How will Oregon go about trying to contain Shedeur Sanders, Colorado passing attack?

Long before Shedeur Sanders entrenched himself as one of college football’s brightest star, Oregon coach Dan Lanning got to know the quarterback during his recruiting process.

At the time, Lanning was the defensive coordinator at Georgia, and Sanders was a 4-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class who had received offers from a deluge of powerhouse programs.

“No, I don’t know (Deion Sanders) well. I know of him, obviously, like everyone knows of him,” Lanning said Wednesday when asked if he has crossed paths with the Colorado head coach. “We actually, when I was at Georgia, I got to be around Shedeur a few times. He was recruited by us. So very familiar with him, but don’t know (Deion Sanders) personally.”

This Saturday, Lanning’s Oregon defense will be tasked with stopping Sanders and the Buffs’ high-powered passing attack when the two teams square off in Eugene at 12:30 p.m. PT.

“I think he’s just absolutely grown as a player, right?” Lanning said Wednesday. of Shedeur Sanders “He’s a guy who makes it tick for them on offense. He’s operating at a really high level. Like I said before, (Colorado offensive coordinator Sean Lewis) has done a phenomenal job with that offense. He creates a lot of issues, and he has him playing at a really high level as well.”

Through three games this season, Sanders has produced one of the more impressive stretches of quarterback play in recent memory.

The Colorado junior leads the nation in passing completions per game at 35.67, ranks second nationally with 417 passing yards per game, and ranks fourth nationally with a 78% completion percentage. He has thrown 10 touchdowns and just one interception.

On Saturday, he will face an Oregon defense that has made some strides in the secondary since last season, but one that flashed some glaring issues during its 38-30 Week 2 win at Texas Tech.

“I think it just comes down to being sound with our job,” Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa said on Wednesday. “It starts with the D-line just keeping him caged, keeping him back there. … So we can run the whole defense correctly. When the quarterback is rolling out, it’s a lot of changing routes — receivers are finding ways to get open.”

Part of what has made Sanders such a unique playmaker through three games is his ability to extend plays and evade pressure. But when given time to sit in the pocket and throw, he has arguably been the best quarterback in the country.

According to Pro Football Focus, Sanders has thrown for 340 yards on 36 passing attempts when under pressure this season. That’s the highest output in college football in such scenarios. However, Sanders has also taken 15 sacks — the third-most among FBS quarterbacks.

When operating in a clean pocket he owns a completion percentage of 85.1% which ranks fourth nationally behind only Baylor’s Blake Shapen, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthey, and USC’s Caleb Williams.

Sanders’ 910 yards on clean-pocket throws are the third-most in the nation.

“I think he always keeps his eyes downfield and looking for opportunities to find open receivers,” Lanning said of Sanders. “That’s something his wideouts have done a great job of when he’s had several scramble opportunities. But I would describe him as a guy who scrambles to throw — not necessarily who scrambles to run. When he has to run with his feet, he can.

“He’s extended plays, and when you extend plays, it’s hard to cover for a long time. So we have to do a good job of not allowing him to extend plays, but also make sure that we plaster guys in the back end when he does.”

Even with Colorado’s two-way star, Travis Hunter, ruled out for Saturday, the Buffs have plenty of receiver talent.

Xavier Weaver, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound wideout, leads the Buffs with 386 yards and two touchdowns on 25 receptions this season.

Jimmy Horn Jr., a 5-foot-10, 170-pound slot receiver, has caught 26 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

“They’re both really, really talented. They’re really good. They’re people we have to be aware of on every snap, and they’re not they’re certainly not the only ones,” Lanning said of Horn and Weaver. “(Running back Dylan Edwards) is a guy that we recruited out of Derby, Kansas. He’s probably the fastest man on the field almost every time he’s on the field. … He’s got elite speed. Weaver has been performing at a really high level, but they’re dynamic. We got to make sure we know where those threats are at and we can take care of them.”

The post How will Oregon go about trying to contain Shedeur Sanders, Colorado passing attack? appeared first on On3.