Colorado has two weeks to sort through a roster that needs answers, and the bye arrives with the Buffaloes in the middle of a three-game slide after a 29-7 loss to Texas Tech. Deion Sanders made it clear after the game that the focus now turns to response and recovery.
“We’re going to right the wrongs, looking to see how some of the young men respond,” coach Deion Sanders said during his post-game conference.
At 2-3, Colorado heads into the break before hosting Utah on Oct. 17, and the staff has reason to take a harder look at four players whose roles could grow coming out of it. Some have barely had a chance. Others have already shown enough to merit more consistent work.
Freshman quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne is the clearest example of a player worth evaluating beyond a narrow package. Colorado has used Isaac Wilson and Julian Lewis as starters this season, but neither has done enough to keep the offense on track during the losing streak. Sweetwyne, meanwhile, got only a tiny sample against Texas Tech.
He opened the game by lining up at receiver and catching a seven-yard pass from Wilson on the first snap. Later, on fourth down from the Red Raiders’ four-yard line, he took another shot and came up empty.
That’s not enough to declare him ready to run the offense, but it is enough to justify more work during the bye. The staff needs a better read on his timing, his decision-making and how he handles the ball before any bigger role comes into play.
Running back Damian Henderson II also earned a longer look. He turned three carries into 19 yards, highlighted by a 12-yard burst, while Colorado’s other backs combined for just 13 yards on 11 attempts. His case only gets stronger when you zoom in on what happened while the game was still in reach: second-quarter runs of 12 and five yards while the Buffs still led.
Henderson added a 20-yard catch on third and 10, though Colorado was already trailing 29-9 at that point. Even so, the bigger question is whether he can do more if he gets more opportunities across a fuller game.
Up front, true freshman Xavier Payne made his first career start at offensive line against Texas Tech. The 6-7, 320-pound lineman now has a real assignment to learn from as offensive line coach Gunnar White gets the group ready for Utah.
Colorado allowed just one sack, but the team stat doesn’t tell the full story of how Payne handled his individual work. The run game, which averaged only 2.4 yards per rush, leaves plenty to fix, and keeping Payne in the mix through the bye would give him a chance to grow inside a line that still needs better production.
Then there’s safety Naeten Mitchell, who showed he can impact the game on defense and still give Colorado something on offense if used carefully. He finished with five tackles, including a four-yard loss on 4th-and-1 in the second quarter that gave the ball back to the Buffs right after their failed fake punt.
Mitchell also carried on that fake, picking up four yards when Colorado needed seven. On top of that, he caught a three-yard pass and drew a deep target late. His defensive stop is the strongest argument for building around him, while any offensive touches need to come with a clear purpose.
Defensive coordinator Chris Marve and the staff now have the bye week to sort out that balance without pulling Mitchell away from what he already does best.
“The score is not indicative of who these guys are and who we are,” Sanders said.
In Other News...
Kansas Faces Its Biggest Test Yet After That Breakout Win
The buildup around Saturday in Salt Lake City is easy to understand, because No. 12 Utah and Kansas arrive looking like two of the Big 12s sturdier defensive teams. Utah sits atop the conference in scoring defense and is coming off a bye after its win at Iowa State, while Kansas brings the leagues top total defense into a matchup that figures to be played with very little room for error.
Kansas also arrives with a jolt of momentum after its 55-0 rout of Middle Tennessee, a result that delivered the programs first shutout since 2008 and set a school record for total offense. For Utah, it adds another layer to a game that already looks like a test of patience and execution, with both teams trying to prove their defensive numbers travel well into a higher-stakes setting. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Just Added A New Kind Of Offseason Boost Across Athletics
Utah Athletics picked up a notable offseason boost with USANA stepping in as the schools official vitamin, mineral and nutrition partner, a deal that now touches more than 500 athletes across 19 sports. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes support that rarely draws much attention on game day, but it matters in a department trying to give every program a better daily foundation, from training table habits to recovery and overall athlete care.
The partnership is also built to reach beyond campus, with USANA set to provide nutritional supplements to Utah Athletics while creating opportunities for athletes to connect with the USANA Foundation and youth sports organizations. Officials from both sides pointed to the value of pairing performance support with community involvement, and for Utah, the interesting part may be how far this relationship extends once the on-field and on-court benefits start to show up. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Still Has One Reason To Believe After Texas Tech
After the loss to Texas Tech, Colorado defensive lineman Santana Hopper pointed to the Week 6 bye as a needed reset, with the Buffaloes using the extra time to recover and clean up the issues that showed up in the defeat. Hopper came away from the game with a strong individual performance, but his focus afterward was less on what went right for him and more on what the team still needs to fix before the schedule turns back to conference play.
Colorados offense remains the obvious work in progress, and Hopper said the group has to get that side moving if it wants to give itself a real chance in the weeks ahead. For now, the Buffaloes are leaning on the defense to keep them competitive, with Utah waiting in Week 7 and little margin for error once the bye week ends. [Read more 🡒]