BYU shatters Colorado’s upset dreams, as Buffs suffer 24-21 defeat

Dre'lon Miller celebrates after his receiving touchdown (Photo by Remi Krupinski/Sko Buffs Sports)

In a Saturday night thriller, the Colorado Buffaloes (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) were outlasted by the No. 25-ranked Brigham Young Cougars (4-0, 1-0) by a score of 24-21.

The Cougars' offense started sluggishly, only scoring three points in the first quarter. From that point on, they were able to move the ball at will, racking up 387 total yards of offense. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier completed 19/27 of his passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. 

"We had opportunities, a tremendous amount of opportunities, but nevertheless we didn't cash in on it," head coach Deion Sanders said postgame. "Sometimes it feels like the moment was just too big for some of our athletes, and they got to do something about it."

Cougars’ ground game had a menacing 208 rushing yards, right on average for Colorado’s run defense. Colorado wasn’t able to limit Bachmeier, who had 15 carries for 98 yards as the leading rusher. Safety Tawfiq Byard was flying around for Colorado’s defense with ten total tackles on the night. 

Colorado’s run game appeared like it would will them to a victory early on. A three-headed attack of Kaidon Salter, Micah Welch and Dre’lon Miller was at the forefront, racking up a total of 172 rushing yards. A hot start put Colorado out in front 14-0 early, with the Buffs rushing for 99 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter.

Offensively, the Buffs were only able to score one more touchdown, which came from Dre’lon Miller in the third quarter. Getting shut out in the fourth, Salter and the offense came up short on the final drive. With just under two minutes to play, Salter was picked off, ending their dream. 

Salter completed 11 of his 16 passes and had one passing touchdown; he also had a rushing score. Receiver Joseph Williams hauled in five receptions for 58 yards as the leading receiver. Micah Welch was the leading rusher with 67 yards. 

Miller was a bright spot of the offense during his time as a wildcat quarterback. He was given eight carries for 52 yards and a rushing touchdown. Miller was effective in the air, catching a touchdown pass as well.

A proper chess match between coaching staffs was on display, with three lead changes occurring in the second half. As close as Colorado was to capitalizing on their defense’s stops, they were unable to find a score when it mattered most. 

Penalties once again hurt Colorado in key moments throughout the game; six were accepted for 67 yards. The discipline issues have been a constant throughout Colorado’s losses. 

"Penalties will happen; it's the timing of some of the penalties that's the problem," Sanders said. "We're doing everything we can. We just got to make the plays and not do the stuff that disables you and disarms you from winning the game."

The Buffs will head on the road next Saturday to face the Texas Christian Horned Frogs at 5:30 p.m. MT on FOX.