Colorado came out swinging against No. 12 Texas Tech, but the opening burst didn’t survive the night.
Deion Sanders handed the offense to Utah transfer Isaac Wilson, and for a while the move paid off. Colorado opened with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown march, capped by Joseph Williams’ eight-yard scoring grab to put the Buffs ahead 7-0 just five minutes in. Wilson followed that with another strong drive, pushing the ball 65 yards on 12 plays before a missed field goal stalled the chance to build on the lead.
Then the game tilted.
Texas Tech finished with a 29-7 win at Folsom Field, and the difference was turnovers, missed chances and a second half where Colorado couldn’t find the same rhythm it showed early. Wilson’s first start had plenty to like and plenty to clean up: he threw for a career-high 292 yards and a touchdown, completed passes to seven different Buffs and looked comfortable attacking tight windows.
But he also gave it away three times, including a pick-six in the fourth quarter. Joseph Williams added another turnover on a trick play early in the third quarter.
Those four giveaways led to 19 of Texas Tech’s 29 points.
For Colorado, the encouraging part was how Wilson fit into Brennan Marion’s Go-Go offense. The unanswered question is whether that’s enough to keep him in the role after the upcoming bye week.
The defense, meanwhile, did its part again.
After holding Baylor to 23 points in the Big 12 opener last week, Chris Marve’s group kept Texas Tech to just three first-half points and limited the Red Raiders to 3-for-12 on third down. Will Hammond managed only 134 passing yards, and Colorado’s defense piled up 11 tackles for loss.
Santana Hopper was all over the field in what may have been his best game in black and gold, finishing with 10 total tackles, five TFLs and four QB hits. RJ Johnson, making his first start of the season at cornerback because of injuries in the secondary, added two pass breakups. Toby Anene and Randon Fontenette each recorded a sack.
If that level of play holds, Colorado will be in more games than people expect.
The special teams, though, are becoming impossible to overlook.
Colorado burned a first-quarter timeout because it had only six players on the field to block a Texas Tech field goal, then still had just nine out there after the timeout as the Red Raiders drilled a 52-yarder. Elliot Arnold also missed field goals from 52 and 29 yards in the first half, keeping Texas Tech close when Colorado had a chance to widen the gap.
The miscues kept coming. Colorado tried a fake punt on fourth-and-11, but safety Naeten Mitchell was stopped short of the line to gain. Deion Sanders still does not have a special teams coach, and that choice is drawing harder questions each week.
Penalties only added to the mess. The Buffs entered Week 5 as the most-penalized team in the Big 12, and they backed that up with eight penalties for 84 yards against Texas Tech.
In Other News...
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Before kickoff in Lubbock, Texas Tech fans reportedly stumbled onto something that looked a lot more useful than a souvenir: a 25-page Colorado game plan playbook found at the Buffaloes team hotel. The document appeared authentic and, to outsiders watching the game unfold, it matched plays Colorado actually used on the field.
For a team already trying to steady itself, the timing could not have been worse. Colorado was beaten 29-7 by Texas Tech in a game defined by turnovers and interceptions, then headed into a bye week with a three-game losing streak hanging over it. Deion Sanders acknowledged the issues and opened up a quarterback competition, leaving the Buffaloes with plenty to sort out and a strange pregame mystery still hanging in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Celebrity Sideline Moment Had Buffs Fans Reading One NBA Star
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DeRozan was the one who seemed to embrace the moment most, engaging with fans and giving the sideline the kind of energy Buffaloes supporters have come to expect when a star rolls through Boulder. Jokic, by contrast, drew a different reaction, appearing more reserved and keeping his interactions with attendees to a minimum, a contrast that stood out during a season in which the celebrity turnout around Colorado games has already felt lighter than it has in past years. [Read more 🡒]
Buffs Leave Battle In The Bay With One Concern Fans Will Watch
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Alexin was right there again in singles before dropping a second-set tiebreaker to USCs Simone Kay, while Bubalos match against Charlottes Yelyzaveta Chainykova ended with a retirement because of injury. For Colorado, the bigger question now is how Bubalo responds after leaving the event early, because the Buffaloes already showed they can trade blows with quality opponents - what happens next may say a lot about their depth as the fall season moves on. [Read more 🡒]