When the going got tough, Colorado got going, but too little, too late to upset No. 11 Utah.
In a tale of two halves, the Buffaloes (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) fell to the Utes (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) at home, 27-24. Down 13-0, after two quarters and with just 70 yards, the Buffs offense was dead. Then they ignited with 17 third-quarter points and took a 17-13 lead they just couldn’t hold on to.
The Utes responded to make it 20-17, and later quarterback Isaac Wilson threw a costly fourth-quarter interception that swung momentum. Utah capitalized with a touchdown, taking a 10-point lead with just 3:43 left to play. But even with their backs to the wall, they didn’t give up.
Wilson and the Buffs drove down the field and hit pay dirt to make it 27-24 with just 1:21 left. The defense put together three quick stops, forced a punt and gave their offense an opportunity at a miracle with 1:06 and no timeouts.
Despite trailing, the Buffs set up a game-winning Hail Mary, but it got batted down as regulation ended, sealing the fate of a four-game losing streak. In another winnable game, Colorado couldn’t get the job done when it mattered.
Although they fell to 2-4, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders remained optimistic about his team's performance.
“I did something I never do after a loss,” Sanders said. “I stood up there on the podium and told those kids, ‘I'm really proud of y'all’, man, because they fought, they didn't give up, they had a chance.”
While some consistent problems plagued the Buffs, they were close to putting together their most complete performance as a team.
Wilson would finish 18-for-30, having passed for 256 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. On the ground, JaQuail Smith sparked the run for the Buffaloes, accumulating 73 rushing yards to pair with 68 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The Buffs ended with 394 total yards of offense, while Utah had 409.
While offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s unit erupted for 24 points in the second half, their two scoreless quarters certainly came back to haunt them late. Part of that could be attributed to the 10 penalties for 97 yards (eight in the first half) that hurt Colorado in key moments. While the offense showed improvement, they have yet to put together a full game.
“I believe in Brennan. I believe in this offense, just letting it go,” Sanders said. “And those guys really believing what they're capable of doing, and us doing things that keeps them comfortable and keeps them in that place.”
Defensively, the Buffs held Utah to under 30 points for the first time in 11 contests going back to 2025. Utes QB Devon Dampier still had his fair share of success, completing 24/41 passes for 278 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
CU safety duo Randon Fontenette (11 total tackles) and Naeten Mitchell (10 total tackles, one interception) each had a stellar performance that helped the defense. Linebacker Gideon Lampron added 11 total tackles and a sack while also setting up defensive tackle Dylan Manuel with an interception.
But once again, the defense faded late against Utah, allowing two touchdowns in the second half.
“They're more than capable. But when the offense contributes greatly, they're even better,” Sanders said. “They've been trying their best to hold the dam up, but when you're not scoring at times throughout the season, it's tough on them because sooner or later they're gonna they're gonna fold.”
The Buffs will have to find a way to finish football games and continue to make improvements to potentially resurrect their season. With six games left to play, they aren’t out of bowl contention, but are far from where they wanted to be record-wise.
They hit the road next, going to Stillwater, Okla., to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys next Saturday.
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