Colorado finally got the kind of night it had been chasing, and Deion Sanders made it clear afterward that the Buffaloes aren’t interested in the outside noise.
On Halloween, Colorado snapped a five-game losing streak by edging Kansas State 27-24 in overtime at home, improving to 3-5 and collecting its first Big 12 win of the season. It was a needed response after a rough stretch, and it came with a much better showing on the ground and a steadier night from quarterback Isaac Wilson.
The Buffaloes leaned on Richard Young, who powered the offense with 120 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Wilson did his part too, finishing 14 of 21 for 185 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. That was enough to get Colorado over the line against a Kansas State team that had the Buffs backed into a corner.
Sanders, though, wanted the focus on something bigger than just the final score. After the win, he talked about the way his team has handled the adversity around it.
"Winning is winning, man. That's what the goal is.
That's what we wanted to do. You've got to understand, we don't subscribe to your channels and your stations and what you all think, like you're preaching the gospel.
Our kids ain't built like that. They're locked in and they're focused.
And they're on a mission to win. And the inner fighting and cattiness, they don't get down like that, man.
How do I know that? Because I talk to them all the time," Sanders said.
That message came after a difficult week for the program. Before Kansas State came to town, Julian "JuJu" Lewis was taken to the hospital after a medical emergency in a Colorado athletics facility. Both Lewis' family and the Buffaloes issued statements, though the cause of the emergency has not been disclosed.
Colorado had been searching for a breakthrough during its losing streak, a run that included a close call against then-ranked No. 11 Utah. Instead of folding, the Buffs found a way to stay in the fight against Kansas State and finish the job in overtime.
Sanders was also asked whether his team was desperate after the recent losses, and he didn’t buy the premise.
"I don't know what the definition of desperation is. I don't think these young men are desperate.
Are y'all desperate? We're not.
It ain't no desperation. It may be to you, but it's not desperation to them.
The main thing I told them to do is go out there and have fun today, and it's impossible to have fun when you get your butt kicked. I ain't never had fun getting my butt kicked.
I don't know about you, but I've never had."
Colorado now heads to Arizona State before a Friday-night matchup against No. 17 Houston. The Buffaloes have already shown they can hang with Big 12 teams like Utah and Texas Tech, and the next test is whether they can turn that into another upset when the Cougars come to Folsom Field.
After that, Colorado finishes the season at Cincinnati and then back home against UCF.
In Other News...
Kansas State Gets A Crucial Oklahoma State Spot At The Worst Time
Kansas State now knows where and when its next Big 12 test will land, and the timing is hardly ideal. The league announced the Wildcats will host Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 7 at noon CT at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, with the game set for TNT, giving Chris Kliemans team a midday spotlight in the middle of a difficult stretch.
The Wildcats have dropped four of their last five and have been without starting quarterback Avery Johnson for two weeks, so any reset would be welcome. Oklahoma State arrives with its own issues after losing two of its last three under first-year coach Eric Morris, which at least gives this matchup some intrigue even if Kansas State would probably prefer a little more breathing room before it has to sort out the next step. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Fans Will Be Arguing This Boulder Decision All Week
Kansas States trip to Boulder ended with a familiar kind of frustration, a close game slipping away late in a 27-24 overtime loss to Colorado. Dillon Duff got the start at quarterback, but Blake Barnett also saw action and helped keep the offense in the fight, giving the Wildcats enough life to stay within striking distance even as the game tightened into a fourth-quarter grind.
The bigger concern was on the other side of the ball, where Kansas State had trouble holding up against Colorados rushing attack and never quite found a clean answer when it mattered most. That is where the arguments are likely to linger all week, because the defensive performance was hard to separate from the coaching decisions shaping it, and the Wildcats are left sorting through a loss that felt winnable for long stretches. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State May Have Found The Spark Its Offense Needed
Kansas State has been searching for a little life on offense, and one of the more encouraging signs came from an unexpected place in the recent game against Colorado. Tight end Linkon Cure scored his first career touchdown on a 33-yard catch from backup quarterback Blake Barnett, a play that showed how the Wildcats can still find production when the passing game starts to loosen up.
Cures growth has been one of the quieter positives this season, with his role expanding in both receptions and yards as Kansas State tries to climb out of a rough Big 12 start. At 1-4 in conference play, the Wildcats need more than one bright spot, but a young tight end gaining confidence and making plays downfield is the kind of development that can change the feel of an offense in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]