Oct. 12th – Kansas State – Disappointed, But Not Discouraged

Avery Johnson rebounded from throwing a costly interception by finding Jayce Brown for a 50-yard touchdown with 2:14 remaining as No. 18 Kansas State beat Colorado 31-28. The Buffs were without All-Everything Travis Hunter in the second half, also losing wide receivers Jimmy Horn and Omarion Miller, but still rallied from a 21-7 third quarter deficit to take a late lead.

Shedeur Sanders went 34-for-40 for 388 yards and three touchdowns, but it was not enough to overcome a school-record minus-29 yards rushing. Sanders was sacked six times, finishing the game with minus-50 yards rushing. Wide receiver Omarion Miller led the Buff receivers with eight catches for 145 yards, but was lost for the game after a 51-yard catch in the fourth quarter.

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson was held in check for much of the game, with 138 yards passing for the game … before two late completions went for 86 yards to give the Wildcats the lead for good. The Colorado defense, which hadn’t given up 100 yards to a running back, or 100 yards to a receiver all season, were torched for 182 yards on 25 carries by running back DJ Giddens, and gave up 121 yards and two touchdowns on six catches by KSU wideout Jayce Brown.

“The big plays and surrendering 224 yards rushing”, Coach Prime said of the loss. “Come on, because that’s clock as well. That keeps our offense off the field. And they need opportunities. We need opportunities. I’m proud of them, man, I’m always proud of them. This is a totally different team. This team has heart. They have integrity, they’re tough, and they love to play this game. We just came up short. We got to just learn how to win these particular games. We’ve done so this year as well. But that was one that we should have got the play in there.”

It’s my fault.

If you want to blame someone for CU’s 31-28 loss to No. 18 Kansas State, you can put it on me.

When I posted my written “T.I.P.S.” for the CU/Kansas State game, I finished with the following:

I would like to buy into CU’s potentially great season, but the Buffs will have to put it all together against a ranked team first before I can go all in.

I see Saturday night’s game against Kansas State as one of missed opportunities for CU, but perhaps a game which continues to build the program …

Prediction … No. 18 Kansas State 31, Colorado 27

Final score Saturday night: No. 18 Kansas State, 31, Colorado 28.

I’m not posting this to brag about my prescience. The outcome of the CU game against K-State was anyone’s guess. With the Buffs’ frenzied comeback – a comeback without Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn, Jr. – the game could have just as easily been a Colorado victory.

It also could have just as easily been a Kansas State 34-14 rout.

Game Day! … Daily Camera: Five Wildcats to Watch … Happy 100th Birthday, Folsom Field! … Neill Woelk’s Keys to the KSU Game … D-Line not satisfied: “We’ve still got more room to improve” … RB Dallan Hayden: “Definitely close to being back to 100%” …

Utah’s Cam Rising returns, throws three INT’s in 27-19 loss to ASU … Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark: “I don’t wake up thinking about the Big Ten and the SEC” … SEC/Big Ten commissioners denounce “Project Rudy” proposal …

Kansas State’s stolen nickname … Bye week blues for the Wildcats … Three of six Big 12 home teams are underdogs this weekend … What happened in the ’93 KSU game which will never happen again? … Let’s find out …

Buffs take out No. 22 Oklahoma in a 45-7 rout, the largest margin of victory for CU in series history … Rashaan Salaam scored on three straight seven-yard runs to open the rout … (Includes video from the game) …

The Buffs square off against a ranked team for the first time … Dylan Edwards returns to Boulder … CU has the No. 7 red zone defense in the nation … Can CU (a 6.5-point underdog) take down KSU? … Let’s find out …

Kansas State has been ranked all season, but has looked vulnerable … Both teams are coming off of byes – Which team spent their off-week reading their press clippings? … Will it be a rude Homecoming for Dylan Edwards? … Can the Buffs sustain the excellence they discovered in Orlando? … Let’s find out …

The Buff defense has climbed out of the 100s in national rankings … into the mid 80s … Still, there is improvement in every unit over year’s past, giving the Buff Nation reason to believe CU will be in every game from here on …

Behind Shedeur Sanders and a stellar wide receiver room, the Buffs are 9th in the nation in passing offense … But how much has the offensive line play improved? … Is an actual rushing attack in CU’s future? … Let’s find out …