Buffs fall 23-13, use 2 QBs, in Big 12 opener against Baylor
Playing two different quarterbacks was not enough for the Colorado Buffaloes (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) in their Big 12 opener in Waco, Texas, as they fell 23-13 against the Baylor Bears (3-1, 1-0 Big 12). The Buffs outpossessed the Bears and had more passing and total yards, but the Colorado offense struggled to get into the red zone.
Sophomore quarterback Julian Lewis got the start and went 11-for-16, passing for 75 yards and rushing for negative yards in the first half. With Lewis in command, the Buffs ran the ball a total of 21 times for 48 yards. Lewis only threw the ball 17 times, including only four passes in the first quarter. The run-heavy offense could not get the ball rolling as they had in the past, averaging four yards per carry in the first quarter and .4 yards in the second.
“Don’t give up on JuJu. You guys don’t do that,” Sanders said. “I think he plays with tremendous effort and tremendous heart. He’s not quitting, and he’s not abandoning anybody.”
With the offensive issues under Lewis, head coach Deion Sanders looked to junior quarterback Issac Wilson for the second half. CU threw the ball a lot more with Wilson under center, totaling 25 attempts in the second half, including 16 attempts for 96 yards in the third quarter to reinvigorate the Buffs. Wilson finished the game with a 12-25 completion ratio, 156 passing yards, and one touchdown.
“When you go to Issac, it's almost like Isaac's gonna come clean it up,” Sanders said. “He’s going to do his job and get us in the right positions.”
Ultimately, neither quarterback could get the offense going to keep up with the Bears. The furthest pass the Buffs had all day came from wide receiver Joseph Williams, who threw a pass for 49 yards in the first.
Defensively, the 221 passing yards the Buffs defense gave up against Baylor was better than the 241 yards allowed in Northwestern. CU’s defense kept the Buffs in the game during the offense’s struggles.
The defense was not perfect, as Baylor took advantage of the Buffs inability to stop teams on third down. BU went 6-of-17 on third down for a 35% completion rate.
Both teams were heavily penalized, with Baylor taking advantage of CU’s penalties. Colorado was called for nine penalties totaling 82 yards, including two for 22 yards on the Bears' first touchdown drive. BU had 10 penalties for a total of 84 yards, but mainly on offense.
The Buffs started off the game with a kick out of bounds, a sign of the sloppy play to come.
After a sketchy start, Baylor’s first drive was held down by CU for only 25 yards. Colorado’s offense returned to its strong run game, running the ball six out of nine plays in a 43-yard drive.
BU came back out on offense, and the Buffs defense was ready, forcing a punt in just three plays. Colorado’s offense rewarded the defense’s hard work with a 74-yard drive ending in a field goal, and a 3-0 lead after the first quarter.
The lead did not last, as the Bears went on a 54-yard drive after a 27-yard kick return by Caden Knighten. The Bears tied it up with a 37-yard field goal two and a half minutes into the second quarter.
Both teams then traded three-and-outs, including a negative drive for Baylor. The Bears turned it around on offense on their next series, going on a three-play 48-yard touchdown drive, aided by two Buff penalties.
Cree Thomas was called for pass interference on the first play of the drive, and Dylan Manuel was called for a personal foul on the second play, combining for 22 yards in Baylor’s favor. At Colorado’s nine-yard line, Lagway threw a short pass to Freeman for a three-yard touchdown and a 10-3 BU lead.
The Buffs began to increase their pass attempts to try and catch up to the Bears' lead, but ultimately went into the second half down by seven.
CU started the second half like they began the game, by messing up the first play. Dekalon Taylor dropped the kickoff to start the second half but quickly recovered it at the CU 11.
Wilson stepped in for his first drive of the game and delivered the Buffs’ longest pass of the day on his second attempt, a 20-yard pass to Williams for a first down.
Even though the Buffs offense was waking up, Baylor continued its strong play. A 21-yard punt return by Jayden McGowan put Baylor on the CU 47-yard line. Cree Thomas was called for holding, pushing BU 10 yards up the field. After a 23-yard pass to Louis Brown IV and a five-yard rush by Caden Knighten, the Bears were in field goal range. Kicker Rhett Armstrong easily scored the 27-yard field goal to give the Bears a 13-3 lead.
After two short drives by both teams, CU picked up the pace. Wilson led the Buffs on their first scoring drive since the first quarter. A 63-yard drive left Elliot Arnold with a 46-yard field goal that he completed to put Colorado within seven.
The defense came out and shut down Baylor’s next drive quickly, forcing a punt after three plays to end the third quarter.
Wilson and the offense came back out fresh from the break ready to tie the game up. The Buffs went on a 12-play, 95-yard drive to score their first passing touchdown since Weber State. Wilson found Williams in between two Baylor defenders for a 17-yard touchdown pass.
Even if they hadn’t played the cleanest game, the Buffs found themselves tied with Baylor with 11 minutes to go at McLane Stadium.
Baylor quickly took the hope out of the few CU fans in Waco, scoring on the next drive where Colorado did not stop a single play the Bears had. A 33-yard touchdown pass to Jadon Porter put the Buffs back down seven.
The Bears did not let up, scoring a 54-yard field goal to make it 23-13 on their next drive.
Colorado retook the field for a must-score drive. But JaQuail Smith gave up a fumble with four minutes to go, putting an end to the hopes of a comeback.
Both teams finished the game with drives resulting in a turnover on downs.
“I ain’t trying to look for silver linings. I’m not built like that,” Sanders said. “Why don’t we just go ahead and get the gold and forget the silver.”
The Buffs will return to Folsom next Saturday for a three-game homestand after three of their first four games on the road. Another Big 12 matchup awaits them on Saturday night against Texas Tech. Kickoff from Folsom Field is set for 5:30 p.m. MT(FOX).
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