Colorado’s trip to Arizona State in Week 10 comes with a lot riding on it, and the Buffaloes are carrying more than just the pressure of a road game. After surviving a close one against Kansas State in Week 9, the questions around this team haven’t exactly gone away.
Some of them are worth worrying about. Others are getting blown up a bit too fast.
The biggest concern right now is the secondary, especially the cornerbacks. Colorado got a favorable setup against Kansas State, with the Wildcats down to fourth-string quarterback Blake Barnett after Avery Johnson was sidelined with a neck injury. Kansas State already ranked in the bottom five of the Big 12 in passing yards per game, so this was about as manageable a matchup as the Buffaloes could have hoped for.
It still didn’t go well. Barnett finished with 224 passing yards and three touchdowns, going 18-for-28 without an interception, and he didn’t even enter until the second quarter.
That leaves plenty of room to wonder what the numbers might have looked like if he had played from the opening whistle. With tougher quarterbacks ahead, this is a real issue for Colorado.
The interior defensive line, though, deserves a different kind of read. Against Kansas State, it barely showed up.
Santana Hopper, who has been a disruptive force for Colorado this season, didn’t register on the stat sheet, and Dylan Manuel was the only interior lineman to record anything notable. Manuel finished with two total tackles, and neither came in the backfield.
That kind of quiet day against a struggling offense naturally raises eyebrows, but this one looks more like an off night than a sign of something deeper. Colorado’s interior defensive line has been one of the team’s most dependable groups this season, and one flat performance shouldn’t erase that.
If this becomes a trend, the conversation changes. For now, it doesn’t.
The penalties are another story. Colorado was flagged eight times for 53 yards, and the same discipline issues kept popping up again. The procedural mistakes have been a recurring problem all season, and they continue to undercut whatever else the Buffaloes are trying to build.
Deion Sanders has praised the team’s discipline in practice, but that hasn’t carried over to Saturdays. The issue has been there from early in the season, and despite the hope that it would get cleaned up, there hasn’t been much evidence of progress. At this point, Colorado may be better served figuring out how to play through the flags than expecting them to disappear.
In Other News...
Avery Johnson's Kansas State Future Suddenly Looks Uncertain
Avery Johnsons season has taken an abrupt turn for Kansas State, with the senior quarterback ruled out for the upcoming game against Oklahoma State after missing the last three contests because of an undisclosed injury. In his absence, the Wildcats have had to piece together the position with multiple quarterbacks in recent weeks, a jarring change for a team that entered the fall expecting Johnson to be at the center of everything.
The bigger question now is whether Johnson will be back at all this season, and even that remains uncertain. There is still a small chance he could return, but Kansas State may also be looking beyond this year if Johnson petitions for a fifth season of eligibility under NCAA rules, leaving his immediate future and the Wildcats long-term quarterback picture both hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Is Chasing An Early Recruiting Win Fans Will Notice
Kansas State is already planting seeds for the future, and the early recruiting board is starting to take shape with offers going out to high school players in the 2028 classes and beyond. Among the names to watch is North Carolina edge rusher Darian Johnson, a three-star prospect whose offer list already includes multiple major programs, a sign that the Wildcats are trying to stay in the mix well before the process gets crowded.
The broader list of offers shows Kansas State casting a wide net across positions and regions, targeting players from different schools and recruiting cycles as the staff tries to build momentum early. For a program that has made a habit of finding value and developing talent, these are the kinds of moves that can pay off later, especially if the Wildcats can turn one of these early offers into a recruiting win fans will notice. [Read more 🡒]
K-State Is Finally Handing Blake Barnett A Chance That Changes Everything
Blake Barnett is about to get a long-awaited shot under center for Kansas State, and the timing makes it feel bigger than a routine lineup change. After working his way back from a lower body injury earlier in the season, Barnett was cleared to play and then impressed in relief in a recent game, enough to put himself in position to start against Oklahoma State.
For Barnett, it will be his first start since high school, a remarkable step for a quarterback who had to wait through injury recovery and the ripple effects of other injuries in the room. Kansas State now turns to him with a chance to stabilize the position, and the Wildcats will find out quickly whether his brief spark off the bench can carry over when the spotlight is fully on. [Read more 🡒]