Game at a glance
Comparison: Baylor Bears at Colorado Buffaloes
Start: 6pm MT
Where: Folsom Field in Boulder
Capacity: 50,183 (Grass)
TV: fox
Radio: KOA (8:50 a.m.)
Opportunities: CU by 1.5
Series: CU leads 9-7
Every week there seems to be a new reason why the Colorado Buffaloes have a big game.
Season openers always come with a certain amount of hype. That was followed by back-to-back rivalry games between Nebraska and Colorado State. Now, not only is Big 12 play about to begin, but it’s also a return to a conference CU left 14 years ago.
For this reason, CU head coach Deion Sanders is not placing any particular emphasis on Saturday’s game against Baylor at Folsom Field.
“Every game means a lot to us,” Sanders said this week.
This game may take on some significance now that the Buffs are beginning conference play, but more importantly, CU needs to carry the momentum from last week’s 28-9 win in Fort Collins and continue to improve as a team.
Offensively, the Buffs were able to gain some ground in the running game behind an offensive line that played its best game of the year. CU rushed for a season-high 109 yards against the Rams, while quarterback Shedeur Sanders was sacked just once.
“The O-line had great practice (last week) and we took advantage of that, so we were waiting to have good runs in this game,” running back Micah Welch said.
Welch had 65 yards against CSU and was a good complement to dynamic quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns.
The Buffs will look to continue this against a Baylor defense that has been weak this year, allowing just 9.7 points and 230.3 yards per game.
“We have to be who we are,” head coach Deion Sanders said. “We have to run the ball effectively … our receivers are a tough act. If we protect our quarterback, our receivers are an incredibly tough act. So I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. I think we could do phenomenal things because (the Baylor Bears) feel like they could shut us down in some problem areas, but our guys are pretty good. We just need to give our quarterback a little time and we’ll be OK.”
As good as the buffs can be on offense, they are starting to leave their mark on defense as well.
For the first time since 2018, CU has held each of its first three opponents under 30 points. Since the 2023 Finals, the Buffs have held four consecutive opponents under 30 points, the longest streak for the program since five straight games to begin the 2018 season.
“Yeah, definitely,” linebacker LaVonta Bentley said when asked if CU can be led by its defense. “I think we’ve done pretty well on defense. … We’ve just got to be consistent. We’ve got to start fast and just have that energy, that fire. And when we do that, man, this team is going to be crazy.”
New defensive coordinator Robert Livingston has received a lot of praise for setting the tone for the Buffs’ defense.
“It allows us to be ourselves,” Bentley said.
The dominant defense allows only 21.0 points and 374.3 yards per game – a significant improvement over last year (34.8, 453.3). The success makes Bentley and his teammates hungry for more.
“Everyone in the world knows you can do it,” he said. “So you have to keep pushing yourself every day and go out there and prove to yourself and the team every week that we can do it.”
For the Buffs, Saturday’s game is a great opportunity to start the conference with a win. It’s also an opportunity to keep the train going on both sides of the ball.
“We need to better equip our young men and give them the ability to just keep going,” Coach Prime said. “And don’t look left or right, don’t look at the hate or the cheering. Just keep going.”
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