The No. 18 Colorado Buffaloes (8-2, 6-1 Big 12) defeated the Utah Utes (4-6, 1-6 Big 12) in a dominant 49-24 victory on Saturday. What kicked off as a slow, disastrous opening became a triumphant display of force that is sure to impress the College Football Playoff committee.
The game began with a crowd-silencing interception from quarterback Shedeur Sanders on the opening play. After being one of the least turnover-prone quarterbacks in college football last season with only three interceptions, Sanders has already thrown seven interceptions in just 10 games. But after the initial mistake and an aborted snap from freshman center Cash Cleveland, he was near flawless for the rest of the game.
Sanders finished with three touchdowns, 341 yards, and a passer rating of 162.1. This marks his eighth game of the season with at least three touchdowns, and Colorado is 5-1 in games where he reaches that mark.
The Buffs' defense also played a massive part in Saturday’s win, as they held the Utes to just 3.8 yards per play and 272 total yards. Quarterback Isaac Wilson could only complete just over half of his passes (53%) for 236 yards and three interceptions. He did throw two touchdowns and put some solid throws over the middle on tape, but it was clear that he felt the pressure and suffocation from the Robert Livingston-led defense.
Safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig led the team with seven tackles along with a forced fumble. Safety Shilo Sanders and defensive lineman Amari McNeil both tied for the game-high with one sack apiece, while Sanders also tacked on two tackles-for-loss. Overall, the Buffaloes had four sacks and nine TFLs.
One of the individual stars of the day was wide receiver LaJohntay Wester. He led the team with 10 catches and tacked on 77 yards, but his best play of the day was a 75-yard punt return with six minutes left in the first quarter that put Colorado up 14-3 at the time. From then on, the Utes were never within seven points again.
Freshman receiver Drelon Miller had a breakout game of his own, proving that the Buffs’ receiving corps is one of the deepest in the nation. With six catches, 108 yards, and a touchdown, his high-level play made starter Jimmy Horn Jr.’s absence just a bit more bearable for the Colorado offense.
Travis Hunter added to his Heisman candidacy with an interception on defense, a spectacular fourth-down catch with one minute remaining in the first half, and a miraculous late touchdown on the ground with a play that running back Charlie Offerdahl said was called “Heisman.” Despite giving up a touchdown after getting beat in one-on-one coverage, Hunter played a complete game defensively, adding on three tackles and a pass breakup along with his interception.
When asked what his message is to Heisman voters, head coach Deion Sanders had a very simple message.
“If they can’t see it, they can’t see it,” Sanders said post-game.
Along with the singing of Happy Birthday to Buffs’ superfan Peggy Coppum near her 100th birthday, one of the highlights of the day was hometown hero Offerdahl scoring his first collegiate touchdown in front of the fourth-largest crowd in Buffs football history.
“My highlight of the game was Charlie Offerdahl getting into the end zone,” coach Sanders said. “We made that an initiative at the beginning of the week that we were gonna get Charlie in the [end zone] no matter what.”
“I sure wouldn’t be here without Coach Prime, and I got to give so much thanks to him,” Offerdahl said post-game. “I love him like a second father.”
It’s clear that offensive coordinator Pat Shumur’s unit has the potential to come up with highlight-reel plays on a consistent basis. The smaller plays, however, are just not there. In a game where the team gained 405 total yards, only 65 of those came on the ground. Colorado also struggled on third down, only converting three out of 11 conversion attempts. Despite that, this year’s Shurmur-led offense has scored at least 30 points in seven out of their 10 games, going undefeated in all seven of those matches.
The Buffaloes remain on track to play in the Big 12 Championship this December in Arlington. A win there guarantees the Buffs a spot in the College Football Playoff and a shot to compete for a national championship.
With two games still remaining in the regular season, the Buffs have already doubled their win total from 2023. Sanders’ record all-time with Colorado improves to 12-10, as he is cementing himself as one of the more successful Colorado head coaches in recent history.
“We haven’t even played our best game,” Coach Prime said. “That should be, in itself, scary.”
The Colorado Buffaloes hope to follow up this win with another on the road, where they are 4-1, versus the Kansas Jayhawks (3-6, 2-4 Big 12) at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri next Saturday at 1:30 pm MT.
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