Three games into the season, Colorado’s rotation is already sorting itself out. The Buffaloes got a clearer read on a few players in the Week 3 loss to Northwestern, and the backfield in particular produced both momentum and regression.
The biggest mover was Smith, who turned eight carries into 91 yards and ripped off runs of 28 and 35 yards. That works out to 11.4 yards per carry, and it gave Colorado some of its most explosive ground production of the night.
A week earlier against Weber State, Smith had managed only 19 yards on six carries. Colorado is still cycling through multiple running backs, so one strong outing does not lock in a larger role, but it does give the staff another reason to keep feeding him.
Welch, meanwhile, went the other direction. He followed up a 106-yard day against Weber State, capped by a 55-yard touchdown, with just 14 yards on seven carries against Northwestern.
He also lost a fumble in the first quarter. That drop-off was not only about the turnover; it also came at a time when Smith was making every touch in the backfield matter even more.
On defense, Fontentte kept stacking production in a different way each week. He led Colorado with 13 tackles, nine of them solo, and added a half tackle for loss.
He opened the season with eight tackles at Georgia Tech and then picked off a pass against Weber State. A defensive back posting 13 tackles usually means too many plays are reaching the second level, but Fontentte keeps showing up to finish them.
Martinez also made his presence felt in a limited stat line. He finished with four tackles and logged Colorado’s only sack, taking down Aidan Chiles for a nine-yard loss. In a linebacker room with plenty of competition, a play like that stands out because it was one of the few that put Northwestern behind the chains.
Lewis had the roughest statistical night of the bunch. After earning Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors and throwing 150 straight passes without an interception, he was picked off twice against Northwestern.
He completed 19 of 29 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown. He owned the performance afterward, saying, “It all starts with the quarterback, right?”
Lewis said after the game, as quoted by Colorado Athletics. “It starts with me.
I have to do better, just getting the ball to the open guys, just keeping everybody motivated to continue to drive.”
Lester’s start to the year had set a high bar. He opened with three sacks at Georgia Tech and added another against Weber State, but Northwestern kept him out of the sack column.
Even so, he still contributed two tackles, including a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. This was not a quiet game in every sense, just a step back from the pressure he created in the first two weeks.
Colorado’s first three games have already produced a few clear trends, and Week 3 sharpened them. Smith and Fontentte pushed their stock up.
Lewis, Lester, and Welch took hits. And after Northwestern, the Buffaloes’ rotation looks a lot less settled than it did a week ago.
In Other News...
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Defensively, the problems look harder to patch in a hurry. Colorados depth on the line and at linebacker has already been tested by injuries and eligibility issues, and the passing game still feels like it is waiting for the right pieces to click, with Danny Scudero among the players limited by injury. For a program trying to keep building momentum, the next stretch now feels less about style points and more about whether enough of the roster can get healthy and steady before the schedule tightens again. [Read more 🡒]