It likely was magnified by the deafening silence that suddenly struck the home folks.
Still, silencing a crowd on the road feels that much sweeter when itap bolstered by a small but fervent group of fans making themselves at home.
Five days after stunning Georgia Tech at the buzzer in a season-opening 14-13 victory in Atlanta, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders met members of the local media Tuesday. Before diving into whatap next for the Buffaloes with the home opener on deck Saturday against Weber State (1:30 p.m., ESPN+), Sanders offered a moment of gratitude for the section of Buffs backers that took over Bobby Dodd Stadium at celebration time.
“Hats off to Buff Nation,” Sanders said. “I really think we have the best fans in the nation. Knowing what transpired on the field last season, a lackluster effort. But they showed up in Atlanta and showed out. When we scored that last touchdown it was almost like it was a home game if you’d have heard the volume of that. It was unbelievable.”
That, of course, was last week. Next up for CU is the challenge of keeping the same focus and intensity for Weber State, an FCS-level team that will be making its second trip to Colorado in three weeks after posting a one-point, season-opening win at Northern Colorado on Aug. 28.
Throughout the preseason, the new-look Buffs talked about playing with increased physicality and violence compared to last year’s squad, which more often than not was beaten in the trenches on the way to a 3-9 finish.
The trenches were all CU at Georgia Tech.
Defensively, the Buffs throttled the Georgia Tech run game, holding the Yellow Jackets to 51 rushing yards on 30 attempts. CU sacked Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza three times, all by Monmouth transfer Lamont Lester Jr., and the Buffs recorded the game’s only takeaway, with Boo Carter recovering a Georgia Tech fumble in the first quarter.
While the defensive line was honored by the Big 12 as the league’s top defensive front of Week 1, the debut of the offensive line in coordinator Brennan Marion’s Go-Go offense was equally impressive. CU rolled up 183 rushing yards — the third-most for the Buffs in 38 games under Sanders — with each of the top four rushers averaging at least 4.2 yards per carry.
Perhaps even more encouraging, a line that struggled to protect CU quarterbacks throughout Sanders’ first three seasons made it a clean night for Julian Lewis, who was sacked only once for a loss of just one yard.
Asked Tuesday if there is something more user-friendly for the offensive line in pass protection in the Go-Go offense, Sanders said the effort was more a matter of personnel than the scheme.
“I don’t think they’ve been asked anything different. I think itap personnel,” Sanders said. “You’ve got different personnel that can do what you’ve asked them to do. And not only can do it, they take pride in it and they want to do it.
“Those guys, man, they know what they possess. They know what they got. They want it. They’re not going to let up this week whatsoever. You’re going to see a group of young men go out there and pick up where they left off, which is to try and punish somebody.”
