Colorado kicks off Week 1 of the college football season by hosting North Dakota State on national television (ESPN).
It will be a matchup between Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes and one of the most successful FCS programs in college football. The Bison have won nine NCAA Division I FCS national championships and exactly 90% of their games (172-19) since 2011.
NDSU has a new, first-time head coach in Tim Polasek, but Colorado has a pair of new coordinators: Pat Shurmur and Robert Livingston.
Here’s everything Shurmur (offensive coordinator) and Livingston (defensive coordinator) had to say on Monday about Thursday night’s matchup with the Bison.
More: NDSU football assistant coach finds preparing for Colorado to be ‘super challenging’
Pat Shurmur on NDSU football’s ‘rich tradition’ and defense
“They’re a tough team with a rich, winning tradition so we have a great deal of respect for them,” Shurmur told local media on Monday. “They’re a team that’s built on toughness. They’re very fundamental in their approach but I’m going to say fundamental in their approach because they have enough wrinkles to keep you on your toes, whether it be pressures, simulated pressures and they will play some man (coverage).
“I think it’s just a cultural thing with them. I think they have a lot of really talented players but it’s also the sum of the parts. They play really, really good team defense.”
More: What Deion Sanders said about Colorado football’s Week 1 matchup vs NDSU
Robert Livingston on NDSU offense and quarterback Cam Miller
“The culture there is something that will not leave depending on who the coach is; it’s in the locker room,” Livingston said of NDSU on Monday. “You watch those guys play and, whether it’s on defense or offense, it means a lot to them. It feels like we’re watching six different teams; first games are that way. I’m sure they’re watching a bunch of different stuff on us so it’s really all about us. It’s going to be that way each week but no more than the first week when you’re not really sure what you’re going to see.
“It makes you play 11-on-11,” Livingston said of NDSU’s quarterback run game. “I can’t say enough about the quarterbacks. Obviously they had a two-quarterback system last year and Wyoming was very similar if you go back and look at it. I think No. 7 (Cam Miller) runs better than you’d anticipate and No. 9 (Cole Payton) is a phenomenal athlete. We have our hands full. We have to tackle, get off blocks and play fast. Again, can’t talk enough about the culture they’ve built there. You watch those guys get off the ball, whether it’s the 1’s (starters) or the 3’s (backups) in some of the blowouts, and it’s a consistent effort. It’s a really phenomenal challenge that we’re excited for.”
Follow Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter on X.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: What Colorado football’s coordinators said about NDSU ahead of Week 1
