Texas Tech had to work through an uneven opening and a shorthanded backfield, but the Red Raiders still walked out with a 29-7 win over Colorado to move to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play.
Colorado struck first on its opening possession, and Joey McGuire said the Buffaloes came with a broad enough offensive package to keep Texas Tech busy. Once the Red Raiders settled down, the game turned on turnovers and pressure. Texas Tech forced four takeaways, and McGuire said his defense also let three interception opportunities slip away.
“I thought Brennan Marion did a great job, their offensive coordinator,” McGuire said. “I think I saw everything that you could possibly see on offense.”
Texas Tech had its own offensive issues to sort through. Quarterback Tommy Castellanos was ruled out Friday, and running back Cameron Dickey exited with an ankle injury. McGuire said those absences wiped out much of the quarterback run game and forced the Red Raiders to abandon several trick plays they had planned.
The win came ahead of a bye week that both teams badly need. McGuire said Texas Tech will use the break to self-scout and give injured players time to recover.
Before kickoff, McGuire spent time talking about his relationship with Deion Sanders on his coaching show. He said the connection started when Sanders’ son Bucky transferred to Cedar Hill, where McGuire was coaching. McGuire said he reached out to a mutual friend, David, to ask what Sanders was really like.
“He said, ‘ He’s the best teammate I’ve ever had,’” McGuire recalled. The same friend also told him, “Deion and Prime are two different things.
Two different people. Prime is a branding.”
McGuire said Sanders trusted him to coach his son and hold him accountable. He described Sanders as “one of the best dads of a player that I’ve ever coached” and said that trust helped build a strong relationship between the two.
He also credited Sanders for the way he has built his public image, comparing that ability to names like Michael Jordan. Even with that personal reflection in the mix, McGuire’s postgame message stayed simple.
“Whatever the game is, we’re going to try to find a way to win it,” McGuire said. This time, four takeaways did the job.
Colorado fell to 2-3 and 0-2 in the Big 12. The Buffs now head toward conference games against Utah, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Houston and Arizona State with their bowl hopes tied to winning at least six games.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Fans Stumbled Onto A Colorado Mystery Before Kickoff
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 Heads Into Bye Week With A Frustrating New Debate
Colorados trip to Texas Tech offered a little of everything except a complete performance, and that left the Buffaloes heading into the bye week with more questions than answers. Isaac Wilson took the start at quarterback and threw for a career-high 292 yards with a touchdown, but the offense never found enough rhythm to offset the three interceptions, while a defense that held Texas Tech to three first-half points and racked up 11 tackles for loss still watched the game slip away.
Special teams and penalties made the gap too wide to close, from missed field goals to a failed fake punt that short-circuited any chance at momentum. For a team that needed cleaner execution to build on its defensive work, the frustrating part is not just the loss itself but the debate it leaves behind as Colorado gets a week to sort out how to turn the offenses flashes into something more dependable. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Celebrity Sideline Moment Had Buffs Fans Reading One NBA Star
Colorados home game against Texas Tech brought a familiar mix of football and celebrity watching, with several high-profile guests taking in the scene from the sideline. Among the biggest names in the building were Nikola Jokic, DeMar DeRozan and Cam Johnson, and the attention around them quickly became part of the atmosphere as much as the matchup itself.
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 🡒]