Colorado fans were ready for their moment under the bright lights at Folsom Field on Saturday evening. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the team on the field. The Buffs hung in with #25 BYU for four quarters and had plenty of opportunities to put the Cougars away, but ultimately couldn’t finish the job, […]
Colorado fans were ready for their moment under the bright lights at Folsom Field on Saturday evening. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the team on the field.
The Buffs hung in with #25 BYU for four quarters and had plenty of opportunities to put the Cougars away, but ultimately couldn’t finish the job, falling just short in their Big 12 home opener.
1st Half
The Buffs started tonight’s matchup with the ball, and it would take them no time to get their offense moving. The offense came out in attack mode with schemes we haven’t seen so far this season, as play caller Pat Shurmur opted to utilize pre-snap motion and a hurry up offense. BYU didn’t have an answer, and the Buffs marched right down the field with very little resistance. Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter got the job done with 39 passing yards and 31 rushing yards on the drive, capping it off with a 3 yard rushing touchdown that came on an improvised scramble.
Defensively, the Buffs opened the game by getting off the field on a turnover on downs after the Cougars had marched most of the way down the field. CU was gifted a couple of fortunate drops by BYU’s receivers.
Colorado’s second drive would have a different look, but would be the same result as the first drive: a productive drive resulting in a five yard rushing touchdown from Drelon Miller. The highlight of this drive was Miller lining up in the wildcat and running the exact same play three times in a row. Yes, that actually happened. To make it even more unbelievable on that third attempt, Miller punched the ball into the endzone.
BYU would be able to get a field goal on the board on their very next drive, and would ultimately punch in a touchdown on a five-yard catch from Chase Roberts to cap off a ten play, 94 yard drive to end the half. These are the kind of sustained drives that have plagued Colorado’s defense so far this year.
Score at Half
Colorado 14
BYU 10
2nd Half
The Cougars would start the second half with the ball, and we would punt on both of their first two drives. The first points of the half would come on a nine play, 74 yard touchdown drive by BYU. The Cougars would follow that drive with another eight play, 77 yard drive. On these two drives, BYU picked up chunk yardage on early downs, keeping the Colorado defense on their heels and gassed. These are exactly the kind of possessions that have doomed this Colorado defense through the first five games.
The Buffs offense finally responded on their second drive of the half. Once again, this drive again had Drelon Miller’s name all over it, as he was never far from the ball. Drelon was able to help move the ball again in the wildcat, and he would cap it off by catching a 19-yard touchdown pass from Kaidon Salter.
This touchdown from Drelon once again put the Buffs up by four points, but the Cougs responded with a 19-yard touchdown on a triple reverse to make the score 24-21.
The Buffs had three chances to score and take a lead in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get the job done. Multiple sacks put the offense behind the sticks in big moments, and a Salter interception ultimately sealed the deal. The Buffs would suffer a heartbreaking loss, in a game they feel like they should’ve won.
Final Score
Colorado 21
BYU 24
Players of the Game
- Damon Greaves: The Buffs punter continues to be a bright spot for this team. Greaves shined once again, managing two punts inside the five yard line. This kind of production from the special teams unit gives the offense more flexibility and allows them to not feel pressure going for it in tough positions. Helping the defense start drives in a great position is always a good thing, and Greaves has done exactly that for CU.
- Tawfiq Byard: The Buffs have continued to allow rushers into the second level, and Byard has been a constant playmaker there, both in preventing bigger plays and coming down to the line of scrimmage to make stops. Byard ended the day with 10 tackles and one tackle for loss, but more importantly he set the tone for the whole defense.
- Drelon Miller: We’ve heard for a while now that Deion Sanders sees Drelon as a running back and wide receiver hybrid. Tonight, we saw Drelon step into that role. Drelon ran the wildcat, lined up at both running back and receiver tonight. Drelon ended the game with 79 yards and two touchdowns on just ten touches. In the press conference, Sanders confirmed that this wildcard role will be permanent for Drelon as he works his way into a bigger role on the offense.
Outlook
Although this wasn’t the outcome Buffs fans were hoping for tonight, there was a lot to be happy about. We got to watch a close game that featured big plays and multiple lead changes. That being said, the Buffs now move to 2-3 and certainly are falling short of their pre-season expectations. 2-3 isn’t great, but the more concerning record is the Buffs conference one, which now moves to 0-2. CU still has opportunities ahead of them, but they’ll need to start stacking conference wins fast if they want to have a shot at a bowl game this season.
The Buffs can look forward to playing again next weekend but in an extremely tough environment down in Fort Worth against a scary TCU team, currently ranked 24th.
Be sure to tune in to catch all the action, and Sko Buffs!
Category: General Sports
