LINCOLN, Neb. — You wouldn’t bring a 30-carat diamond watch to a sword fight, would you?

A Maybach can’t block. A NIL deal won’t break down a pissed off defensive end. You can’t slowly microwave what needs to be cooked.

The Buffs were built for this moment. A foundation of glitter, sand and promises, broken like so many hearts.

Nebraska punched CU in the face. By the time the Buffs got off the canvas, the bell had rung and the judges had gone home.

Huskers 28, CU 10. What’s the point of a top-10 pick at quarterback if he spends half of Saturday running for his life? What good is a generational talent at wide receiver if no one has time to find him in the clear?

You can’t nuke what needs to be buttered and marinated. And if the Buffs are going to block like this on the road, their season might be over.

The transfer portal is a finisher, a garnish. Not a base. The football programs with staying power stayed there the old-fashioned way, growing and nurturing a unity together.

Nebraska ran for 149 yards on 35 carries, forged a 28-0 halftime lead and staggered to the finish. Three-fifths of the Huskers’ Week 1 offensive line made at least seven starts as a trio last fall for the Big Red.

Last Thursday, however, marked the first time CU’s rebuilt offensive line ever started as a unit. Statistically, the debut proved to be a mixed bag. Though Shedeur Sanders threw under pressure often, he was sacked just once. The Buffs chewed up the clock in the third quarter, rushing the ball for just 59 net yards on 23 attempts against an FCS opponent. Even though it was one that gave up just 117 rush yards and 3.9 yards per carry to its foes last year.

Sanders was tackled five times on Saturday.

Oregon Post-Game: You better get us now.

Nebraska: Hold off on drinking beer.

With apologies to Utah, the Wisconsin of the West, but the Cornhuskers arguably had the best defense and most physical offensive and defensive lines that CU will see the rest of the way.

Much of what Coach Prime promised is still on the table. Technically. But not the College Football Playoff. Not this fall. Not for a team that has more halftime penalties (seven) than first downs (six).

Not for a team that has a former Ohio State running back in Dallan Hayden and therefore rarely uses him.

Deion Sanders has run a program without consultation, doing everything he can to maximize the final years of his sons Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders’ college careers, and to maximize the time the superlative Travis Hunter had left before he headed to the NFL.

He has 10 games. And he might miss Shilo for a couple of those games.

As a test, as a confirmation, Saturday wasn’t just telling. It was screaming.

Start the portal.

Can we get a new line of attack here?

New line of defense?

New offensive coordinator, maybe?

This was Eugene without the three-week honeymoon, Oregon without the fumes. Except for the steam coming out of Deion Sanders’ ears on the sidelines.

“(Swear word) CU!” the Nebraska students chanted.

“Shilo is broken!” they shouted during the warm-up.

In the hosts’ second series, Shilo was on the bench receiving treatment. With 5:51 left in the first quarter, he was seen heading to the locker room.

The elder Sanders said at halftime that his son may have broken his forearm. Things didn’t start much better for Shedeur.

The Huskers walked out with their ’94 national championship team. The Buffs walked out with Terrell Owens. Derrick White was in the house because Derrick White is everywhere.

CU got the ball first, and the contrast between last September and now was immediately apparent. Especially in location, as the younger Sanders seemed to have trouble being heard. His first play, a screen to Hunter, bounced off the turf. His second, a screen to LaJohntay Wester, was wide. His third ended in a sack by Ty Robinson for a loss of 9 yards.

Deion Sanders could outrun the football gods and challenge them to keep up. Coach Prime can’t. At some point, all that emptiness catches up to you.

Originally published: September 7, 2024 at 9:34 pm