CU Buffs fall short to Kansas State in rollercoaster Big 12 finish

BOULDER—The Colorado Buffaloes finally faced a ranked foe on Saturday and the No. 18 Kansas State Wildcats got the best of Deion Sanders’ team 31-28 but it took almost all the purple had to come out with a win.

A fourth-quarter score, interception and subsequent score gave Colorado a late 28-24 lead but the Buffaloes defense surrendered the game-winning touchdown just 58 seconds after taking the lead. CU’s last gasp went nowhere.

DJ Giddens starred as the Buffs got gashed by the Wildcats ground game in what could be a demoralizing loss. Giddens is the first player to hit the century mark rushing or receiving this season, he wound up with 182 yards on 25 carries. He highlighted a monstrous K-State run game that saw quarterback Avery Johnson and former Buffs runner Dylan Edwards join the party, each notching a touchdown.

That came in contrast to Colorado’s run game which came into Saturday as the seventh-worst in the nation at 135 carries for 403 yards. On Saturday, they had a meager -29 net yards on `9 attempts. The Buffaloes gave up on the run game entirely in the second half, only rushing it several times. Making matters harder for Shedeur Sanders was his targets. The Buffs lost both their top wide receivers in Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn in the second quarter. And despite all of this Sanders still led an impressive pass-only drive that would cut back Kansas State’s second-half lead to one score. But just when Sanders found a connection in Omarion Miller, he too went down with an injury. A play later was a rare interception for Sanders and combined with some time-consuming Wildcats drive spelled a bad spot for the Buffs.

Though Sanders led CU down the field for a 72-yard drive after K-State couldn’t do anything with the pick. The pass-heavy drive was punched in with a run, cutting the lead to 24-21. The Wildcats went back to what worked but couldn’t ice it, getting to no man’s land in midfield and deciding to go for it on a fourth down. Johnson was picked by Colton Hood, who took it back the other way for 59 yards—setting up a quick CU score to take a four-point lead. But just 58 seconds later K-State answered with back-to-back huge plays which gained them back a lead they never relinquished.

The big concern now for the Buffs is that their Heisman candidate and do-it-all-star Hunter left the game with a shoulder injury. K-State isn’t a huge passing team so his absence wasn’t too noticed on that side of the ball immediately but Colorado’s offense certainly felt the loss of their top wideout. His status is unknown, just being called questionable to return on Saturday—which he never did after leaving before the half with the injury. Horn went down around the same time in the game and also did not return.

But the Buffs did gain health in their defense leading up to Saturday, notably with Shilo Sanders returning. Colorado’s defense had been good while he was sidelined—allowing just 54 points in seven halves. The safety struggled in his return and the lack of his normal playmaking in the second level partly led to Giddens’s huge day on the ground.

The younger brother at quarterback totaled 388 yards and 3 touchdowns on 34-of-40. He at one point hit 16 straight passes, setting a new school record.

Both teams were coming off a bye week and maybe it was poorly timed for CU who is now more banged up just one week after their break. The Buffs will turn their attention to the desert where they will meet Arizona next Saturday in a battle of two of the Big 12’s best quarterbacks in Sanders and Noah Fifita.

Had CU beaten the Wildcats the Buffs likely would’ve been favored for a Big 12 Title Game appearance. Now CU will need some help to somehow get there as both BYU and Iowa State are undefeated in conference and neither plays the Buffs or each other. Texas Tech is also 3-0 but Colorado will meet them next month in Lubbock.