Seven total turnovers and nine penalties completely buried Colorado in a humiliating 41-7 loss to Northwestern. Watching the disaster unfold, former Buffaloes head coach Gary Barnett didn’t attack Deion Sanders’ coaching style. Instead, he pointed to a much bigger issue on the field that Coach Prime should take immediate notice of: massive team-wide mistakes and young quarterback Julian Lewis losing his basic mechanics under pressure.

The Wildcats took complete control of the game by taking advantage of seven turnover-related possessions. Four giveaways and three failed fourth-down attempts killed any momentum Colorado tried to build. Instead of finding a smooth rhythm, young Julian Lewis was forced to play behind the chains all night while the defense stayed stuck on the field.

“You can’t win doing that,” Barnett said during an interview on the sideline with BuffsTV. “If you would have told me we were only going to score one touchdown, I would have said you’re crazy. But well, that’s what we did. We came in here, and we laid an egg. We fumbled the ball, we turned it over, we threw picks, we went for it on fourth down three times that we didn’t get it.”

“And you don’t win games that way. I don’t care who you’re playing. We would not have beat Weber State if we played that way. So that’s the game. And at this point in time, there’s a point in which you just have to literally, as Coach Sanders would say, flush it.”

In college football, giving away seven extra possessions is basically handing the opponent free points on a silver platter. Each turnover flips the field position, burns out your own defense, and destroys any offensive rhythm you try to build. When you add nearly 100 yards in penalty flags, you force a young quarterback to operate in long-yardage situations where defensive linemen can attack without fear.

The penalties also piled up along with the turnovers, as the Buffaloes were flagged nine times for 80 yards against Northwestern. Some penalties came at the worst moments, including back-to-back holding calls that left the offense facing first-and-30 and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that helped Northwestern put together a long touchdown drive.

This wasn’t just a one-game issue, as Julian Lewis had thrown only one interception in his first two games. He added two more against the Wildcats and admitted later that a couple of his other throws could have easily turned into interceptions. Though Barnett pointed to the issues with Lewis, he also believed that the quarterback wasn’t the only one responsible for the costly penalties and turnovers.

“But there were problems with those turnovers,” Barnett said. “There were problems with why we didn’t convert on fourth down. There were problems with how that ball got fumbled and why. You got to fix those. You got to address those. You can’t throw interceptions the way we did.”

Julian Lewis had started his stint with Colorado by throwing 110 consecutive passes without throwing an interception, and now Northwestern ended that streak. He threw two interceptions in that 41-7 loss, while other throws also gave the Wildcats’ defensive backs multiple opportunities to make plays on the ball, exposing an area where Lewis needs to clean up fast.

Barnett’s words carry real weight in Boulder. Having spent seven seasons leading Colorado and taking them to a Big 12 title in 2001, he understands the heavy pressure that comes with playing quarterback for this program, although he played the wide receiver role back in his day. So when he dissects a passer’s footwork, it comes from years of watching high-level football from the sidelines.

“I think Julian a year ago was more direct with his throws,” Barnett said. “He wasn’t falling back the way he is now. There are so many times when he’s not setting his feet and delivering the ball; he’s falling back on his heels and tossing the ball. And I think a couple of those throws he had today and even some of the completions were thrown that way. So that’s what I would see, and if I were coaching him, I’d have something to say about that.”

Barnett’s main concern was Lewis’ footwork when he comes under pressure. Instead of staying balanced and throwing through his base, Lewis has a tendency to throw off his back foot, which can cause passes to sail and give defenders chances to make plays on the ball. Barnett mentioned that it’s a fixable problem, but only if it gets addressed on the practice field this week.

As Colorado is set to play against Baylor in Week 4 to open Big 12 play, the margin for such mistakes shrinks against conference competition. Whether Julian Lewis and the coaching staff can clean up the mechanics and ball security before Waco will say a lot about the program’s strength overall: whether Saturday was just a bad night or it’s a real pattern.