In the final game of year one under Deion Sanders, the Colorado Buffaloes’ late-season struggles continued. They dropped their sixth straight game, this one against Utah by a score of 23-17. The loss drops the Buffs to 4-8, ending their season two games short of bowl eligibility and turning Colorado’s attention to the offseason in Boulder.
“They won. They did a great job,” Deion Sanders postgame. “On to the next. Thank God we got out of there with maybe one injury. I believe from our center. Other than that, I think we got out of there pretty uninjured. But it’s time to start projecting and thinking about tomorrow already.”
The Buffs were operating without star quarterback Shedeur Sanders in this one, who missed the season finale due to a multitude of injuries that he suffered in last week’s blowout loss against Washington State. Instead, it was the first start for the freshman backup Ryan Staub, who impressed against a stingy Utah defense. Staub rebounded from an early turnover to lead the Buffaloes down the field in the second quarter, and Pat Shurmur dialed up a double pass to get Colorado on the board. Staub flipped a quick pass out to Jimmy Horn Jr., who then found running back Dylan Edwards downfield for the 30-yard score to cut the Utah lead down to just three, 10-7.
Photo Cred: CU
The teams traded field goals before halftime, but the Buffs arguably should’ve taken the lead multiple times on their final drive of the opening half. After Travis Hunter was ruled out of bounds on a catch and run that would’ve gone for a score, he made a diving catch in the end zone on a beautiful ball from Staub to temporarily put the Buffaloes in front. The catch was overturned on review, and Colorado settled for three instead. On the other side, the Utes were operating with an inexperienced quarterback, as junior Luke Bottari stepped under center not only to make his first FBS start but to take his first FBS snaps as well. The game plan for Kyle Whittingham and the Utes was simple. They ran the ball, controlled the clock, and allowed Bottari to make easy throws.
“They ate up the clock, it was our thought process that we could control the clock and keep them off the field,” Sanders said. “They kept the ball for almost 40 minutes, which is astounding. Well coached, executed well, ran the ball down our dern throats.”
In the third quarter, that plan really started to pay off to perfection. Utah started the second half with a methodical touchdown drive on their first series to push the lead back to 10, 20-10. Former Buffs kicker Cole Becker tacked on another field goal to go up 13, and it looked like the Utes would be able to salt the game away. However, Staub and the Buffs weren’t done fighting yet. The freshman signal-caller marched Colorado down the field and found Hunter over the middle for an 18-yard score to bring the Buffaloes back within six. However, the Utes were too much for Colorado to handle up front.
Photo Cred: CU
Staub and the Colorado offense would never see the ball again after Hunter’s touchdown with 7:31, as Utah continued to move the chains and milk the clock until there was no time left. Staub was composed all afternoon, regrouping after the opening turnover and putting together an efficient day, finishing 17-for-24 with 195 yards and a score. He played on time, made life easier for his offensive line, was accurate, and protected the football at the first start of his career.
“He refocused and recalibrated himself (after the first drive),” Sanders said. “I’m proud of Staub. I really am proud of this young man. You have no idea the leaps and bounds that he’s made because I’ve been there every day at practice. So, it was phenomenal. It was phenomenal. Proud of him.”
Hunter eclipsed 100 yards receiving, and Edwards’ touchdown was his first since scoring four times against TCU in the season opener. The Buffs still struggled to run the ball in this one, despite having some success to start the game, finishing with just 37 yards on the ground (21 in the first quarter). Bottari was asked to throw 10 passes all game but capped off two drives with rushing touchdowns. Utah dominated the running game and the time of possession battle, finishing with 268 yards on the ground and possessing the ball for over 39 minutes. The Buffaloes now turn to another offseason that will be full of departures and new arrivals as Deion Sanders attempts to upgrade the Colorado roster as they transition into the Big 12.
