A disputed hit on Colorado wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. quickly became the focal point in the Buffaloes’ game against Baylor, with the first-half tackle by Baylor linebacker Travion Barnes sending Moore to the turf and leaving him down for an extended stretch.
On replay, the contact appeared to be helmet-to-helmet, but officials did not flag the play for targeting. Moore was eventually helped off the field, and the discussion around the sequence only grew from there.
The key issue is whether Barnes’ hit met the standard for targeting, since helmet-to-helmet contact by itself does not automatically trigger the penalty. Officials also have to weigh the defender’s action and the full nature of the collision.
Colorado’s bigger concern, though, was Moore’s condition. He was officially ruled out at the top of the third quarter, and the team will be waiting for updates after the game.
Moore has been a major piece of Colorado’s passing game this season. He came into Saturday with 15 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown across the Buffaloes’ first three games, and he had emerged as one of quarterback Julian Lewis’ top options.
That makes his status especially important as Colorado opens Big 12 play. Moore arrived at Colorado with strong praise from offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, and there was plenty of optimism from the staff and fan base about what he could bring to the offense this year.
The Buffaloes were already dealing with some thinness at receiver and tight end. They entered the Baylor game without star wide receiver Danny Sucdero, who has missed multiple games with a foot injury, and tight end Zach Atkins was also injured against Baylor on Saturday.
Colorado also went into the matchup trying to bounce back from its loss against Northwestern. Moore’s playmaking had been one of the ways the Buffaloes could build more rhythm on offense, and his injury adds another layer of uncertainty.
By halftime, Colorado trailed 10-3, and the Buffaloes made a quarterback change, starting Isaac Wilson over Julian Lewis in the second half.
For now, the targeting debate will keep circulating, but Colorado’s attention is squarely on Moore’s health. How soon he can return is still unknown, and his name will be watched closely on the Buffaloes’ weekly availability reports.
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Colorado opens Nov. 2 against Abilene Christian, but the more revealing checkpoints come soon after, especially with a rivalry meeting against Colorado State on Dec. 5. In the transfer-portal era, Boyle said lining up quality games is its own challenge because you never quite know what a roster will look like when the deal is made, and that makes the front end of this season feel less like a runway than a stress test. [Read more 🡒]