Lewis era begins in Colorado's 52-17 beatdown by Arizona
- Leo Rivera IV
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Last week’s trip to Salt Lake City looked like rock bottom for the Colorado Buffaloes (3-6, 1-5 Big 12), but their 52-17 whooping by the Arizona Wildcats (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) became a new low.
Halloween is over, but Colorado looked more like students in costume than football players Saturday night. Undisciplined play was highlighted by 14 Penalties that cost Colorado 110 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Postgame head coach Deion Sanders accepted blame for the disaster at home.
"No one will be available tonight, it's on me," Sanders said. "Don't attack the coordinators. Come at me. Don't attack the players. Come at me."
The defense was lost and the offense struggled, but in the end, the Buffs left with a glimpse of optimism.
From the jump, it was clear Colorado would once again be outcoached. It only took half a quarter for the Wildcats to find themselves up 17-0 over the Buffs. On the third play from scrimmage, Arizona wideout Tre Spivey broke five tackles on a screen pass that he took 57 yards for a touchdown.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita lit the Buffs up for 213 yards, going 11/19 and throwing four touchdown passes. The Wildcats had 417 yards of offense and rushed for 204 on Colorado. The defense was at the mercy of Fifita, who got anything he wanted Saturday night. For the first time since 2022, Colorado gave up 50+ points in back-to-back games.
Kaidon Salter may have finished his time in Boulder going 11/15 for 49 yards, a touchdown and an interception, before he was benched at the end of the second quarter. Salter struggled to hit open receivers and never seemed to be on the same page as offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
At half, the Buffs were trailing 38-7, and dead in the water. Ryan Staub, who entered the game for three drives, threw two interceptions and was sat down quickly. Down 45-7 in the third quarter, true freshman quarterback Julian “Juju” Lewis took the field for only the second time this season. What was left of a Folsom Field crowd erupted in anticipation for Lewis when he entered the game.
On the very same drive, he would launch a 59-yard touchdown pass to Omarion Miller that fell just outside the defender's reach. The sequence was one of the only highlights of the whooping Colorado endured at home. Lewis finished 9/17 for 121 yards and a touchdown, and showed flashes of athleticism and his strong arm. Ultimately, he wasn’t able to move the ball consistently either.
Sanders did not say which quarterback would start next week, or if Kaidon Salter's time at Colorado was over.
"I don't want to talk down on another guy," Sanders said. "Let's stick with Juju getting experience. He's getting an opportunity, and that's where we are right now."
The offense managed to get to 299 yards behind the combined efforts of three quarterbacks. Dallan Hayden led the team in rushing with 34 yards, but Colorado’s offensive line once again struggled. Arizona had three sacks on an injured unit.
Colorado’s beating was so bad that during the third quarter, students started waving their shirts in the air and chanting, a trend done by losing teams this year. No one person was to blame for Colorado’s loss; rather, everyone involved took the fall.
It was a homecoming the Buffs would want to forget, with many leaving the stadium early. Lewis finally seeing the field provided excitement and a hope that the future could be brighter in Colorado. A ghost of a football team remained as the dust settled at Folsom Field.
Colorado travels to West Virginia to face the Mountaineers next Saturday at 10:00 am MT.
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