Colorado didn’t get the win it wanted against Utah, but it did get something it hadn’t shown much of lately: a second-half response worth talking about.
After falling behind 13-0 at halftime against No. 11 Utah on Saturday at Folsom Field, the Buffaloes stormed back, briefly led in the third quarter and wound up losing by three. Deion Sanders wasn’t ready to put that performance in a larger season-long box.
Asked whether a game like that can spark a turnaround, Sanders kept it simple: “I have no idea,” he said. “I’m going to wait and see next week.”
That next test comes Saturday at 5 p.m. MT in Stillwater, where Colorado (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) will try to snap a four-game losing streak against Oklahoma State. And after the Utah game, the mood around the Buffaloes sounded noticeably different than it has during the skid.
Sanders said he talked to his team before the game about reflection.
“The mirror only shows a reflection on you, but it doesn’t tell everything about you,” Sanders said.
A few Buffaloes clearly saw something encouraging. Running back JaQuail Smith, who led Colorado’s backfield with 13 carries and added a 68-yard touchdown catch, said the ground game “showed that we still got it.” Linebacker Gideon Lampron also said he hasn’t seen anybody in the locker room give up during the losing streak.
Not everyone was satisfied with merely being competitive. Quarterback Isaac Wilson made that much clear.
“We should be winning. We should be winning,” Wilson said. “Offense needs to step it up even more.”
Colorado’s 24 points were its highest total against an FBS opponent this season, and 17 of them came in the third quarter. Sanders said the key to getting the offense untracked for four quarters is to keep “just letting it go,” and he said he believes in offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.
Wilson’s day also included two interceptions, one of which set up Utah’s final touchdown. He has thrown five picks over his last two starts, but Sanders made it clear he wasn’t putting the burden entirely on the quarterback’s turnovers.
“We don’t count his mistakes,” Sanders said. “We count the passion and the love that he plays with.”
The contrast between the two halves was hard to miss. Colorado was flagged eight times for 78 yards before halftime and didn’t score. After the break, it was penalized just twice for 15 yards and put 24 points on the board.
That kind of offensive firepower won’t be enough on its own this week, because Oklahoma State can put up points with anybody. The Cowboys are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play, and even after a 35-32 loss at Houston they still received the most votes of any unranked team after dropping out of the AP Top 25.
Under coach Eric Morris, Oklahoma State averages 37.2 points per game, which ranks 22nd in the FBS, and piles up 517.7 yards per game. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker has thrown for 1,940 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions, including 365 yards against Houston.
His top targets are Wyatt Young, who has 32 catches for 561 yards and five touchdowns, and Justin Bowick, who has 29 receptions for 469 yards and six scores. Running back Caleb Hawkins has 592 rushing yards and also caught seven passes for 125 yards against the Cougars.
The Cowboys’ defense has been more reachable. They give up 23.7 points per game, which ranks 70th in the FBS, and allowed 505 yards at Houston. Linebacker Ethan Wesloski leads the team with 62 tackles, Tate Romney has six tackles for loss, and Oklahoma State has five interceptions.
Their season has already taken a few sharp turns. The Cowboys opened with a 24-10 loss at Tulsa, then bounced back to beat then-No. 6 Oregon 39-31 the following week.
Colorado and Oklahoma State have met plenty of times before, with the Buffaloes holding a 25-20-1 edge in the series. Colorado won the last matchup 52-0 in Boulder in 2024, but hasn’t played in Stillwater since a 31-28 loss in 2009.
Lampron believes the energy from Saturday can carry over.
“We’re going to use this momentum going forward,” he said.
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