Colorado heads into Saturday’s trip to Northwestern with a chance to keep its 3-0 start rolling, and the matchup brings a little bit of history with it: this is the Buffs’ first visit to Northwestern in 75 years.
A lot of the attention will naturally land on quarterback Julian Lewis, and for good reason. After grinding through most of the opener against Georgia Tech before coming up huge late, Lewis followed it up with a huge day against Weber State.
He finished 17-for-23 for 366 yards and four touchdowns, a record-setting line that showed how quickly the offense can take off when he gets comfortable. The bigger question now is whether he can do that away from home.
Colorado probably can’t keep leaning on late-game miracles every week, so another strong outing from Lewis would go a long way toward steadying the whole operation.
The Buffs also need their kicking game to settle down. Elliott Arnold has taken over place-kicking duties, and that matters in a season that figures to feature plenty of close games.
If Colorado is going to live in those tight fourth quarters, having a dependable option on field goals can make a real difference. On the other side of special teams, the Buffs have already shown some inconsistency in the return game and coverage units, so this phase remains very much in play.
Up front and on the edge, Lamont Lester Jr. has been one of the early bright spots. The Monmouth transfer made his presence felt immediately, piling up three sacks in the opening win against Georgia Tech and adding another against Weber State. Colorado’s ability to get after Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles while also keeping him contained as a runner could shape the night.
Northwestern brings its own set of problems. Chiles is already in his third season as a Big Ten starter, and he looked comfortable in his Wildcats debut against South Dakota State, throwing for 273 yards and a touchdown while adding another score on the ground. He’s not likely to be rattled easily, which is part of what makes this such a different test from Colorado’s opener.
The Wildcats also have a defensive tone-setter in Robert Fitzgerald. The safety, a second-team All-Big Ten selection last season, opened with 14 tackles, including eight solo, and his work against the run could make life tougher for Colorado’s versatile backfield.
On the outside, Griffin Wilde gave Northwestern a big-time receiving performance in the opener, posting 104 yards on just three catches. Colorado’s secondary won’t be able to give him the kind of space it allowed Weber State to find last week.
Offensively, Colorado probably shouldn’t expect the kind of fireworks it produced against Weber State, but it also doesn’t need to relive the slow start from Georgia Tech. The likeliest answer sits somewhere in the middle.
Northwestern’s defense gave up 432 yards to South Dakota State, though it was sturdier against the run, allowing just 3.7 yards per carry on 40 attempts. That makes this a useful measuring stick for the Buffs’ offense, especially in a road setting that should feel lively with the Wildcats playing their final game at Martin Stadium before moving into the new, $875 million Ryan Field.
Colorado’s defense, meanwhile, has already shown it can make life miserable for an inexperienced quarterback. Georgia Tech’s Alberto Mendoza had a rough night in his first collegiate start.
Chiles brings a different challenge, though. Northwestern was balanced in its opener, putting up 224 rushing yards and 273 passing yards without a turnover.
Joseph Himon II’s late 80-yard touchdown run inflated that ground total, but even without it, the Wildcats still averaged 4.8 yards per carry. If CU can slow the run and force Northwestern into a more predictable passing game, it can put the pressure squarely on Chiles - though his ability to escape and create with his legs keeps him dangerous.
Special teams could matter just as much as anything else. Colorado has already had some issues there, giving up a few big returns through two games.
Punter Damon Greaves has placed four of nine punts inside the 20, while Arnold has sent seven of 10 kickoffs for touchbacks. Northwestern’s Jackson Kleather made both of his field goals in the opener from 36 and 38 yards, but punter Nikola Dugandzic had a rough day, averaging just 24.0 yards on five punts and not landing one inside the 20.
Rain could also factor into the kicking game.
There’s a little more to the backdrop, too. Colorado’s only previous trip to Northwestern ended in a 35-14 loss on Sept. 29, 1951, while the teams’ only other meeting came in a 55-7 Buffs win at home on Sept.
30, 1978. Northwestern assistant Paul Creighton, now the Wildcats’ special teams coordinator, is a Niwot High School product who played in 47 games for Colorado in the early 2000s.
Northwestern head coach David Braun also signed a contract extension this week through the 2031 season.
A few other numbers stand out. Colorado has averaged 4.2 yards per rushing attempt, a step up from last year’s 3.5-yard average.
The Buffs became the first CU team since 2014 to post at least 175 rushing yards and 375 passing yards in the same game when they rolled up 180 on the ground and 398 through the air against Weber State. Northwestern, for its part, finished its opener with 13 pass breakups, the program’s highest total since at least 2004.
This is also the first time Northwestern has hosted a Big 12 program since Kansas came in 2004. Noah Reed, Devin Gardner and sideline reporter Josh Sims are on the FOX broadcast.
In Other News...
Colorado May Have Found A Key Piece To Protect Julian Lewis
Colorados recent push on the high school recruiting trail has started to show up where it matters most, in the trenches. The Buffaloes have made a bigger commitment to building through prep prospects, and that effort got a boost with four-star offensive tackle Dewey Young at the front of their 2027 class. ESPN analysts singled out Young as the Colorado commit most likely to help sooner rather than later, which fits the broader need to keep the pocket cleaner for quarterback Julian Lewis.
Youngs path to Boulder also gives the commitment some added weight. He had family ties to Michigan State and had several other programs in the mix before choosing Colorado, a sign the Buffs had to win a real recruiting fight for a player they view as part of the offensive-line rebuild. For a program trying to strengthen protection up front, landing a tackle with early-impact potential is exactly the kind of step that can shape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Leaving Colorado Would Take More Than Florida State Interest
Deion Sanders has Colorado off to a 2-0 start in 2026, a welcome change after last years 3-9 finish and another reminder of how quickly he has reset the tone around the program. Even with Florida State looming as a possible opening, the situation is not as simple as a nostalgic reunion. Sanders has built real footing in Boulder, where the fit has centered on control, confidence and a staff structure he helped shape.
Florida State is expected to search for a new head coach after the firing of its athletic director and the likely departure of Mike Norvell, which naturally puts Sanders in the conversation. But any move would have to clear more than one hurdle, including his Colorado buyout, the history of FSU passing on him before, and the question of whether he would walk away from the autonomy and salary he has in Boulder. The interest is real enough to keep the speculation alive, but the path from rumor to reality still looks complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Just Lost A Key Recruiting Stage At A Tough Time
Colorados home opener against Northwestern comes with an unusual recruiting wrinkle, because the game is being played on the road and there will be no official in-state recruiting visits at Folsom Field. Under NCAA rules, those visits are tied to home games, so the Buffaloes lose one of the most visible chances to sell prospects on the full campus experience at a time when every detail matters.
Recruits can still attend the Northwestern game on their own, but the standard visit setup Colorado usually leans on is off the table for this date. The good news is the Buffaloes will get that stage back for their next home game against Texas Tech, when the program can again bring prospects into the building and show off what Saturdays in Boulder look like at full volume. [Read more 🡒]