Colorado’s trip to Stillwater started with enough hope to make the late collapse sting all the more.
For one half, Isaac Wilson looked like the quarterback who might steady things. Colorado went into the break up 24-23 over Oklahoma State, and Wilson had already piled up 222 passing yards and three total touchdowns. Then the game flipped almost immediately after halftime, and the Buffaloes never recovered in a 57-24 loss.
The first snap of the second half set the tone. Wilson fumbled it away, and two possessions later he drifted off his back foot into an interception. Oklahoma State cashed in those two giveaways for 10 points, and that was the margin that separated a close game from a runaway.
Wilson’s night was a split screen. In the first half, he helped carry an offense that looked sharper and more productive than it had in recent weeks. In the second half, he went 5-of-11 for 58 yards, finished with two interceptions and a lost fumble, and was eventually benched in the fourth quarter for true freshman Kaneal Sweetwyne after throwing his second pick.
The turnovers have become a damaging pattern. Wilson has now been costly in each of Colorado’s last three games, with six interceptions over that stretch.
There were bright spots in the passing game, at least. Joseph Williams stayed hot with eight catches for 130 yards, and DeAndre Moore Jr. topped 100 yards as well, finishing with 106 on five grabs, including a 15-yard touchdown.
But the Buffaloes couldn’t balance it out on the ground, and that has become a deeper problem. With Micah Welch sidelined by a hand injury, Colorado’s run game vanished again. The Buffs ran the ball just 15 times for 42 yards, a number that only adds to the pressure on an offense already leaning too heavily on Wilson.
That lack of production is hard to ignore, especially given the expectations around Brennan Marion’s system. Colorado came in with hopes that Marion’s reputation as an offensive mind would show up in the run game, but the results have not followed.
The defense, which had held up well over the previous three weeks, finally cracked. Colorado surrendered a season-high 598 total yards and 57 points, with Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker doing most of the damage. Mestemaker threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns while facing little resistance from a pass rush that managed only three sacks.
Justin Bowick added five catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, and Caleb Hawkins chipped in 123 rushing yards at 6.8 yards per carry.
Penalties piled on top of everything else. Colorado was flagged 10 times for 69 yards, and the Buffs remain the most penalized team in the Big 12 this season.
The bigger picture is hard to miss. The same issues keep surfacing: mistakes, inconsistency and too many self-inflicted wounds. At 2-5, Colorado’s path to bowl eligibility is looking awfully thin.
In Other News...
Colorado Risks A Bigger Problem If This Young Corner Stays Buried
Colorados secondary has been a moving target this season, and the cornerback spot has been one of the biggest reasons why. With several defenders rotating through and the group still searching for stability, there has been an opening for a young player to carve out a larger role. Mojo Williams Jr. looked like a candidate to do exactly that after showing promise in spring practice and the spring game, where he turned heads with his coverage.
Instead, his season has mostly been spent on the margins, with only a brief run of action in the Week 2 blowout of Weber State. That is where the concern starts for Colorado, because a player who flashed enough in the spring to earn attention can become a name other programs notice too if he is not used more now. For a defense already dealing with issues on the back end, the Buffs may be risking more than just depth if Williams stays buried. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados Depth May Depend On One Late-Season Development
Colorados preparation for the Nov. 2 season opener has started to clarify the shape of Tad Boyles rotation, and it looks like the Buffaloes will lean on a familiar core of guards Barrington Hargress, Alex Dickeson, Jalin Holland, Josiah Sanders and Ian Inman, plus forwards Justin Neely, Noah Feddersen, Goc Malual and David Gomez. Even before the games begin, the roster balance points to a team that will need its returning pieces to carry the early load while the newcomers get a feel for the level and the pace.
Amir Jones, Rider Portela, Chase Hill and Eric Jacobsen are the freshmen most likely to occupy the end of the bench at the outset, contributing more in practice than in regular game action. The bigger question for Colorados depth may be how much Gomez can give right away as he works back from foot surgery, because his availability could shape how much flexibility Boyle has in the frontcourt once the season starts to get crowded. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados Bowl Hopes Ride On One Huge Test At Oklahoma State
The Buffaloes head into Week 8 at 2-4 with another pivotal road test looming, and Isaac Wilson is set to make his third straight start at quarterback after taking over at halftime against Baylor. Since stepping in, Wilson has given Colorado some production through the air with 699 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions, but the bigger question is whether the offense can find enough balance to keep pace against a team built to throw the ball.
Oklahoma State brings one of the more dangerous passing attacks Colorado will see, with Drew Mestemaker drawing NFL Draft buzz and directing an offense that averages 329.5 passing yards per game. For Colorado, the path is less about getting into a shootout and more about disrupting Mestemaker early, while also trying to take advantage of a weaker run defense and keep its own bowl hopes from slipping further out of reach. [Read more 🡒]