Colorado left Stillwater with more than a loss. The Buffaloes came out of their Week 8 trip to Oklahoma State carrying a fresh round of questions, and the biggest one is the same one that has shadowed them all season: quarterback play.
For a half, it looked like Isaac Wilson might quiet that conversation. He was sharp early, piling up 222 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 14 of 16 throws without an interception in the first two quarters. Colorado even took a 24-23 lead into halftime.
Then the wheels came off.
Wilson’s second half was a mess, with two interceptions, a 5-of-15 passing line for 58 yards, no touchdowns and two fumbles. That collapse helped fuel Colorado’s 34 unanswered points allowed after halftime, turning a competitive game into a blowout. It was his fifth straight week of leaving the Buffaloes with more quarterback uncertainty than answers.
But the quarterback situation wasn’t the only issue exposed in the loss. Colorado’s cornerbacks were picked apart, and Oklahoma State made the weak link easy to spot. Boo Carter has been steady, but the other two spots have become a problem, with Cree Thomas and RJ Johnson repeatedly targeted and repeatedly beaten.
That matters because the rest of the defense has been strong enough to cover a lot of ground. If opposing teams keep finding the same holes, Colorado could be staring at more nights like this one.
The offensive operation also deserves its share of blame. Offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s handling of the personnel stood out again, especially in the way the game tilted toward Wilson’s arm and away from the run game. A turnover-prone quarterback was asked to throw it 27 times, while Colorado ran it only 15 times.
That was strange enough on its own, but it got worse given the running back depth available. JaQuail Smith handled 13 carries even though he averaged just three yards per rush, and Damian Henderson II got only two carries for three yards. No other running back touched the ball.
So what’s real and what’s an overreaction? The quarterback concern is as real as it gets.
The cornerback issue is real too. And the playcalling deserves scrutiny.
What doesn’t feel like a panic button moment is the defense as a whole, or Chris Marve’s ability to steady it. This was an uncharacteristic performance from his unit, not something that should suddenly become the norm. Even with the late-game struggles that have shown up when opponents were already out of reach, Colorado’s defense has still been one of the best in the Big 12 outside of those moments.
Marve’s track record also gives reason to trust he can clean this up. His 2023 Virginia Tech defense allowed just 2,194 passing yards, the third-fewest in the country behind Notre Dame and Ohio State. The expectation is that he’ll get the secondary right and help it start flashing that kind of form again.
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