3 takeaways: Deion Sanders, Colorado football fly past Nebraska for 2-0 start

BOULDER — Colorado football fans couldn't have asked for a better start.

The Buffs continued to turn heads Saturday with a 36-14 win over rival Nebraska.

The crowd of 53,241 at Folsom Field was the largest home crowd for CU since 2008. The Buffs are in the top 25 (No. 22 in the Associated Press poll and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches poll) and are miles ahead of Nebraska in Year 1 of their respective rebuilds.

It's a party in Boulder right now.

Here are three takeaways from CU’s win.

Shedeur Sanders is the real deal

Yeah, Shedeur Sanders came to Colorado from Jackson State, but he was a high-level recruit and is now showing it on the biggest stage.

He has a live arm and superb accuracy.

Sanders made throw after throw Saturday, often into tight windows.

He has a tendency to hold the ball to try and make something happen, which can lead to chances for the defense to make sacks, but he also turns those into big plays sometimes.

CU’s offense started much slower against Nebraska than a week ago at TCU as the Buffs looked disjointed and error prone early.

But by the end of the first half Sanders began to move the offense and the Buffs pulled away in the second half.

Sanders finished the game 31-for-42 passing for 393 yards and three total touchdowns.

Colorado takes advantage of Nebraska’s struggles

Nebraska’s offense had a bit of a nightmare first half.

Three times a snap ended in a fumble, with two ending in the hands of the Buffs. In the fourth quarter it happened again with a fumble on a handoff.

Quarterback Jeff Simms was “credited” with two of the fumbles and also threw a bad first-half interception.

CU led 13-0 at half and 10 of those points came via turnover. It should have been more.

Lytle:Deion Sanders-mania hits Colorado football in full-force for opening home game party

Simms was 6-for-10 for 71 yards and three turnovers in the first half. He did score on a 57-yard run in the second half to briefly put Nebraska back in the game, but overall it was an offensive disaster.

CU’s defense does get credit for limiting Nebraska outside the long TD run, but the Cornhuskers created a lot of their own issues.

The Buffs won the turnover battle 4-1 and CU's lone turnover came in the final 2 minutes with backups in.

Still learning what this CU team is

Nebraska’s defense provided a better test than TCU’s sieve-unit did, and for a while it slowed the Buffs, but CU found its footing.

The Nebraska offense, conversely, provided much less of a challenge.

There was good and bad for CU, and it’s still hard to say with so much new exactly how good this team is.

There’s no doubt CU has some electric skill players. Travis Hunter, Tar’Varish Dawson, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Dylan Edwards all had their moments.

Depth and how CU will play against a more balanced team is still to be determined. Penalties were a problem, with the Buffs racking up nine penalties for 80 yards.

Still, you can only play who is in front of you and a 2-0 start, top-25 ranking and all the attention of the sport on the team is all the Buffs could have ever hoped for.

Next up is another big spotlight, with ESPN’s College Gameday expected in town Sept. 16 as the Buffs host Colorado State (8 p.m., ESPN) in the Rocky Mountain Showdown.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.