Colorado’s trip to Northwestern brought Julian Lewis back to earth in a hurry, but Deion Sanders isn’t changing course.
The Buffaloes were out of rhythm in a 41-7 Week 3 loss, and Lewis had the roughest outing of his young college career. A week after earning Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors, the quarterback finished 19-of-29 for 168 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. It was the first time in his college career that he’d thrown a pick.
Sanders moved quickly to put that number in perspective.
“How many games has he played in his career?” Sanders asked postgame.
“Don’t put that much pressure on him; let’s take it off. That’s going to happen.
You didn’t think we were going to go through the durn whole season without a pick [did you]? That’s not going to happen.”
Lewis was making only his fifth start and seventh appearance against Northwestern, so the interception-free run had already been unusual for a freshman starter. Still, the bigger issue for Colorado wasn’t one throw here or there. The offense never found traction, and the turnovers were part of a much messier night overall.
What Sanders cares about now is the response.
“The way he rebounds and recovers from that [is what’s important],” Sanders said. “We just don’t want him getting afraid to go out there and hang it out.
‘Just go do your thing; if it happens, it happens, let’s go.’ It’s just like a cornerback getting beat.
“Ok, let’s go, let’s flush it and let’s go.’ That’s what we’re looking for.”
There’s no easing into the next one, either. Colorado is heading right back on the road in Week 4 to open Big 12 play against Baylor.
That sets up another road test for Lewis, but also a quick chance to answer the Northwestern performance. The Buffaloes have already started preparing for the Bears, and Lewis won’t have weather working against him the way he did in Colorado’s losses to Georgia Tech and Northwestern.
The Baylor defense also gave up success last week, as Louisiana Tech showed that offenses can move the ball if they lean on their quarterback. If offensive coordinator Brennan Marion chooses that route, Lewis has a chance to bounce back after the record-setting Week 2 showing he put together against Weber State.
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