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  • Keeler: CU Buffs transfers wonder what 2025 under Deion Sanders would’ve looked like if they stayed: ‘They missed out’

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    Noah Fenske had his luggage with him Saturday. It wasn’t Louis.

    “Just Under Armour,” the former CU Buffs offensive lineman texted me from his vacation in Nashville.

    While on the road with his fiancée, Fenske’s also been keeping an eye on an old CU teammate, Alex Harkey. Oregon’s starting right tackle? Yeah, he used to be a Buff.

    Harkey, a 6-foot-6, 327-pound redshirt senior, is prepping for a Friday night showdown with Indiana — and another former CU player, the Hoosiers’ Kahlil Benson — in one College Football Playoff semifinal. The Ducks’ bruiser helped Oregon put up 245 passing yards and convert four fourth-down conversions on The Best Defense Money Can Buy, blanking Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl.

    He’d transferred into CU as a 305-pounder out of Tyler (Texas) Junior College, a 3-star who was weighing offers from Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion. After appearing in 12 games, largely as a reserve guard, Harkey was one of the kids from CU’s 2022 recruiting class swept out in the great Deion Sanders roster purge during the spring of 2023.

    Fenske, who played in seven games with the Buffs in ’22, was Harkey’s roommate at CU. He got swept away, too. Under Armour was out, Louis Vuitton luggage was in.

    “(Harkey has) done incredible, man,” Fenske gushed. “Because when he first came in (to CU), he wasn’t what he is now. And just seeing his transformation from being a (backup) guard on a 1-11 team to being a first-round or second-round (NFL) draft pick …”

    Big Alex could play. So could wideout Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State). And cornerback Simeon Harris (Fresno State). And quarterback Owen McCown, once he’d had some more brisket. McCown, who played as a wafer-thin true freshman at CU in ’22, threw for 30 touchdowns at UTSA this past fall — including three in a 57-20 win over Florida International in the First Responder Bowl.

    “We just stay connected, support each other’s success,” Harris, who still belongs to a group chat of former Buffs, told me over the weekend. “You’ve got to expect the unexpected. That (purge) hit us all in the mouth.”

    CU fans talk a lot — a lot — about 1-11 in 2022. About rock bottom. About Coach Prime lighting the candle for the climb out of obscurity.

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    Sean Keeler

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  • Keeler: CU Buffs QB Julian Lewis brought Shedeur Sanders’ juice, deep ball back to Coach Prime’s attack

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    MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — If Saturday in Morgantown was an audition, Julian Lewis passed.

    And passed.

    And passed.

    Ju Ju looked past open receivers. He looked ready to turtle whenever West Virginia sent the house. But he also looked like Shedeur Sanders out there at times, didn’t he?

    Especially when dropping ball after ball in the bucket for CU wide receiver Omarion Miller.

    The Buffs dropped their third game in a row at Milan Puskar Stadium, falling 29-22 against the Mountaineers and slipping to 3-7 on a lost season.

    Yet it was the most fun the Buffs have been in what, a month? For the first time in what feels like forever, we saw snippets of last fall’s passing game. We saw the deep ball and the vertical passing game that scared the Big 12 half to death.

    2024: Shedeur to Travis Hunter.

    2025: Ju Ju to Omarion.

    Sanders said earlier this week that his decision to start Lewis, a true freshman, at quarterback was guided by “common sense.”

    Hindsight is 20/20, especially when a year goes off the rails. But what took so long?

    Coach Prime should’ve listened to his common sense sooner.

    While senior Kaidon Salter offered zero juice and minimal downfield threat at QB1, Lewis walked into coal country and looked the part. The Mountaineers blitzed from the left. They blitzed from the right. At one point, they even pulled out a piece of Ju Ju’s hair. Kid hung tough: 22 completions on 35 attempts for 299 yards and two touchdowns.

    Lewis to Miler was the combo CU has been waiting for all year. The chemistry was undeniable. The combo was almost unguardable: Miller finished with six catches for 131 receiving yards and a score.

    Ju Ju was at his strongest rolling and throwing to his left, hitting Miller for a 43-yard rainbow early, then Sincere Brown (19 yards) and Joseph Williams (13 yards) on CU’s second drive of the second quarter.

    And yes, some context applies here, too. West Virginia’s defense going into the weekend ranked last in the Big 12 in opponent passer rating (160.25) and 14th in the league in passing yards allowed per game (270.8). It was not unlike debuting a rookie hitter against the 2025 Rockies at Coors Field — a soft landing, a chance to build numbers and confidence.

    Still, you could see that confidence growing in real time. On the CU drive that ended the third quarter and opened the fourth, the freshman faced second-and-7 from the West Virginia 20. He scanned quickly, feeling the pocket constricting to his left and his right. It was the kind of bang-bang play that would’ve been a sure-fire sack earlier in the game, never mind earlier in the season. Lewis stepped up in the pocket and took off for a 3-yard gain, giving CU a third-and-4 at the home 17. CU eventually got a 35-yard field goal from Alejandro Mata to pull the Buffs to within 22-19 with 14:51 left to play in the tilt.

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    Sean Keeler

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  • Renck: With his salary, CU’s Deion Sanders doesn’t have luxury of rebuilding. This mess is his to fix

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    BOULDER — Leave it to Deion Sanders to refer to a Brazilian butt lift when trying to explain how his team got its (bleep) kicked last weekend.

    He was citing society’s obsession with instant gratification — pizza with a phone call, dinner dashed to our doorstep. You know, how nobody has patience anymore.

    It is fair after watching what unfolded Saturday night if that patience is starting to wear thin with Coach Prime.

    He was the most celebrated hire in school history. He made CU relevant, attracting TV networks to the games, NFL Hall of Famers to the sidelines.

    Three years into this experiment, the reality no longer matches the hype. The Buffs are a laughingstock again.

    And let’s be honest, in the current college landscape, coaches making $10.8 million per year don’t get the luxury of rebuilding seasons or failing to qualify for a bowl — even a bad one. CU requires victories in its final three games at West Virginia, against Arizona State and on the road versus Kansas State to be eligible for the postseason.

    Good luck.

    Arizona mauled the Buffs, 52-17, on a chilly night before 48,223 fans at Folsom Field. The first smattering of boos cascaded down after CU’s second offensive play. Half of those in attendance never wandered back to their seats after halftime.

    It is getting harder to see the whippings as an aberration. When a team gets outscored 81-7 in the first half in back-to-back weeks, it seems like what is happening on the field is a symptom of larger dysfunction. The Buffs have one conference win. Only Oklahoma State, which canned legendary coach Mike Gundy in September, is worse.

    Coach Prime handpicked this coaching staff and this overhauled roster. And the Buffs have done nothing well over the past two games. They fall behind, they miss tackles, they turn the ball over, and they lack discipline, which spawns visible anger and on-field arguments.

    “Don’t attack the players, come at me. Don’t attack the coordinators, come at me,” Sanders said, opening his news conference with a directive and announcing no players would be made available to talk.

    OK? So what went wrong?

    “I have no idea,” Sanders said, before hinting he was holding back his thoughts. “If I knew where the disconnect was, I would tell you.”

    At halftime, CU trailed by 31 and had more penalties (nine) than points (seven).

    A loss like this, it goes looking for people to blame, and it does not go wanting. The only hard part is where to start. A sequence in the second quarter captured problems that go far beyond the personnel to the leadership of the program.

    Quarterback Kaidon Salter, who was mercifully benched, delivered a 75-yard scoring strike to Sincere Brown when CU still had hope. The touchdown, and assumed point after, would have cut the deficit to 24-14. But a scan of the field showed as much yellow as black and gold.
    Omarion Miller was ruled an ineligible receiver downfield, suggesting he lined up wrong since, well, he is a receiver. How does that happen?

    Worse, the Buffs were pushed back another 15 yards for offensive lineman Yahya Attia “brandishing a weapon” while taunting an Arizona player. Finger guns? Really?

    Arizona wide receiver Tre Spivey runs for a touchdown after catching a pass as Colorado defensive end Arden Walker pursues in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

    The offense was terrible, collecting 117 yards in the first half while receiving a Bronx cheer when it made its initial first down.

    Coordinator Pat Shurmur has been something less than competent for years, so we really should not start the finger-pointing there.

    What about Salter? He has been a disappointment since the season opener and stayed true to form. As did backup Ryan Staub, whose first two passes were interceptions.

    Those who stuck around in the second half witnessed five-star prospect Julian Lewis connect on a 59-yard strike to Miller for the first touchdown of his career. But, even that created questions — namely, is he going to play the final three games and burn his redshirt season? If so, why?

    “Common sense,” Sanders said. “I don’t know his thought process or his parents’. I just can control what we can control. I am for the kids. If (a redshirt) is what he wants, that is what he will get.”

    Defensive boss Robert Livingston must be held accountable for his unit’s shortcomings. He lacks beef up front, a trademark of all of the teams under Coach Prime, leaving CU susceptible to any team that likes to run the ball. But the poor tackling, the lack of physicality, the bad angles, the blown assignments, remain jarring.

    All of the improvement Livingston fostered last season seemed like a long time ago when Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita stepped up into a pressure-free pocket and found Javin Whatley streaking wide open for a touchdown with 21 seconds left in the half. The referee on the goal line shrugged and slowly raised his arms in the air, unsure if he was inbounds. It is always best to assume the worst against this defense.

    No, this loss wasn’t the fault of Shurmur, Livingston, Salter, Staub, or any forgettable defender. It is on the man who hired them, recruited them and coaches them.

    Sanders talks about practice more than Allen Iverson. He promised things would change after getting walloped 53-7 by Utah. He was right. The Buffs got worse.

    Sanders brought in the latest gold jacket to campus this week with Ray Lewis questioning the players — “If you guys don’t believe in each other, how do you win?” — and pleading for them to improve communication and take their preparation seriously.

    Lewis was not wrong. But eventually, the message is just background noise in a lost season.

    Colorado safety John Slaughter, left, upends Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita after a short gain in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
    Colorado safety John Slaughter, left, upends Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita after a short gain in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

    The sobering truth is that these are not the good old days — like 2024, when Coach Prime could stack the roster with skill players, notably his son Shedeur and Heisman Trophy-winner Travis Hunter, and deliver a winning record.

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    Troy Renck

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  • Renck & File: Dre Greenlaw’s body let him down. Then he let down Broncos. Time to change that Sunday

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    You thought we forgot about Dre?

    Everything Dre Greenlaw brings to a team, we have not yet seen. His leadership, controlled violence and sticky coverage. That was the hype. Eight months later, it is time to examine Greenlaw’s reality in Denver.

    Hmm. Absent or incomplete? Which one fits best?

    First, his body let him down, a quadriceps injury costing him the first six games. Then he let his team down, yelling at official Brad Allen after the walk-off win over the Giants, resulting in a one-game suspension.

    This must change Sunday at Houston. A Broncos upset could hinge on his performance.

    Greenlaw has made an impact behind the scenes, setting an example with his work ethic and daily intensity. But it has not translated to the field, where his season consists of six tackles on 21 snaps against the Giants. Greenlaw showed accountability on Thursday, admitting he should not have put the Broncos in position to play without him because of his outburst. This was an important step.

    Now, the Broncos need the best of Greenlaw moving forward. They are a contender. Whether or not they can win the AFC West or host a playoff matchup hinges on games like Sunday. The Texans are scrambling for a wild-card berth. The Broncos can move 3.5 games ahead of them with a win. After demolishing the hapless Raiders, the Broncos would then host the Chiefs on Nov. 16 in the franchise’s biggest game since Super Bowl 50.

    This will not happen without Greenlaw returning to his 2023 form, without the former star filling the vacuum left by Pat Surtain II’s absence. There is evidence that Greenlaw’s ability remains; that he can instill fear for roughly 45 snaps on Sunday.

    But he cannot talk about it. He has to be about it.

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    Troy Renck

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  • Deion Sanders will undergo a procedure related to blood clots, plans to coach Colorado this weekend

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    Colorado coach Deion Sanders will undergo a procedure later Tuesday that’s related to his blood clots, with the hope of being back at practice the next day and on the sideline this weekend against Iowa State.The surgery is called an aspiration thrombectomy, which involves the left popliteal — located behind the knee — and tibial arteries. Sanders said it may take several hours.He gave the medical update at the end of his weekly news conference, saying, “I cannot wait to get past this hurdle.” He added it’s hereditary and “has nothing to do with me working at the level I’m trying to compete at.”The 58-year-old coach was in pain during a 35-21 loss at TCU last Saturday, alternating between sitting and limping along the sideline with his leg throbbing. He didn’t wear a shoe on his left foot in the second half and after the game said he was “hurting like crazy.””I’m going to be all right,” said Sanders, whose Buffaloes (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) host No. 22 Iowa State (5-1, 2-1) on Saturday. “Prayerfully, I’ll be right back tomorrow because I don’t miss practice. I don’t plan on doing such.”Sanders dealt with blood clot issues while at Jackson State in 2021, with doctors amputating two of the toes on his left foot. He also skipped a Pac-12 media day session in 2023 following a procedure to remove a blood clot from his right leg and another to straighten toes on his left foot.On Tuesday, his good friend and longtime NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones attended the media session as a show of support. Sanders appreciates all the texts and phone calls from people expressing their concern over his health.”I’ve got a lot of well-wishes, of people talking about: ‘You need to slow down. You need to take a break,’” Sanders said. “There’s nothing that I could’ve done to stop what’s transpiring. Nothing that I could’ve taken or something that I’m just not abiding by. It is what it is.”Sanders spent time away from the team over the summer after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer. He revealed details of his treatment, which involved doctors reconstructing a section of his intestine to function as a bladder. He frequently needs to use the restroom, so the school introduced a portable sideline bathroom for him during games that’s sponsored by Depend underwear.”I trust God with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind,” Sanders said Tuesday. “I’m going to go in there (surgery), and I’m going to get some of the best sleep in the world for, I think, four hours, the surgery is going to be.”I’ve never been high a day in my life. I’ve never drank, smoked or anything. But when I get those surgeries, I am there on time.”The Buffaloes are 15-16 since Sanders took over as their coach leading into the 2023 season. They’re trying to get on track this season as they replace quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.They’ve lost two games in a row.”The reason I’m still excited about this team that just finished practicing is because I don’t feel like we’ve gotten our butt kicked,” Sanders said. “I feel like we’ve just wrapped it up and given (games) to them. That’s frustrating. But also there’s hope in that. That we see where we’re messing up at, we see where the faults are and we’ve got to fix that. So there’s truly optimism.”I’m not saying we’re a great football team, but we’re not a bad football team. We’re better than we’re playing.”

    Colorado coach Deion Sanders will undergo a procedure later Tuesday that’s related to his blood clots, with the hope of being back at practice the next day and on the sideline this weekend against Iowa State.

    The surgery is called an aspiration thrombectomy, which involves the left popliteal — located behind the knee — and tibial arteries. Sanders said it may take several hours.

    He gave the medical update at the end of his weekly news conference, saying, “I cannot wait to get past this hurdle.” He added it’s hereditary and “has nothing to do with me working at the level I’m trying to compete at.”

    The 58-year-old coach was in pain during a 35-21 loss at TCU last Saturday, alternating between sitting and limping along the sideline with his leg throbbing. He didn’t wear a shoe on his left foot in the second half and after the game said he was “hurting like crazy.”

    “I’m going to be all right,” said Sanders, whose Buffaloes (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) host No. 22 Iowa State (5-1, 2-1) on Saturday. “Prayerfully, I’ll be right back tomorrow because I don’t miss practice. I don’t plan on doing such.”

    Sanders dealt with blood clot issues while at Jackson State in 2021, with doctors amputating two of the toes on his left foot. He also skipped a Pac-12 media day session in 2023 following a procedure to remove a blood clot from his right leg and another to straighten toes on his left foot.

    On Tuesday, his good friend and longtime NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones attended the media session as a show of support. Sanders appreciates all the texts and phone calls from people expressing their concern over his health.

    “I’ve got a lot of well-wishes, of people talking about: ‘You need to slow down. You need to take a break,’” Sanders said. “There’s nothing that I could’ve done to stop what’s transpiring. Nothing that I could’ve taken or something that I’m just not abiding by. It is what it is.”

    Sanders spent time away from the team over the summer after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer. He revealed details of his treatment, which involved doctors reconstructing a section of his intestine to function as a bladder. He frequently needs to use the restroom, so the school introduced a portable sideline bathroom for him during games that’s sponsored by Depend underwear.

    “I trust God with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind,” Sanders said Tuesday. “I’m going to go in there (surgery), and I’m going to get some of the best sleep in the world for, I think, four hours, the surgery is going to be.

    “I’ve never been high a day in my life. I’ve never drank, smoked or anything. But when I get those surgeries, I am there on time.”

    The Buffaloes are 15-16 since Sanders took over as their coach leading into the 2023 season. They’re trying to get on track this season as they replace quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

    They’ve lost two games in a row.

    “The reason I’m still excited about this team that just finished practicing is because I don’t feel like we’ve gotten our butt kicked,” Sanders said. “I feel like we’ve just wrapped it up and given (games) to them. That’s frustrating. But also there’s hope in that. That we see where we’re messing up at, we see where the faults are and we’ve got to fix that. So there’s truly optimism.

    “I’m not saying we’re a great football team, but we’re not a bad football team. We’re better than we’re playing.”

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  • Week 1 picks against the spread: Texas, Clemson, Notre Dame look enticing as West Coast schedule carries limited intrigue

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    Week 1 features a series of marquee matchups, all of them in the eastern half of the country. On the West Coast, the intrigue level is low.

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    Jon Wilner

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  • Keeler: CU Buffs’ Travis Hunter is an NFL wideout playing cornerback, scouts say. “Receiver is where he can make the biggest impact”

    Keeler: CU Buffs’ Travis Hunter is an NFL wideout playing cornerback, scouts say. “Receiver is where he can make the biggest impact”

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    BOULDER — Jon Cooper figured he was out of the unicorn hunting game when Travis Hunter picked off his heart and ran it all the way back to 1981.

    “Roy Green was an outstanding nickel safety for the Cardinals,” Cooper, the longtime pro scout, associate GM and senior draft analyst with Ourlads.com, told me recently. “And went both ways before they decided he was too valuable as a receiver to do anything but (play offense).”

    Cooper was at a St. Louis Cardinals game 43 years ago when Green, a speedy return ace who’d recently been turned into a two-way threat at wideout and defensive back, became the first NFL player since 1957 to intercept a pass and catch another in the same game.

    “(Green) wasn’t as big as (CU football coach) Deion (Sanders) or Hunter,” the scout sighed. “He only did it for a season, or a season-and-a-half.”

    With an old Jim Hart and a young Neil Lomax at quarterback, then-Cards coach Jim Hanifan didn’t mess around when it came to what side of the ball mattered more. Once the coaching staff saw Green, a former track star, rack up 708 receiving yards and lead the Redbirds in touchdown catches (four) while re-learning the position on the fly in 1981, his days as an NFL defensive back were numbered.

    The whole experiment worked so well, Roy moved to offense full-time starting in 1982, eventually leading the NFL in touchdown catches in ’83 and in receiving yards in ’84, notching Pro Bowl berths in both seasons.

    “There are certain guys you want to throw to, guys you know will hang on to the ball,” Hart told Sports Illustrated in December 1981. “Roy’s one of those guys.”

    Hart might as well be describing No. 12, whose superhuman combination of hand-eye coordination, ball skills, agility and IQ have Buffs alums already calling him the best football player to ever don CU black and gold.

    “He’s got a great head on his shoulder as well. He’s tough. He’s smart,” Dave Syvertsen, Ourlads’ senior draft analyst and scout, said of Hunter, the cornerback/wide receiver whose 5-2 Buffs host 5-2 Cincinnati on Saturday night at Folsom Field. “I think he’s got great contest-catch numbers, too.

    “Great possession and ball skills. He has superstar potential.”

    Syvertsen grades the junior out as a first-rounder at both wideout and cornerback in the ’25 NFL draft. But like Cooper, he has a feeling front offices will look to pigeonhole Hunter into one side of the ball in order to preserve his long-term health.

    And like Roy Green two generations ago, they expect that side to be offense — with a sprinkling of defensive appearances, primarily as a nickel back or a slot corner, peppered in.

    “I think he could be a great corner,” Cooper said. “(But) there’s something to be said for guys playing some slot corner and also playing on offense. Deion did it himself.

    “I think it’s going to depend on the team. I could see him playing in sub packages on defense, because he’s so skilled … eventually, I think, he will be one or the other. I think receiver is probably where he can make the biggest impact long-term. The jury might be out as to whether he can go two ways initially or one way all the time. Unique, unique player.”

    The afternoon after CU hosts the Bearcats, the Carolina Panthers, 1-6 and going nowhere fast, visit the Broncos (4-3) at Empower Field. Tankathon.com’s 2025 NFL mock draft as of Tuesday afternoon pegged Hunter going to the Patriots with the No. 1 overall pick and Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders being taken by Carolina with the second selection. Longtime ESPN draftnik Mel Kiper recently ranked Hunter as the No. 1 overall pick on his big board.

    For a team that needs everything, including marketable, charismatic stars, Hunter ticks every box. That said, even Buffs icons such as Michael Westbrook, the greatest wideout in CU history, would suggest to Hunter that he lean on offense primarily at the next level.

    “I would use him as a wide receiver,” Westbrook told me, echoing the scouts’ sentiments. “I would sparingly put him in (with) nickel packages, dime packages. Anytime they’ve got four wideouts on the field, Travis goes in.”

    Defense may win championships, but touchdowns pay the bills. Unlike in Green’s era, limitation on contact with receivers, combined with rules that discourage quarterback hits, have made the NFL more of a passing league than ever.

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    Sean Keeler

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  • CU Buffs-Arizona quick hits: Take a breather, Travis Hunter. Shedeur Sanders, LaJohntay Wester, CU pass rush got this

    CU Buffs-Arizona quick hits: Take a breather, Travis Hunter. Shedeur Sanders, LaJohntay Wester, CU pass rush got this

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    Initial observations from the CU Buffs’ 34-7 win over the Arizona Wildcats in Big 12 play at Arizona Stadium.

    Paging Sean Payton: An onside kick attempt to start the game? Did Arizona head coach Brent Brennan consult the Broncos’ Sean Payton earlier this week? Bold move, to say the least — if not a very bright one. It was almost as if Brennan knew exactly what was coming down the pike. There was no way the Wildcats’ leaky secondary was coming up with enough stops to win this game … unless special teams could steal an extra possession or two. A weird message to send your team before a ball is even snapped. But at least Brennan is a realist.

    Weapons to spare: Who needs a run game when you have Shedeur Sanders and an endless stream of pass-catchers? Certainly not CU against a defense like Arizona’s. Can’t rush the passer? Have problems covering receivers one-on-one or tackling in space? Shedeur and the Buffs will eat you alive, whether it’s third-and-long, third-and-short, or, in the case of the QB’s 14-yard strike to Travis Hunter in the first half, fourth-and-10. So even if the Buffs average 2.3 yards on 22 attempts, as they did in the first half, it’s plenty. They still converted 8 of 11 third downs and put 28 points on the board. By the time everything was said and done, LaJohntay Wester had eight catches for 127 yards. And he’s, what, CU’s third- or fourth-best receiver? Yikes!

    Livingston’s stock on rise: Stats may not be kind to the Buffs defense — CU entered Saturday 94th in FBS in yards allowed and 73rd in points allowed — but the eye test says Robert Livingston’s unit is trending up. And it’s happening at the line of scrimmage — an area that was a notable issue last season. In two of the last three games, CU has bottled up one of the nation’s top rushing attacks (UCF, 177 yards) and harassed one of its most productive passers (Arizona’s Noah Fifita) to the tune of seven sacks, CU’s most since posting eight against Iowa State in 2010. The Buffs now have 16 sacks in their last three games.

    Heisman watch: This was not a day to worry about Travis Hunter’s Heisman Trophy campaign. With CU’s two-way star clearly not 100% after getting dinged in the Kansas State loss last week, Coach Prime did the smart thing, holding Hunter out over the final two quarters as “preventative measures.” CU already had a 28-7 lead, and Hunter’s mortal stat line (54 snaps, two receptions for 15 yards, one tackle) will soon be a mere footnote as long as he delivers a few more superhuman performances down the stretch. (Spoiler alert: He probably will.)

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    Matt Schubert

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  • CU Buffs vs. Kansas State quick hits: With Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn lost to injury, Buffs fall short vs. Wildcats

    CU Buffs vs. Kansas State quick hits: With Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn lost to injury, Buffs fall short vs. Wildcats

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    Initial observations from Colorado’s 31-28 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats in a Big 12 showdown in Boulder.

    Wildcats gashing: Kansas State’s primary key to victory was running the rock. In the first half alone, junior DJ Giddens trampled the Buffs for 127 yards on 12 carries, good for 10.6 yards a pop. Ex-Buff Dylan Edwards added 17 yards and a TD. Giddens was untacklable at times, and the CU linebackers and secondary had an especially hard time wrapping up in the second and third levels. KSU continued to pound the football and bleed the clock in the second half, starting with nearly an eight-minute TD drive in the third. A Colorado local, Durango graduate and starting right tackle Carver Willis, helped pave the way for an 182-yard rushing night for Giddens.

    Hunter, Horn hurt: CU star wideout/cornerback and Heisman Trophy candidate Travis Hunter, who has been central in the Buffs’ 4-1 start coming into Saturday, left the game midway through the second quarter with what ESPN reported as a shoulder injury. Hunter caught a 14-yard pass, but was crunched by KSU safety Daniel Cobbs, and immediately left the game. He didn’t return, and sophomore Colton Hood came on in Hunter’s place on defense (and later picked off K-State). On offense, CU also lost wideout Jimmy Horn Jr. to injury in the first half and Horn didn’t return, either. The absence of those two playmakers, especially Hunter, took some explosiveness out of CU’s offense, even if the Buffs managed to put 28 on the board.

    Hood in clutch: No Hunter to play lock-down corner in crunch time? No problem, at least for a moment. Hood came up clutch late in the fourth quarter with an interception and runback that set up CU’s go-ahead touchdown with 3:20 left. On fourth-and-6 at the CU 31-yard line, Avery Johnson’s pass was tipped by Preston Hodge and then corralled by Hood. He ran it back to the KSU 17-yard line, tripping himself up on the grass to come up just short of the pick-six. However, the next drive, Jayce Brown burned Hodge for a 50-yard TD catch.

    Shedeur shines: Once again, the CU QB looked like a top draft pick, despite playing without his two top targets in Hunter and Horn. No. 2 completed 16 straight passes across the second and third quarters — a CU record streak — and willed the Buffs back in the game with his arm despite taking some big hits. His lone blemish was an interception on an overthrow, and his final stat line was videogame-esque: 34 of 40 for 338 yards, three touchdowns and a 186.2 rating.

    Big sacks: Both team’s defensive lines made noise in the first half, as the Wildcats tallied four sacks for minus-49 yards, while CU’s defense had three sacks for minus-29 yards. Kansas State’s pressure also forced an intentional grounding on CU’s last possession of the half that effectively killed the drive. In the second half, the Wildcats continued to bring the heat, especially as the Buffs all but abandoned the run. KSU had two sacks for minus-25 yards over the final two quarters, finishing with six sacks overall. On a third-quarter sack, KSU defensive end Ryan Davis celebrated with Shedeur Sanders’ signature wristwatch move, holding the pose for a few seconds toward the CU crowd.

    KSU QB hurt, returns: The Wildcats also had an injury of their own to dual-threat quarterback, but Johnson’s absence was brief. The sophomore suffered what looked like a side injury on KSU’s opening possession of the second half, following an impressive threaded pass that went for 33 yards to Brown. Senior Ta’Quan Roberson spelled Johnson, who returned to the field later in the drive to throw a one-yard TD pass to Brown that made it a two-score lead. That 16-play, 81-yard drive chewed up more than half the third quarter.

    Who’s who: As has become the norm with Buffs games under Coach Prime, an array of stars were on the CU sidelines on Saturday night at Folsom Field. That list included current Nugget Russell Westbrook, retired former Nugget Carmelo Anthony (who rocked a Peter Forsberg Avs jersey), former Wizards star John Wall, current NBA stars Kevin Durant and John Wall, and rapper Cam’ron. Plus, former CU football stars and current NFL receivers Laviska Shenault and Juwann Winfree were also on hand.

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    Kyle Newman

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  • Travis Hunter Delivers Heisman Level Performance As Deion Sanders & Colorado Dominate Central Florida

    Travis Hunter Delivers Heisman Level Performance As Deion Sanders & Colorado Dominate Central Florida

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    Travis Hunter – Source: Don Juan Moore / Getty

    Travis Hunter puts on a show in Central Florida during Colorado’s dominating win over UCF and takes over the Heisman conversation.

    Saturday’s during college football season are unpredictable and despite how good or bad a team is you have to watch just in case. Yesterday in central Florida we saw Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes give their first true dominate performance.

    Since Sanders became coach Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have shined but we have yet to see the entire team click at a high level.

    Colorado won 48-21 and it was more of a coming out party and a huge I told you so. For those who thought Colorado wouldn’t be a problem, eyebrows were raised.

    Travis Hunter led the way and after a nice interception did the unthinkable hitting the Heisman pose in the end zone.

    Travis Hunter is undoubtedly the best player in college football and should be in the running for the trophy regardless of Colorado’s standing. However, down in Tuscaloosa, 17-year-old true freshman Ryan Williams is putting on a show every Saturday as well. It’s shaping up to be a back-and-forth battle between the two however Travis playing on offense and defense is just spectacular.

    Who has your vote in the Heisman race of 2024?

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    Noah Williams

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  • Shedeur Sanders throws for 290 yards, 3 TDs to lead improved Colorado to 48-21 rout of UCF

    Shedeur Sanders throws for 290 yards, 3 TDs to lead improved Colorado to 48-21 rout of UCF

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    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns to help Colorado match its victory total for all of last season with a 48-21 rout of UCF.

    Two-way star Travis Hunter had a TD catch and interception for the Buffaloes, who have won three straight games following a lopsided road loss to Nebraska. Hunter scored on a 23-yard reception in the first quarter, struck a Heisman pose after his second-half inteception, and finished with nine catches on nine targets for 89 yards.

    Sanders also had TD throws of 47 yards to Will Sheppard and 10 yards to LaJohntay Wester on the way to completing 28 of 35 passes with one interception.

    Colorado’s improved defense forced four turnovers.

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    The Associated Press

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  • CU Buffs vs. CSU Rams quick hits: Has quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi taken a step back in Year 2?

    CU Buffs vs. CSU Rams quick hits: Has quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi taken a step back in Year 2?

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    Initial observations from the CU Buffs’ 28-9 win over the CSU Rams in the Rocky Mountain Showdown’s return to Fort Collins and Canvas Stadium.

    Changes up front: Coach Prime indicated the Buffs planned on making changes up front to solve their problems on the offensive line. The big moves? Phillip Houston at right tackle, old RT Tyler Brown to left guard and freshman Micah Welch in the backfield. The results? Quite positive. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was sacked just once (on a slide), while Welch (nine carries, 65 yards) found room to roam off the left side (when the Buffs actually decided to run it). Whether that has more to do with a leaky CSU defense than actual improvement remains to be seen. At the very least, CU saw the general competence it needed to on Saturday. And that’s a good start.

    Total control: It took Shedeur Sanders and the Buffs roughly a quarter to get warmed up, but once they did, they controlled every facet of this game. Travis Hunter (13 catches, 100 yards, two TDs, one interception) remains one-of-one. LaJohntay Wester (five catches, 80 yards) joins CU’s growing list of offensive weapons. And the defense? Let’s just say they’ve figured some things out. Since the start of the second half in Nebraska, the Buffs have allowed just nine points over six quarters. The shallow crosses that tore apart CU in 2023 were shut off from the start. Outside of a couple of long runs, the Buffs did a solid job bottling up CSU’s run game. All in all, there was a lot to like for CU as the Big 12 schedule arrives next week vs. Baylor.

    What’s happened to BFN?: A year ago, this was the game that cemented Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi as the Rams’ quarterback of the future. Twelve months later, CSU fans have to be wondering what happened to that guy. The sophomore was largely ineffective in the first half, sailing a pair of third-down throws and looking indecisive out of the pocket while completing 6 of 10 passes for just 54 yards. Then he opened the second half by throwing an all-too-familiar head-scratching interception across the middle. It didn’t get much better after that. Yes, Tory Horton’s inability to stay on the field changes what CSU can do. But it shouldn’t grind the Rams’ offense to a halt. Three weeks into his second season as a starter, it sure looks like BFN has taken a step back.

    Too. Many. Mistakes: As dominant as the Buffs were for large portions of this game, CSU sure gave them plenty of opportunities to find their footing. Freshman defensive lineman Andrew Laurich was lucky he didn’t get tossed for his late hit on Shedeur Sanders in the second quarter. Instead, it was just a really bad personal foul that gifted CU a first down on an eventual touchdown drive. Graduate defensive lineman James Mitchell’s facemask on second-and-21 did the same thing one Buffs scoring march later. Toss in Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi’s pick, Keegan Holles’ first-and-goal fumble and two botched snaps in CU territory, and the errors were legion. The Rams needed to play near perfect to win this one. They were far from it.

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    Matt Schubert

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  • Nebraska rides dominating defensive performance to 28-10 win over old rival Colorado

    Nebraska rides dominating defensive performance to 28-10 win over old rival Colorado

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    LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Dylan Raiola passed for 185 yards and a touchdown, Nebraska turned a dominating defensive performance into a big early lead, and the Cornhuskers went on to beat Colorado 28-10 in a game that turned into a slog in the second half.

    The Huskers sacked Shedeur Sanders five times and pressured him throughout while winning the final meeting of a four-game home-and-home series.

    The Buffs didn’t record a first down until their fifth possession, netted minus-2 yards in the first quarter and finished with 260. Tommie Hill had a pick-6 for Nebraska and Dante Dowdell ran for two TDs.

    Sanders was benched with three minutes to play after throwing for 244 yards, 1 touchdown and an interception that was returned for a score. His counterpart – Nebraska freshman Dylan Raiola – completed 23 of 30 passes for 185 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions.

    The Cornhuskers led 28-0 at halftime.

    The box score officially credits Nebraska with six sacks on the evening (one of Ryan Staub, who replaced Sanders at quarterback for Colorado at the end of the game) as Nebraska’s defensive front consistently found its way into the Colorado backfield. Sanders officially finished with eight carries for minus-30 yards.

    Colorado standout Travis Hunter caught 10 passes for 110 yards in an otherwise uninspiring offensive effort for the Buffs.

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    The Associated Press

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