the QB, the playbook shrinks to nothing.
- The Blackshirts are back. Nebraska's defense played with a violence we haven't seen in Lincoln for a while.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Game
There’s this narrative that Nebraska "cooled off" in the second half because they got lucky or Colorado figured them out. Sorta. But mostly, Nebraska just went into a shell. They ran the ball, chewed the clock, and played "don't lose" football. It wasn't flashy, and it made the final score look closer than the game actually was.
Another misconception? That this loss "broke" Colorado. It didn't. They actually went on to have some massive wins later in the season. But in the context of the Nebraska vs Colorado 2024 rivalry, it was a firm "return to sender" from the Huskers after getting embarrassed in Boulder the year before.
Actionable Insights for the Future
If you're following these teams into the next season, here is what you should be looking for based on what we saw in this specific matchup:
- Watch the Nebraska O-Line development. They showed they can bully teams, but consistency is their next hurdle. Raiola is the franchise; keeping him clean is the only priority.
- Monitor Colorado’s transfer portal strategy. After this game, it became obvious that they need "big humans" more than they need "fast humans." If they don't land elite interior linemen, the result against physical teams won't change.
- Keep an eye on the Raiola hype. He handles the pressure well, but as the season progressed after this game, teams started to find ways to confuse him.
- Evaluate Travis Hunter's snap count. His workload is historic, but games like this show that he can't carry the entire team on his back if the line play is subpar.
The 2024 edition of this rivalry reminded us that while jerseys and conferences change, the physics of football stays the same. The team that wins the line of scrimmage usually wins the game. In Lincoln that night, the Sea of Red got exactly what they've been waiting for: a dominant, undeniable win over their biggest "new" old rival.