⚡ CFB Dashboard

EVANSTON — This weekend's Big 12 opener can't come soon enough for a Colorado team that was just embarrassed by Northwestern on Saturday night. Simply put, these next five days will reveal plenty about the 2-1 Buffs heading into their conference opener at Baylor. Coaches and player leaders must re-establish expectations and ensure that this past weekend's shortcomings don't return. After hearing from head coach Deion Sanders, quarterback Julian Lewis and safety Naeten Mitchell following Saturday's blowout loss in Evanston, it's clear that the Buffs are looking forward to a fresh start in Big 12 play. "The sun's going to come up in the morning," said Mitchell, who totaled 11 tackles at Northwestern. "It's another day that we have, another opportunity in the next game. We're just going to go into the week really hard and focus. After we get on the plane, we're going to watch film, and we're going to learn from this." Mitchell added that Colorado is leaning on its improved team chemistry, which was a major focus of the offseason.  "We worked really hard on connecting together as a group, and you could see it on the sideline," Mitchell said. "A lot of people couldn't see it from the cameras and everything like that, but we were connecting during the breaks." Meanwhile, Lewis is looking to move past a difficult showing at Northwestern. The second-year quarterback relinquished his first two career interceptions and was a tick off on multiple other throws. Credit to Lewis, he took responsibility for his performance during his postgame presser. "It all starts with me," Lewis said. "I'm the quarterback back there. It's my job to move the ball and score. I got a lot to build on this week, and I thank God for another week. We can obviously move the ball. I think we've seen that. But it's all about finishing. If we can't score points, it doesn't matter." Colorado's offense combined for just 21 points in its first two games against Power Four opponents. On Saturday, Lewis' unit will face a Baylor defense that allowed an average of 13 points and 287 yards against Auburn, Prairie View A&M and Louisiana Tech. "It's amazing that we got another week," Lewis said. "God is good and gave us another opportunity to work. All my brothers helped me. Nobody got hurt for real. We'll continue to work." Kickoff between the Buffs and Bears is set for 10 a.m. MT (ESPN2) at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.