Down by ten and going into the 4th quarter at home, the Buffaloes came roaring back like we’re used to seeing with back-to-back touchdowns aided by a seemingly miracle interception of Kansas State at the Colorado 31 by Freshman Cornerback Cotton Hood and returned for 59 yards to the Kansas State 17 yard line. Two Shedeur Sanders’ passes later they were in the end zone with a 28-24 lead with just a little over three minutes left. But starting at their own 16 yard line after the kick-off Kansas State’s own miracle worker, Sophomore QB Avery Johnson, would complete passes of 34 and 50 yards and in less than a minute would be back in the end zone and back in the lead—31-28. But there’s still a little over two minutes left, we’re in a sold-out Folsom Field in Boulder and Shedeur, in spite of six sacks is completing passes at an 85% clip all game long and has already thrown for three TD’s, has the ball—we’ve got this.
But as every magician can tell you it’s their assistant that ensures every trick goes off without a hitch. And in this game Shedeur’s favorite assistant, two-way phenom Travis Hunter had been out with an injury since the second quarter. Scott Proctor describes the Buffaloes last play of the game in his article for the Fort Collins Coloradan like this : “Facing a three-point deficit on fourth-and-5 from their own 30-yard line with 1:21 remaining, Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders heaved the ball downfield to [Senior WR Will] Sheppard, who was streaking down the right sideline into Wildcats territory. Sheppard had a step on KSU’s Keenan Garber, who had his right arm wrapped around the wideout’s back as the pass came in, and the cornerback was partially looking back but did not fully turn his body to contest the football. There was also contact between the players as the pass came down [and] bounced to the grass, and Will Sheppard threw up his hands in disbelief. Then Folsom Field let the boos rip. CU did not get a pass interference flag on its last offensive play in a 31-28 defeat to Kansas State, a call which would’ve extended the Buffs’ final drive and perhaps led to another dramatic Big 12 win in Boulder.”
One could come up with lots of reasons the magic didn’t happen Saturday night in Boulder. Travis Hunter and Senior WR Jimmy Horn Jr. were both injured earlier in the game and had to watch the ending from the sidelines. Yet another bad/missed call—I can’t believe how many I have seen so far this year. Poor performance by Colorado’s offensive line, unable to protect Shedeur or facilitate any kind of running game—10 attempts for just 21 yards until you add in the minus 50 yards from Shedeur trying to escape 9 times, then it’s 19 attempts for minus 29 yards. Inability of the defense to stop the run, specifically Junior RB DJ Gideons who rushed 25 times for 182 yards—an average of 7.3 yards per carry—and as Scott Proctor pointed out; “the Buffs allowed Kansas State to march 84 yards in three plays (51 seconds) for the game-winning touchdown. The questionable decision to bring pressure and play man coverage in that situation falls on defensive coordinator Robert Livingston.” If you are a Colorado fan you should be concerned because if you think you’re losing games you could be winning now, wait until Shedeur and Shiloh Sanders, Jimmy Horn Jr., and Travis Hunter take off for the NFL next year.