SALT LAKE CITY – Deion Sanders’ tenure as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes witnessed a disheartening throwback to their troubled history on Saturday night, as they suffered a 53-7 rout at the hands of the Utah Utes. This loss marked a stark reminder of the challenges facing the Buffaloes, especially considering it took place in front of a sold-out crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium, which has seen 93 consecutive sellouts.
The defeat represents Colorado’s largest margin of loss since a 47-point derrota against Washington last November, prior to Sanders’ appointment. Furthermore, Utah’s offensive performance was a glaring contrast to Colorado’s defensive struggles, with the Utes amassing 587 total yards, the highest allowed by CU since they faced Utah last season, when they surrendered 662 yards of offense.
Utah’s true freshman quarterback Byrd Ficklin delivered a standout performance in his debut start, filling in for the injured Devon Dampier. Ficklin not only passed for 140 yards and two touchdowns but also showcased his agility with a remarkable 151 yards rushing and a touchdown. In contrast, Colorado’s quarterback Kaidon Salter struggled significantly, completing only 9 of 22 passes for a mere 37 yards, while being sacked five times for a total loss of four rushing yards.
Utah opened the scoring just seconds into the game with a 63-yard touchdown run by Ficklin. Following that, Wayshawn Parker contributed with a 58-yard touchdown run, establishing a 17-0 lead before the end of the first quarter. As the second quarter progressed, the Utes continued to capitalize on Colorado’s mistakes, including a safety caused by intentional grounding by Salter, which added to their extensive lead.
At halftime, Colorado found themselves trailing 43-0, marking their largest deficit at the break since October 2012. The statistics painted a grim picture for the Buffaloes, with merely 18 offensive yards during the first half, compared to Utah’s commanding 398 yards.
Though the Buffaloes showed some resilience in the second half, scoring their first touchdown on a 1-yard run by backup quarterback Ryan Staub, it was too little too late. Utah concluded the game with a final touchdown from Nate Johnson, sealing the overwhelming victory.
This performance underscores the significant hurdles Sanders and his team must overcome as they navigate through the challenges of the season. The Buffaloes finished the game with a total of just 140 yards in offense—their lowest showing since a loss in 2021, highlighting the need for a recalibration as they move forward in the schedule.
With tough lessons learned from this defeat, Colorado has an opportunity to take stock of its performance and strive for improvement in the upcoming matches.