Sep. 21st – Baylor – Singin’ In The Rain

Travis Hunter knocked the ball loose from Baylor running back Dominic Richardson at the CU goal line in overtime, with the fumble recovered by the Buffs to give Colorado an unlikely 38-31 victory. The Buffs had no business getting to overtime in the first place, but a 43-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Shedeur Sanders to wide receiver LaJohntay Wester as time expired sent the game to an extra period. In CU’s overtime possession, Micah Welch scored on a one-yard run to give the Buffs their first lead since holding a 7-3 advantage late in the first quarter.

Shedeur Sanders completed 25-of-41 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders also scored on a two-yard run, CU’s first rushing touchdown of the season. Travis Hunter had seven catches for 130 yards, while also making the game-winning play on defense. Overall, the Buffs had 431 yards of total offense, while holding Baylor to 314 yards. Baylor used big plays, including a 100-yard kickoff return and a 45-yard touchdown run by quarterback Sawyer Robertson on a a fourth-and-short, building a 24-10 lead late in the second quarter before the Buffs began their comeback. The Bears squandered a chance to put the game away late, but Baylor kicker Isaiah Hankins missed a 45-yard field goal attempt with 2:45 left with the Bears leading by seven, setting up CU’s Hail Mary to tie the game on the final play of regulation.

“A great, great, great, great win,” Coach Prime said in his postgame press conference. “Young men were resilient. They never gave up. They never surrendered. The coaches were still inspired. I mean, all the way to the end, they were still calling and devising things … I don’t like how it played out, but I love the results. I think we’re so much better than what we’re showing you at times. We keep showing you glimpses of running game. We show you glimpses of us playing tough football defensively. We show you we can throw the ball all around, and then we just stall for a series or two and surrender something foolishly.  But I’m pleased.”

The main topic for the Buff Nation in the week leading up to the game against Baylor wasn’t the big win over Colorado State, and whether the Buffs could sustain their momentum against the Bears.

It wasn’t about how Baylor had the nation’s leading pass defense, though the Bears’ stats were certainly aided by playing Tarleton State (80 yards passing for the Texans) and Air Force (25 yards passing for the Falcons).

It wasn’t even about whether Travis Hunter, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (while still being second in the nation in receptions and receiving touchdowns) would finally be taken seriously nationally as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Nope.

The main topic of conversation for the Buff Nation in the week leading up to the Baylor game was … the weather.

Game Day! … Coach Prime: “We got to be who we are”  … Neill Woelk: Keys to the Baylor game … WR LaJohntay Wester: “I came here for us to win, not for my personal goals” … Carter Stoutmire enjoying switch from cornerback to safety …

CU’s all-time record as a member of the Big 12? 60-60 … When was the last time the Buffs played a home game in the rain? … Combined age of starting quarterbacks for Utah at Oklahoma State? 49 … Let’s find out …

CBS 1-134: Big 12 volatility – seven teams move at least ten places … Dennis Dodd: Travis Hunter second-best (behind only Barry Sanders) on his list of all-time players … Week Three TV ratings: CU/CSU draws an audience of 3.25 million …

Kicker Neil Voskeritchian boots a 24-yard field goal with one second remaining to give the Buffs a 34-31 win in Austin … Rashaan Salaam becomes just the second Buff to rush for 300 yards in a game (35 carries for 317 yards) …

CU has to prepare for two quarterbacks, not to mention a varied array of running backs and receivers … Baylor is 12th in the nation in scoring defense … Why is the number 20 a key stat to look for Saturday? … Let’s find out …

Welcome to our 150th episode! … Has CU improved its defense and it’s offensive line play enough to make the Buffs a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12 … How much better is Baylor since last year? … Let’s find out …