Salter’s rollercoaster performance raises more questions for Colorado QB room

Kaidon Salter throws on the run amid the Colorado Buffaloes' loss to BYU. (Photo by Brody Rector/Sko Buffs Sports)

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Kaidon Salter notched his second-straight start on Saturday against the No. 25 BYU Cougars. His up-and-down start continued as he put together another rollercoaster performance in the Buffs’ loss.

Salter started the game off looking the best he had all season. He completed six of his nine pass attempts for 60 yards. He also led the team in rushing with 51 yards on 11 attempts and a touchdown to boot. 

“When things break down, I try my best to use my God-given talent, which is my legs,” Salter said.

This came off the heels of his impressive game in Week 4 against the Wyoming Cowboys, in which he threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns with an additional 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground. His early performance had the Buffs out to a 14-10 lead at halftime.

It seemed like Colorado had finally found the consistency at the QB position it had been longing for, but the second-half adjustments made by BYU proved otherwise. 

The Cougars came out of the locker room with a new attitude on defense and Salter’s play suffered as a result. 

“[BYU is] a disciplined team,” Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said postgame. “Fundamentally sound, played their butts off.”

While Salter threw for a touchdown, he had substantially less success on the ground. He rushed for just 28 yards and no touchdowns in the second half, losing what was a weapon at the Buffs’ disposal in the first half. 

This was largely due to an increase in hesitancy and timidity in his decision-making. He showcased an aggressive mindset towards running the football in the first half, but in the second half, he showed a similar form to his early-season struggles. 

This indecisiveness proved costly in other aspects as well. BYU sent the house after Colorado had just been pushed back by a holding penalty. The pressure got to Salter quickly in Buffs' territory. 

In the first half, Salter had done a good job of throwing the ball away to avoid a negative play in these situations, but this time around he attempted to create a play by scrambling around the pocket before taking a costly 22-yard sack. This forced Colorado to punt the ball on a crucial drive in the fourth quarter.

“He’s got to do a better job of getting rid of the ball,” Sanders said. “Just get rid of the ball, get back to the line of scrimmage.”

Additionally, in the Buffaloes’ final drive of the game, Salter threw before setting his feet which led to his first interception of the season and a win for the Cougars. 

Salter’s performance has now left more questions than answers for the Buffs. He’s the most experienced QB on the team so he has that to pull from when attempting to bounce back from this performance. On the other hand, he’s struggled to find consistency on a team that desperately needs it. 

This dynamic will continue to play out as the Buffaloes push on through conference play, but it’s a problem Colorado likely wishes was solved well before the halfway point in the regular season.