Kaidon Salter disappoints in debut for the Buffs

Kaidon Salter pictured during Colorado's 27-20 loss versus Georgia Tech. (Photo by Ryan Asaro/Sko Buffs Sports)

BOULDER –  Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter had a shaky first start for the black and gold as the Buffs lost 27-20 in their season opener versus the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets. This loss marks head coach Deion Sanders’ first opening game loss in his collegiate coaching tenure.

Although Salter scored twice, once on the ground and once through the air, his volume of production left a lot to be desired. He only had 159 yards on 21 attempts through the air and 43 yards on 13 attempts with his legs, totaling 202 yards.

Comparatively, Yellowjackets quarterback Haynes King had 146 yards through the air and 156 yards on the ground, totaling 302 yards. He also accounted for all three of Georgia Tech’s touchdowns, all on the ground, including his game-winning 45-yard touchdown.

Salter started hot after the Buffs forced a turnover on their first defensive drive, as he hit running back Dekalon Taylor for an eight-yard touchdown. However, the miscues seemed evident early despite the score, as Taylor had to reach up high for a quite difficult catch on the score. 

Throughout the game, it seemed like Salter was just a half-second late on all of his reads. Whether it was pass rush, coverage, run gaps, etc., he was always ever-so-slightly tardy to make the correct decision. Indecisiveness and an overall sloppy operation from the offensive unit plagued the team.

This was the biggest stage Salter has ever played on, and Coach Sanders attributed those nerves to some miscues. 

“Kaidon played well, couple of times he should’ve ran, but he threw,” Sanders said. “We want him to be a dual-threat.”

Quarterback Kaidon Salter pictured after his rushing touchdown versus the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets. Colorado lost 27-20. (Photo by Cristian Blanco/Sko Buffs Sports)

5-of-13 on third down and only 18 first downs (compared to Georgia Tech’s 27) was simply not enough from the offense. They did put good things on tape. Micah Welch ran well when given the opportunity, Omarion Miller had a nice 39-yard catch on his only reception, and the offensive line created some good pockets for Salter.

But it was too few and far between. Salter did have the two aforementioned touchdowns and made some high-energy plays, but it just was not enough.

The consistency was not present, the volume was too low, and the inability to generate explosive plays killed the Buffs’ momentum throughout the entire game.

With FCS Delaware up next on the schedule, Colorado should have an opportunity to run a smoother operation with more room for error. However, that room for error needs to soon become irrelevant if Colorado wants to live up to their conference championship aspirations.