Colorado’s passing game is walking into a nasty test Saturday, and the numbers make that plain. Kansas State brings a top-five pass defense to Folsom Field for a noon MT kickoff, and the Buffaloes will have to be sharper than they’ve been in a rough stretch that has dragged them to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in Big 12 play.
The Buffaloes are averaging 266.6 passing yards per game, but Kansas State is giving up only 147.1 through the air, the fifth-lowest mark in the country. That puts real pressure on quarterback Isaac Wilson to take care of the ball and on offensive coordinator Brennan Marion to find more help from the running game.
Colorado’s offense has been stuck in a five-game losing streak, and the run game has not been much of a release valve. The Buffaloes are 111th nationally in rushing offense, a problem that has left Marion trying to manufacture balance where little has been available.
There is at least some firepower on the outside. Joseph Williams has been Colorado’s most reliable target, piling up 46 catches for 643 yards and five touchdowns.
His nine-catch, 135-yard outing at Oklahoma State stands out as his biggest performance of the season. DeAndre Moore Jr. also flashed in that game with 106 receiving yards, and he enters Saturday with 28 receptions for 418 yards.
Colorado will, however, be short-handed in a couple key spots. Receiver Danny Scudero and running back Micah Welch are both listed as out on the initial availability report. JaQuail Smith leads the Buffaloes on the ground with 298 rushing yards.
Kansas State’s defense is not just strong against the pass. The Wildcats rank 25th nationally in total defense and allow 21.1 points per game. They are more vulnerable against the run, sitting 93rd in that category, and Colorado will need to take advantage there if it wants to keep Wilson out of constant obvious passing situations.
That matters because third down has been another sticking point. Colorado is converting 36.5% of its chances, while Kansas State’s defense is allowing opponents to convert only 34%. Staying ahead of the chains would give Wilson a better shot against a unit that has consistently taken away easy throws and forced offenses to work for every yard.
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Colorado Finally Got The Clutch Finish Fans Had Been Waiting For
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The offense still found enough answers when it mattered most, with JaQuail Smith providing a burst that changed the feel of the game and the passing attack delivering in the extra period. In a matchup that could have slipped away in several different spots, Colorado found a way to finish, and the result should carry real weight for a team that has been looking for exactly this kind of late-game response. [Read more 🡒]