The top takeaways and comments from Colorado's spring game

Anyone looking for a tangible reference point for just how much has changed with and around Colorado football these last handful of months needed only to look around Folsom Field on Saturday.

The Buffaloes' first spring game under coach Deion Sanders looked nothing at all like the 2022 version.

Last year the stands were sparsely dotted with fans, but even with snow and cold temperatures Saturday, an announced crowd of 47,277 fans packed the seats to gain a glimpse of the new and improved Buffs.

In general, the offense came to play on Saturday while the Buffs’ defense executed only a handful of highlights.

The secondary struggled at times while the Buffs' first-team wide receivers shined.

Positive plays came from the Buffs’ defensive front, but CU’s offensive line also helped open up sone gaps for running backs Anthony Hankerson and Dylan Edwards to make positive gains. Edwards had a 35-yard run and Hankerson scored on a 1-yard rush.

There was a lot to digest from the spring game overall.

Here were our top takeaways from Saturday ...

RELATED: WATCH: Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter discuss the Buffs' performance Saturday | Everything Deion Sanders said after the spring game

Wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig was one of the offense's saving graces last season with 23 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns (it's all relative). Who knows what his stats would have looked like with a more consistent quarterback and better offense around him overall, but on Saturday fans got a glimpse of what might be possible this year for the junior.

With Shedeur Sanders slinging the ball, Lemonious-Craig completed three spectacular catches for 154 yards.

There was a 39-yard catch he grabbed over a defender’s head and a 17-yard reception as the secondary was collapsing on him.

But the play of the day was his 98-yard touchdown, as seen below:

“It’s been really fun,” the younger Sanders said on building a relationship with Lemonious-Craig. “It was just him understanding like the relationship I have with Travis [Hunter] also like down the field, like deep balls.

“The new offense is gonna be pros and cons and things we struggle with … so that’s when we all got together, worked spring break."

Along with the group’s trip to Miami, the quarterback-wide receiver chemistry between Lemonious-Craig and Sanders is undeniable on the field.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. was not active today. Walk-on Kaleb Mathis was running with the first team on multiple snaps.

Per Brian Howell of the Daily Camera, Sanders finished 16-of-19 for 225 yards with two touchdowns. Sanders started off the spring game with a 14-yard touchdown to a wide-open Travis Hunter in addition to that 98-yard catch-and-run connection to Lemonious-Craig.