Colorado’s Week 7 injury picture came out of the bye week looking a lot busier than the Buffaloes probably wanted.
The injury report still has a long list of names, and not every situation looks the same. Some players are trending toward returns against No.
11 Utah in Week 7, while others appear headed for a longer wait. After three straight losses, Colorado was hoping the bye would clean things up.
Instead, plenty of the rehab work is still ongoing.
One notable development is that Gooden is no longer listed on the official injury report. That matters because he played in Week 1, so his disappearance from the report is a strong sign that his season may be over. Other players are absent too, but those are the guys who haven’t played at all this season because of injury, so their status has been more or less settled on a weekly basis.
Martinez, though, is back on the report after being absent previously, and that’s at least an encouraging sign for Colorado. If the Buffaloes weren’t willing to keep issuing updates, his season might have been done. Instead, his name showing up again suggests CU still sees a path back.
The outlook is much murkier for Scudero. The former FBS receiving yards leader has not had the season anyone expected, and Deion Sanders sounded far less certain about his return than he did before the bye.
“He’s working his butt off to get back. Wants to come back with all his faith and all his might.
Slowly but surely, he's coming. I don't know if he's going to be ready by this week.
We pray that he does, but we don't know that at this point. Still early,” Sanders said.
Atkins is also still out, which continues to sting Colorado’s offense. The tight end has dealt with one injury after another this season, and the Buffaloes have not been able to count on his pass-catching ability for long stretches.
Perry’s season has already taken a sharp turn, and another injury only makes it tougher. He has just four catches for 21 yards and no touchdowns, a steep drop from his near-1,000-yard receiving year with the Miami University Redhawks in 2025. He had already missed time earlier this season, though it’s not clear whether this latest setback is tied to the same issue.
On the defensive side, Lester is the name Colorado wants back most. He has been one of the team’s most important players and leads the Buffaloes and the Big 12 with four sacks. He has been a strong presence next to Santana Hopper and Toby Anene in the front seven, and Sanders sounded optimistic about his chances of playing this week.
Colorado would also like to get Ezeogu and Manuel back so the defensive line can be whole again. Both are new additions to the injured list, which means the issue likely came either against then-No. 12 Texas Tech or during the bye week itself.
That matters because the Buffaloes had trouble generating much pressure on a mostly immobile Will Hammond in that game. Getting the full defensive line back would go a long way toward fixing that problem.
In Other News...
Colorado Heads Into Utah With Key Availability Questions Still Looming
Colorados Week 7 injury report leaves plenty of moving parts in place as the Buffaloes prepare to visit Utah, with five players listed out and the availability sheet still offering more questions than answers. The latest update did bring one bit of clarity, though, as edge rusher Immanuel Ezeogu has been cleared to play, giving Colorado at least one defensive piece back for a matchup that already carries plenty of weight on the road.
Even so, the Buffaloes are still sorting through key absences and uncertain returns, with Lester remaining questionable heading into game day. The roster picture also shifted with Martinez no longer on the report after surgery, a sign that his absence is likely to stretch well beyond this week, leaving Colorado to adjust its depth chart while it tries to line up against the Utes. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces The Kind Of Test That Still Defines Its Ceiling
BYU is headed into one of those games that tends to say a lot about a program, even before the final whistle. The matchup with Notre Dame brings together two teams that were both left out of the previous College Football Playoff, and it has the feel of a measuring-stick game for the Cougars, who are eager to show they belong in conversations usually reserved for the sports heavyweights.
The early read from analysts points to Notre Dame as the favorite, with most expecting a tight, defensive-minded game rather than anything resembling a track meet. For BYU, the challenge is less about style points than about proving it can handle the kind of pressure and physicality that often defines a teams ceiling, and that is exactly the sort of stage that tends to reveal where a program stands. [Read more 🡒]