Colorado heads to Waco with a fresh chance to reset the tone of its season.
The Buffaloes (2-1) open Big 12 play Saturday morning against Baylor (2-1) at McLane Stadium, with kickoff set for 10 a.m. MT on ESPN2. It’s Colorado’s first trip to Waco in 19 years, and the first time the Buffs will play at McLane Stadium, which opened in 2014.
This is the 18th meeting between the programs, old Big 12 rivals with Colorado holding a 10-7 edge overall and a 3-2 advantage in Waco. The last matchup, on Sept. 21, 2024 in Boulder, turned into a classic. Shedeur Sanders hit LaJohntay Wester on a Hail Mary as time expired to tie it at 31-31, and Colorado later won 38-31 in overtime after eventual Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter forced a fumble as Baylor was about to score.
Colorado is coming off a rough 41-7 loss at Northwestern, while Baylor enters conference play after two straight home wins, beating Prairie View on Sept. 12 and Louisiana Tech last week.
The Buffaloes will be looking to bounce back, and the numbers from last week show where things went sideways. Colorado finished within 75 yards of Northwestern, 423-348, but lost four turnovers and went 0-for-3 on fourth down. Northwestern turned those seven empty or wasted drives into 31 points.
There were still a few bright spots for the Buffs in Evanston. Joseph Williams caught five passes for 88 yards and a touchdown, including a 50-yard strike from Julian Lewis.
Williams also hauled in a 63-yard pass against Weber State on Sept. 12, making him just the fifth player since 2007 to post back-to-back games with a touchdown catch of 50 yards or longer. The others: Jordyn Tyson, Shay Fields, Nelson Spruce and Paul Richardson, twice.
Colorado’s ground game has been one of the more consistent themes through the first three weeks. The Buffs have rushed for 183, 180 and 180 yards in their three games, and three different running backs have led the team in rushing.
Dating back to 1946, the only other time Colorado had three different running backs lead the team in rushing while also reaching at least 180 yards in each of those games was in 1973. It’s also just the third time since 2002 that Colorado has gone for 180 rushing yards in three straight games, and the first time since 1996 that the Buffs opened a season with three straight games of at least 180 on the ground.
This is the first time in five years that three different players, including quarterbacks, have led the team in rushing in three straight games, and the first time since 2013 that three running backs did it in three consecutive games.
On the defensive side, Colorado had three players reach double figures in tackles at Northwestern: Randon Fontenette with 13, Naeten Mitchell with 11 and Gideon ESPN Lampron with 10. That’s only the second time in the Coach Prime Era that three Buffs have hit double digits in tackles in the same game, joining the 2024 Kansas State game when Nakhai Hill-Green, Shilo Sanders and D.J.
McKinney did it. It’s also only the third such game this decade, alongside the 2021 Minnesota game when Nate Landman, Quinn Perry and Guy Thomas all got there.
Game coverage begins on ESPN2 with Lowell Galindo, Kirk Morrison and sideline reporter Dawn Davenport. Fans can also hear the action on the Colorado Football Radio Network, Flagship 850 AM KOA Denver and SiriusXM 265 (App 975), with Mark Johnson, Gary Barnett and Bobby Pesavento on the call.
Live stats will be available at cubuffs.com/livestats, and updates will be posted on @CUBuffsFootball across Instagram, X, Threads, Facebook and TikTok. Postgame press conferences with Coach Prime and Buffs players will be available shortly after the game on BuffsTV.
In Other News...
Colorado Already Has An Early Transfer Watch Issue On Offense
Colorados offense has not found much rhythm early in the 2026 season, and the passing game has been the biggest drag on that effort. One of the more notable pieces of that slow start has been sophomore receiver Quentin Gibson, who came into the year with some preseason buzz but has been a quiet part of the attack, with only six catches for 25 yards and no touchdowns.
The bigger issue is what happens next if that usage does not change. Gibson has the kind of skill set that could still help the Buffaloes in a more defined role, whether as a gadget option or a primary returner, but right now his involvement is not matching the expectations that followed him into the season. For Colorado, the challenge is not just finding ways to get him the ball, but making sure his place in the offense feels substantial enough to keep this from turning into a transfer watch problem. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Just Sent A Loud Early Message In The Big 12
Colorado opened Big 12 play at Prentup Field with the kind of result that can travel well beyond one September night, handling West Virginia 2-0 in its conference home opener. Hope Leyba and Reagan Kotschau provided the goals, while freshman goalkeeper Brooke Goerish backed it up with a clean sheet as the Buffaloes delivered a clean, composed performance against a team that had gone a long time without tasting a regular season loss.
For Colorado, the win carried more weight than just three points. It snapped West Virginias 22-match regular season unbeaten streak and kept the Buffaloes tied for the program record for the longest home winning streak, a sign that the home field edge at Prentup is becoming something opponents have to plan around. Early in a crowded Big 12 race, it was the sort of statement that gives a team credibility before the schedule really starts to bite. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Injury Concerns Could Change Baylor's Big 12 Opener
Colorado heads into its Week 4 matchup with Baylor carrying a longer injury list than the Bears, and that could matter when the Big 12 opener gets going. The Buffaloes are expected to be without several key players, even as a few others are set to return, leaving the roster in a tricky spot as they try to steady things against a conference opponent already managing its own bumps and bruises.
The absences of contributors such as Scudero, Charlie Williams and Henderson would be felt in different parts of the lineup, especially if Colorado needs more depth than usual to handle a Baylor team with fewer injury concerns. It gives this game a different edge than a standard conference opener, because Colorado is not just preparing for a new league test, it is trying to navigate it while piecing together a healthier rotation on the fly. [Read more 🡒]