No team in a Power Four conference took a bigger bite of humble pie than Colorado’s Buffaloes. Buffs QB Julian Lewis didn’t need to look far for an explanation after Colorado’s ugly loss to Northwestern.

The sophomore quarterback pointed toward something that happened long before kickoff. For Lewis, the Buffaloes simply weren’t on the same page enough during the week, and that lack of connection eventually showed up when they needed it most.

Colorado entered Saturday night with a chance to move to 3-0 under Deion Sanders. Instead, the Buffaloes were blown out 41-7 in Evanston, suffering one of the roughest losses of the Sanders era.

Lewis was blunt when asked what Colorado needs to do moving forward.

“I think just everybody being on the same page,” Lewis said. “Yeah, I have to spend more time in the building. I didn’t do enough, obviously, this week.”

That admission stood out because Lewis wasn’t simply pointing fingers at the offensive line, receivers, or coaching staff. He included himself in the problem and made it clear that he needs to do more to get everyone around him ready.

“So just trying to spend time with the guys, try to spend time with the receivers, just trying to connect, make sure we’re all on the same page on everything, just so we can do what we know we can do.”

That connection was clearly missing against Northwestern.

Colorado managed 348 total yards, including 180 on the ground, but the offense repeatedly found ways to end its own drives. Four turnovers and three failed fourth-down attempts left the Buffaloes with seven possessions that ended suddenly.

Lewis was responsible for two of those turnovers himself.

The quarterback finished 19-of-29 for 168 yards and one touchdown, but he also threw two interceptions. The first ended a promising Colorado drive in the first quarter, while his second came in the fourth quarter with the game already out of reach.

Those two interceptions also snapped a remarkable streak for Lewis. He had gone 150 consecutive pass attempts without throwing an interception, the longest such streak to begin a Colorado career and the third-longest overall in program history.

But turnovers were only part of Colorado’s problems.

Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles accounted for five touchdowns, throwing three touchdown passes and running for two more. The strange part was that Colorado wasn’t completely outplayed statistically in the opening half.

The Buffaloes actually had 199 yards at halftime compared with Northwestern’s 189. Yet Colorado went into the locker room trailing 21-0 because the turnovers kept killing promising drives.

That is what made Lewis’ comments about preparation so important.

Rather than treating the loss as something that can be fixed with one adjustment, the quarterback talked about getting back into the building and rebuilding the connection between himself and his teammates. The former five-star wasn’t trying to hide from how bad Saturday looked.

“You know, of course. I mean, it’s definitely a blessing that this is not conference play right here because, honestly, it was pitiful, if I had to say,” Lewis said.

There is at least one reason for Colorado to move on quickly.

The Buffaloes don’t have to sit around dwelling on the loss for long. They get another week of practice before opening Big 12 play against Baylor on September 26.

Lewis seemed to view that opportunity as a blessing rather than another reason to worry. “So yeah, it’s amazing we got another week. God is good and gave us another opportunity to work,” he said.

Most importantly, Colorado came out of the loss without adding another injury to its list of problems.

“All my brothers are healthy. Nobody got hurt for us. So just continue to work,” Lewis said. Now, the Buffaloes have to turn those words into action.

The Northwestern loss exposed plenty of issues, from the four turnovers to the penalties and defensive breakdowns. Colorado was flagged for 80 yards and allowed Northwestern to finish with 423 total yards.

But Lewis’ message wasn’t about making excuses for any of it.

He believes the answer starts with spending more time together, getting everyone on the same page, and making sure the team is prepared to play the way it knows it can.

For Colorado, the timing could not be better.

The Northwestern loss is over. The nonconference portion of the schedule is done. Now comes Big 12 play, and Lewis believes another week in the building gives the Buffaloes a chance to make sure Saturday’s performance doesn’t become a sign of what’s coming next.