Colorado heads into its bye week at 2-3, and the numbers tell a pretty clear story: the defense has done enough to keep the Buffaloes afloat, while the offense and discipline have dragged them the other way.
Start with the bright spot. Under new defensive coordinator Chris Marve, Colorado has piled up 44.0 tackles for loss, which ranks No. 3 in the nation.
That kind of disruption has come from all over the front, with defensive lineman Santana Hopper leading the way at 9.5 tackles for loss. Lamont Lester Jr. has 6.0, while linebacker Gideon Lampron and defensive lineman Toby Anene are each at 5.5.
The sack total is more modest - 10 sacks, which ranks No. 59 in the FBS - but the larger point is hard to miss: Colorado has been getting into backfields and creating problems. If that continues, the Buffaloes should have a fighting chance once Big 12 play settles in.
The offensive side has been a much rougher watch, especially when Colorado gets close to the end zone. The Buffaloes have scored on nine of 14 red zone trips, a 64.2 conversion rate that ranks No. 133 out of 138 teams.
Their touchdown rate there is 42.9 percent, which is barely better at No. 130.
That lack of finishing punch has shown up on the ground too. Colorado has only four rushing touchdowns on the season, tied for No. 123 nationally.
Turnovers have added another layer of frustration. The Buffaloes have lost five fumbles, tied for No. 123 in the country, and they’re averaging one lost fumble per game. Colorado has put the ball on the ground seven times overall and recovered only two of them.
The quarterback situation has fed into that mess. Julian Lewis threw two interceptions while he was running the offense, and Isaac Wilson has thrown three since taking over as the starter off the bench.
The sixth interception came from receiver Joseph Williams on a trick play attempt. Whatever the source, the takeaway is the same: Colorado has not taken care of the football well enough.
Even with the offensive issues, the defense has still found ways to make impact plays. On fourth down, the Buffaloes have been especially sharp, allowing just one conversion on six attempts.
That 16.7 percent success rate against them ranks No. 8 in the country. Colorado is tied with TCU and Wake Forest in that category and sits ahead of Big 12 teams like Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.
The final problem is the one Deion Sanders has been openly bothered by: penalties. Colorado is averaging nine penalties per game and giving up 82.6 penalty yards per game, both of which rank No. 131 nationally. Among Big 12 teams, no one has been flagged more often than the Buffaloes.
In Other News...
Colorados Biggest Bye Week Problem Is Harder To Ignore Now
A bye week can be useful for a lot of things, but for Colorado it arrives with the record and the recent stretch telling the same story: this is a team trying to steady itself after three straight losses and a 1-4 start. On defense, Chris Marves group has at least given the Buffaloes some encouraging tape, especially up front and at linebacker, where transfers like Lamont Lester Jr., Santana Hopper and Gideon Lampron have helped create a little traction in spots.
The tougher part is that the problems keep showing up where depth matters most. Defensive tackle and the secondary remain thin areas, and the special teams operation has become hard to ignore without a dedicated coach, with the kicking game and kickoff returns both looking too uneven for a team that needs every edge it can find. The bye offers a chance to clean up the details, but it also puts the spotlight on how many fixes Colorado has to make at once. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados Bowl Hopes Are Riding On A Brutal Final Stretch
Colorados margin for error has all but disappeared with seven games left and a need to find four wins to become bowl eligible. After dropping three straight, the Buffaloes are staring at a closing stretch that will test every part of the roster, with three ranked opponents still ahead and little room for a slip if they want to keep postseason hopes alive.
The remaining schedule also offers a mixed bag, at least on paper, because each opponent brings its own strengths and soft spots. Colorados path now comes down to which games it can realistically steal, and which matchups simply look too steep for a team trying to stop the slide before the season gets away from it. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Faces A Colorado Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The transfer portal has become college footballs quickest fix, but Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt pointed out on air that the best teams still build something sturdier first. In his view, programs like the ones run by Lincoln Riley and Deion Sanders face the same basic question: how much can you lean on outside additions before the lack of an internal foundation starts to matter more than the talent influx itself?
For Colorado, that conversation lands uncomfortably because the results have not matched the attention. Sanders has spent plenty of time trying to remake the roster and accelerate the rebuild, but the Buffs are off to a 2-3 start after the loss to Texas Tech and his record in Boulder now sits at 18-24. Klatts bigger point was less about one bad Saturday and more about whether a program can keep chasing answers through the portal without first establishing the kind of culture that holds up when the new faces stop feeling new. [Read more 🡒]