Colorado’s upset push came within one shot of turning real, but Utah had just enough answers to leave Boulder with a 27-24 win over the No. 11 Utes.
The Buffs had plenty to hang their hat on, especially in stretches where the game tilted in their favor. JaQuail Smith gave the run game a needed jolt, piling up 73 yards on 5.6 yards per carry. He also delivered the kind of explosive play Colorado needed to stay alive, slipping out of the backfield, hauling in a short pass and turning it into a 68-yard touchdown early in the second half.
On the other side of the ball, Randon Fontenette was everywhere. The safety helped drive Colorado’s spirited defensive effort with 11 tackles, including nine solo stops, while also adding two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Utah, though, kept leaning on Braden Pegan. He finished with eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns, and both scores came after halftime to help shut down Colorado’s comeback hopes.
The biggest self-inflicted wound belonged to the Buffs’ penalty column. Colorado was flagged 10 times for 93 yards, with eight of those penalties and 82 yards coming before halftime.
Both of the Buffs’ first two offensive series were derailed by flags, and the problem remains glaring even after Deion Sanders said a month ago he would clean it up. Colorado is still the most penalized team in the Big 12.
The game’s turning point came late, with the Buffs down only three and still in striking distance. They got the ball with 5:23 left, but Isaac Wilson’s second interception of the night all but ended the upset bid.
Utah answered by stretching the lead back to 10 points just three plays later. Colorado kept fighting until the final minutes, but that sequence closed the door.
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Deion Sanders Left Colorado Fans With One Bigger Question
Colorados latest outing had the feel of a turning point for much of the night, even if it ended with another loss. The Buffaloes erased a 13-0 halftime deficit against Utah, grabbed the lead in the third quarter and briefly had the momentum before the game slipped away, leaving them with a four-game losing streak and another close result to sort through.
Deion Sanders and several players spoke afterward about the performance and where the team goes from here, but the bigger question around Boulder is still the same one hanging over the season. Colorado now turns to Oklahoma State next, a matchup that comes with its own challenge, and Sanders made it clear he is still waiting to see what this group can become as the schedule rolls on. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Just Exposed A Concern Hanging Over Utahs Big Stage
ESPNs College GameDay is headed back to Utah on October 24, setting the stage for an undefeated Utes team to welcome Houston into one of the Big 12s bigger early-season spots. Utah has rattled off 12 straight wins and has looked the part of a program built for this kind of spotlight, but the last outing also served as a reminder that even the most polished teams can be pushed when the margin tightens late.
The Colorado game showed some defensive vulnerability the Utes will want cleaned up before the national attention arrives again. Utahs schedule still has enough weight to keep the conversation lively, but the immediate focus is on handling Houston with a little more control than it needed the previous week, especially with the kind of stage GameDay tends to amplify. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Showed Progress But One Late Problem Changed Everything
Colorados loss to Utah came with a few bright spots on defense, even in a game that left the Buffaloes searching for answers. Naeten Mitchell, Randon Fontenette and Gideon Lampron all showed up in ways Colorado can build on, giving the unit some fight and disruption even as the scoreboard leaned the wrong direction.
The offense, though, never found the same rhythm, and the late-game sequence only sharpened the frustration. Isaac Wilson was left to reckon with a costly second-half turnover and the kind of ending that can swing a game in an instant, while Micah Welchs workload was surprisingly limited as JaQuail Smith took on the heavier rushing load. For a team trying to turn progress into a win, the margin for error disappeared when Colorado needed clean execution most. [Read more 🡒]