Colorado ends 3-9, worst finish in Coach Prime era

BY Leopold Rivera IV | 365 Sports

A frosty finish in Kansas left the Colorado Buffaloes with a 3-9, 1-8 Big 12 record under head coach Deion Sanders’ third season.

The roller coaster ride was far from what the Buffs envisioned after a 9-4 season a year ago. CU started three different quarterbacks, Kaidon Salter, Ryan Stuab and Julian Lewis, while finishing the final game back with Salter after Lewis redshirted. 

On the road, Colorado battled but fell 24-14 to the Kansas State Wildcats. Their offensive struggles with consistency were apparent after scoring only 7 points in the first half. Salter completed 14/25 of his passes for 172 yards and was intercepted once, but was efficient on the ground, running for 63 yards. The game brought a disappointing finish to the senior’s career, but the young Buffs showed promise. 

On the ground, Dallan Hayden showed another step forward in his progression for 66 yards on 4.4 yards per carry as the leading rusher. Overall, the ground game was the best part of Colorado’s offense, accounting for 151 yards. Fellow back Micah Welch was able to capitalize on both of the scoring drives, punching it into the endzone.

Omarion Miller continued to build on his season’s success, hauling in seven balls for 120 yards. His totals were 807 yards and eight touchdowns in eleven games, while having three different gunslingers at the helm. Miller also dealt with a hamstring injury early on that limited his play. Keeping those players with Lewis for next season will be crucial for Colorado. 

The defense played hard, giving the offense a chance to stay in the game, but an eight-play, 75-yard drive was surrendered when it mattered most, at the end of the fourth quarter, putting Colorado out of reach.

“We won’t be in this situation again, I’ll promise you that,” Sanders said postgame. “I’m not happy with nothing right now.”

As the Buffs look forward, they will have to search for a new offensive coordinator and hit the portal to rebuild a roster that finished second-to-last in the conference. New staff and players are imminent, as Sanders promises change for his fourth year at Colorado. 

“This fanbase, the school, Rick (George), everybody deserves much better than this. I expected much better than this,” Sanders said. “We’re going to be much better than this, starting tomorrow.” 

Without bowl eligibility, Colorado will watch other teams play on from home.