The Colorado football team came painfully close to one of the biggest wins of the Deion Sanders era, then watched it slip away late in a 27-24 loss to No. 11 Utah on Saturday night at Folsom Field.
For long stretches, it looked like a game Colorado had no business being in. The Buffs had two weeks to get ready, but the opening half was a mess from top to bottom.
The offense stalled, the penalties piled up and Utah controlled the flow in front of a near sellout crowd. Then came a complete flip once halftime hit.
Colorado opened the second half with back-to-back 75-yard touchdown drives and suddenly had a 14-13 lead. Isaac Wilson found Jaquail Smith on a short pass that turned into a 68-yard touchdown, and the next time the Buffs had the ball, DeKalon Taylor punched in an 18-yard score.
Wilson, starting his second straight game at quarterback, had a mixed night but kept Colorado moving enough to threaten the upset. He completed 63% of his passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, though his second interception came at a crushing moment with Colorado trailing 20-17 and five minutes left. That pick effectively ended the Buffs’ shot at stealing the game.
Smith was the most dangerous player on the field for Colorado. He piled up 139 yards of offense on 13 touches and looks to have locked down the top spot at running back.
The rough first half told the story of how far the Buffs had to dig out. Colorado managed only 21 rushing yards before the break, along with just three first downs. Even worse, the Buffs had 82 penalty yards and only 70 total yards at halftime.
If the offense was stuck in neutral early, the defense kept Colorado alive long enough for the comeback attempt to matter. Chris Marve’s group has now been good enough to win for three straight weeks against Big 12 opponents, and Saturday was another night where it did its part.
Utah was held to a season-low 27 points, and the Buffs got timely takeaway help from Dylan Manuel and Naeten Mitchell, who each intercepted Devon Dampier. Dampier entered Week 7 with only two interceptions on the season.
Randon Fontenette kept adding to a strong run of his own, finishing with 10 total tackles, including eight solo stops, along with two pass breakups and a forced fumble. RJ Johnson also continued to make an impact after returning to the starting lineup, posting two pass breakups for the second game in a row.
Even with the late push, Colorado’s issues after the bye week are getting harder to ignore. The Buffs are now 0-4 in games following a bye in the Coach Prime era, and while this one wasn’t nearly as lopsided as last year’s 53-7 loss to Utah after the break, it still fits an uncomfortable pattern.
The bigger number is the one that stretches beyond this week. Colorado has now dropped eight straight games against Big 12 opponents dating back to last season, a skid that has come with different quarterbacks and different play callers. That kind of run points to a deeper problem, not just a bad night.
Next up is another crack at an upset, with Colorado heading to Oklahoma State.
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Colorado Let This One Slip Despite A Late Push And Key Flashes
Colorado had enough sparks to keep things interesting against Utah at Folsom Field, but not quite enough to finish the job in a 20-17 loss. JaQuail Smith gave the Buffaloes a major lift out of the backfield and in the passing game, while Joseph Williams worked underneath with five catches for 40 yards as Colorado tried to stay in striking distance throughout the afternoon.
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Deion Sanders Sent Colorado A Message Fans Will Want To Hear
Colorados narrow 27-24 loss to No. 11 Utah on Oct. 17 still carried the feel of a breakthrough of sorts, even if the result wound up in the wrong column. The Buffaloes dug out of a 13-point hole late and had a real chance to flip the game in the final moments, with quarterback Isaac Wilson leading one last push that brought overtime into view.
Deion Sanders made it clear after the game that the performance mattered to him, not just the scoreboard. In his postgame comments, he praised Colorados effort and resilience, and he sent a message that should resonate inside the locker room after a painful finish against a ranked opponent. [Read more 🡒]