Colorado crushed in Houston, dropping road opener 36-20

Houston's offensive line stiffs the Colorado Defense (Photo by Tyler Phillips/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes (1-2) had a nightmare trip to Texas, losing 36-20 to the Houston Cougars (3-0) in their road opener.

It was the explosive onslaught of Cougar offense that was responsible for Colorado’s destruction Friday night. Straight out of the gate, it appeared the Buffs were overmatched as the Cougars pounced on a 13-0 lead. 

Still a two-score game in the second quarter, the herd kept pushing, having its most success in that period. After another touchdown scoring a 2-minute drive from Colorado, a 16-14 score at the half fooled spectators into thinking it would be a close finish. 

Quarterback Ryan Staub and the offense appeared to get their spark after his endzone scamper that ended in a Zach Atkins fumble recovery for a score, but the Buffs would be silenced until there were less than 5 minutes in the 4th quarter.

The cougars began their crushing half with a 17-play, 8-minute, 35-second drive that took the wind out of Colorado’s sails. The Buffs' offense ran a mere five plays in the third quarter, signaling the beginning of the end.

Houston had over 400 yards of offense behind quarterback Conner Weigman, who went 14/24, for 222 passing yards and an additional 95 yards on the ground. His two rushing touchdowns led the team and also set a new career high for the gun slinger. 

"I take full responsiblity for the foolishness that went on out there, that we tried to call football," head coach Deion Sanders said postgame. "We got to do better in every phase of the game."

No matter the scheme or personnel, Colorado’s defense was unable to match Houston’s offense, which was able to score points consistently. The cougars punted only once during the game and rushed for 209 yards. Colorado safety Tawfiq Byard was a lone bright spot on the day, recording a team-high 13 total tackles. 

The Buffs were able to find a rhythm in garbage time to work on their chemistry. Joseph Williams hauled in a 37-yard touchdown late in the game for an impressive score. Staub finished the day 19/35 for 204 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. In his return, Omarion Miller led the team with three receptions for 54 yards. 

Simeon Price led the team in rushing for the second week with 51 yards, and the Buffs reached over 100 yards on the ground for the third straight game. Houston was credited with three sacks, digging into that total. 

Postgame Staub adressed the team's mindset in staying united thorugh a loss.

"We just gotta stay pushing, gotta lean on eachother and just get back to work," Staub said. "Got to get a win next week and just keep pushing."

Colorado will return home to face the Wyoming Cowboys next Saturday at 8:15 p.m. MT.