Colorado gets its Homecoming stage Saturday night with a heavyweight on the other sideline.
The Buffaloes will host 12th-ranked Texas Tech at Folsom Field at 5:35 p.m. MT, with the game set for FOX.
Colorado enters at 2-2 and is trying to stop a two-game skid after last week’s 23-13 loss at Baylor. Texas Tech arrives at 4-0 after rolling past Sam Houston 49-14 in a non-conference game.
It’s also the Buffs’ first crack at a ranked opponent this season. The last time Colorado met a ranked team at home, it handled Iowa State 24-17 on Oct. 11 of last year.
This will be the 12th all-time meeting between the programs, with Colorado holding a 6-5 edge. The most recent matchup came in Lubbock on Nov. 9 of 2024, when the Buffs won 41-27 behind Shedeur Sanders, who threw three touchdown passes and ran for another. Texas Tech’s last trip to Boulder was on Oct. 10, 2010, when the Red Raiders escaped with a 27-24 win - the only home loss Colorado has suffered against Texas Tech in five tries.
The Baylor game gave Colorado some reasons to build on despite the final score. The Buffs erased a 13-3 deficit with a 46-yard Elliott Arnold field goal and a 12-play, 95-yard drive. They actually out-gained Baylor 363-337 and controlled possession for 31:26 to 28:34.
At home in Big 12 play over the last two seasons, Colorado has gone 4-4.
One of the steadier disruptors on the roster has been Toby Anene, who has made an impact in every game of his first season in Boulder. The fifth-year edge from North Dakota State has at least a share of a tackle for loss in all four games, piling up 4.5 tackles for loss for 14 yards, including two sacks for six yards.
He also has five quarterback hurries, with two apiece in Colorado wins at Georgia Tech and against Weber State, plus a pass breakup, a forced fumble and 12 total tackles. His top all-around outing came against Weber State, when he logged a sack, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and two hurries.
At Baylor, he posted his first multi-TFL game as a Buff with two tackles for loss, including a sack.
Joseph Williams has also been doing damage in a different way. Against Baylor, he caught 11 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, tying for the ninth-most receptions in a game in CU history.
He also threw a 49-yard completion, becoming the first Buff since Bryce Bobo in 2017 to complete a pass and record 100 receiving yards in the same game. Over the last three games, Williams has 20 catches for 338 yards and four touchdowns.
Colorado’s defense also had a busy night against Baylor, producing nine tackles for loss for 22 yards, a season high. Baylor ran 35 times for 116 yards, which works out to 3.3 per carry, and didn’t score a rushing touchdown. The Bears also failed to break a run longer than 25 yards all season, and they scored one touchdown in five red-zone trips.
The game can be heard on the Colorado Football Radio Network, Flagship 850 AM KOA Denver and SiriusXM 113 or 268 (App 962), with Mark Johnson, Gary Barnett and Andy Lindahl on the call. Live stats will be available at cubuffs.com/livestats. Colorado will also provide updates through @CUBuffsFootball on Instagram, X, Threads, Facebook and TikTok, with postgame press conferences available later on BuffsTV on YouTube.
In Other News...
Baylor May Have Just Sparked A Colorado Quarterback Problem
Deion Sanders made a notable change after Colorados Week 4 struggles, opting to bench redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis and open the door for a new starter under center. Reports from ESPN and CBS Sports point to junior Isaac Wilson as the expected choice against Texas Tech, even though Sanders has not publicly confirmed the move.
The switch has quickly turned into more than a one-game adjustment, because it puts Lewiss standing with the Buffaloes in a different light. With his future now a real talking point, the next stretch could tell a lot about how Colorado wants to handle the position and whether Lewis remains part of that plan. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado's Defensive Line Faces A Growing Problem Before Texas Tech
Dante Carter is navigating his first season as Colorados defensive line coach after being promoted from graduate assistant, and the position group has already given the Buffaloes a mixed bag. The front has been solid against the run in recent games, but the consistency has come and gone, especially when games drift into the fourth quarter. As Texas Tech approaches, the emphasis has shifted to tightening up that area while also getting more pressure on the quarterback.
Fresh legs have become part of the plan, with several players rotating through the line to help keep the group from wearing down late. The challenge now is finding a way to turn that rotation into sustained production, because the Buffaloes know they will need both firmer run defense and a more reliable pass rush to handle the next test. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Women Bring Real Expectations Into A Familiar Denver Test
Colorados women are heading back to a familiar stop this week, one that has become a useful early measuring stick for where the program stands. The Buffaloes will play in the Ron Moore Intercollegiate from Oct. 2-4 at the University of Denver Golf Club, bringing a seven-player group that includes five golfers who were in the lineup a year ago and have already helped the team build some recent momentum at this event.
This trip carries a little more weight than a routine fall tournament because Colorado knows the course, knows the field, and knows it has played well here before. The schedule gives the Buffs three days to show how that experience translates into a stronger start this time around, and the individual records from past appearances only add to the sense that this is more than just another Denver stop. [Read more 🡒]