Utes hang 53 on Buffs in historic beatdown

Omarion Miller hangs his head (Photo by Ryan Asaro/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) were on the wrong side of history in a landslide blowout to the Utah Utes (6-2, 3-2 Big 12), losing 53-7 in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

From the jump, it was clear that coach Deion Sanders’ Buffs were not ready to compete with their conference rival. In all three phases of the game, Colorado was out-coached and had no response to Utah’s energy. 

The Utes started true freshman quarterback Byrd Ficklin in place of an injured Devon Dampier, and on the second play from scrimmage, he took the ball 63 yards to the house for his first rushing touchdown. That was only the beginning of Colorado’s nightmare. 

As Damon Greaves kept punting, the Utes kept scoring. After the first quarter, Utah led 17-0 behind a Wayshawn Parker rushing touchdown, and the Buffs were stunned.  

Colorado’s defensive woes were worse than ever, giving up 587 total yards to Utah. Running up and down the field, the Utes’ ground game combined for 422 total rushing yards. Flicklin’s performance of 151 rushing yards led the team and set a record for most yards by a Utah quarterback. 

Colorado’s offense managed to lose -18 yards during the first half and never made it past midfield either. Utah also managed to block a punt and snag an interception, piling onto their achievements over Colorado. At halftime, Utah sat on a 43-0 lead with the Buffs having no answer in any phase of the game.

Even after halftime, the offense couldn’t find rhythm, punting nine total times in the game. The offense finished with just over 100 total yards, marking one of the worst performances in program history. 

The Buffs were out-physicalled in the trenches, failing to reach 100 yards rushing, and gave up five sacks on the night. Defensively, the Utes were all over anything Colorado tried. Utah’s edge pressure and blitz choices kept the offense confused and forced Kaidon Salter to leave the pocket early and often. 

Salter struggled, completing only 9/22 of his passes for 37 yards and an interception. Unable to set his feet, he often was left chucking the ball up to avoid a sack, a move which cost him two points for safety on an intentional grounding call. Even Salter’s legs couldn't keep him from the Utah defense as his line struggled to protect. 

Ryan Staub entered the game in the fourth quarter and led Colorado’s only scoring drive.  

There wasn’t a single aspect of football that the Buffs performed well in on Saturday night. The loss was a cumulation of poor habits and discipline that was reflected in the scoreboard. Coming off a bye and an upset win, Colorado fell flat with seemingly no momentum or will to compete. 

The Buffs will be back home next Saturday to take on the Arizona Wildcats.