Colorado’s hopes of making the Big 12 Championship Game and College Football Playoff got a boost Saturday. Behind the efforts of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, the No. 20 Buffaloes rebounded from an early double-digit deficit to score a 41-27 road win over Texas Tech.
The win, combined with No. 17 Iowa State’s 45-36 loss at Kansas, gives the Buffaloes sole possession of second place in the Big 12 standings. If Colorado (7-2, 5-1 Big 12) wins its final three games, it would secure a berth in the Big 12 title game in coach Deion Sanders’ second season with the program.
ANOTHER BUFFS W @CUBuffsFootball is now 7-2 for the first time since 2016 💪🦬 pic.twitter.com/RMCGNCRmUE
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 10, 2024
How Colorado pulled it off
The Buffaloes endured a tough start in Lubbock, Texas, falling behind 13-0 late in the first quarter. Colorado punted on its first four possessions and Texas Tech scored on its first three. The Buffs’ defense holding the Red Raiders to field goals twice proved crucial.
Once Shedeur Sanders found LaJohntay Wester for a 23-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter, the Buffaloes started to roll. They scored on five consecutive possessions spanning the second and third quarters to build a 31-13 lead.
Colorado produced a typical offensive performance, with Sanders spreading the ball around to his talented receivers. Hunter (99 receiving yards), Wester (82) and Will Sheppard (79) each caught at least six passes and a touchdown.
The defense deserves the most credit for the win. Colorado held Tech — the Big 12’s highest-scoring offense — below their scoring average of 36.4 points per game. The Buffs’ defensive front was stellar and did something most teams haven’t this year: slow down Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks.
In the first three quarters, Colorado held Brooks — the Big 12’s second-leading rusher — to just 58 yards on 23 attempts. Brooks started to break free in the fourth quarter and finished with 137 yards on 31 carries. But when the Red Raiders faced fourth-and-goal with less than five minutes to go, hoping to make it a one-possession game, the Buffaloes’ front seven demolished Tech’s offensive line, tackling Brooks for a loss and forcing a turnover on downs.
Colorado also consistently pressured Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton, bringing him down six times. Linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green picked Morton off in the fourth quarter and defensive end Arden Walker recorded a sack/fumble late in the fourth quarter, which Shilo Sanders returned for a 6-yard touchdown to seal the victory.
Shilo paid an homage to his father’s signature touchdown dance to celebrate.
SHILO SANDERS SCOOP N SCORE 🔥
And he hits his dad’s celebration after 🙌@CUBuffsFootball | @DeionSanders pic.twitter.com/cLvoIAcsTj
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 10, 2024
Travis Hunter watch
Hunter, who is in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race, played most of his team’s snaps as usual. His biggest impact was felt at receiver, where he led the Buffs with nine catches for 99 yards and a touchdown on 16 targets. Of his 99 yards, 75 came after the catch, including 26 of them on his touchdown reception that gave Colorado a two-score lead.
Hunter’s late-third-quarter score was his 99th snap of the game. He was in first place in The Athletic’s latest Heisman straw poll.
TRAVIS HUNTER TO THE HOUSE 🏠@CUBuffsFootball extends the lead in Lubbock 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VknF4aBTrZ
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 9, 2024
Hunter also found a midgame snack in the first half. Earlier this week, Deion Sanders learned of Texas Tech students’ decades-long tradition of tossing tortillas in the air at games. The airborne carbs were plentiful Saturday, with many of them landing on the field. Hunter picked one up and tucked it into his uniform.
Travis Hunter just grabbed a tortilla from the field and tucked it into his pants 😂
🎥 @CFBONFOXpic.twitter.com/qsiLLSvU5i
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 9, 2024
What happened to Iowa State?
Last month, Iowa State was one of two undefeated teams in the Big 12 and in an ideal position for both the conference title and a Playoff berth. Now the Cyclones’ at-large hopes are in serious trouble and they need help to get to the conference title game after two straight losses. Last week’s home defeat to Texas Tech stung, but Saturday’s setback to the Jayhawks was an uppercut.
Iowa State’s league-best defense was on skates Saturday thanks to Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels. The fifth-year senior looked like the early 2023 version of himself, slicing up Iowa State’s secondary with downfield completions and using his legs to move the chains in the run game.
“Mr. Unstoppable Today” Jalon Daniels.
28-10 Jayhawks – 2 minutes before the Half.#Big12FB | @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/FJ5NpMO0Rv
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) November 9, 2024
Daniels completed six passes of 20 or more yards, including a 70-yard touchdown toss to Luke Grimm and a 62-yard completion to Quentin Skinner that set up a Daniels touchdown run. Iowa State allowed Kansas receivers to run free early and often and it helped the Cyclones dig themselves into a 25-point deficit by the third quarter.
Kansas running back Devin Neal also ran roughshod through the Cyclones, compiling 138 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.
Offensively, quarterback Rocco Becht was pressured often in the first half and Iowa State struggled to generate a consistent rushing attack. When the Cyclones picked up the offensive tempo in their second-half comeback attempt, Becht found a rhythm. Iowa State scored 23 points in the game’s final 20 minutes, but Becht threw a pick six to Kansas’ Mello Dotson that thwarted the rally.
Big 12 title and CFP implications
There are now only two teams in the Big 12 with one or fewer conference losses: No. 9 BYU and Colorado. No. 19 Kansas State, which was idle Saturday, is the other Big 12 team on the Playoff bubble.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, who attended West Virginia’s win over Cincinnati on Saturday, lobbied for his conference members to get more favorable consideration in the Playoff rankings and said he’s “hopeful” the league can get two teams in the Playoff.
The conference’s chances of getting two teams in took a hit with the Iowa State loss Saturday. The most likely path for the Big 12 to get two in would be for BYU to go undefeated in the regular season but lose in the conference championship and land one of the at-large spots. The five highest-ranked conference champions make the Playoff field and there are seven at-large berths up for grabs. In the Big 12, BYU, Colorado and Kansas State have the best shot to grab either the automatic or an at-large bid.
Required reading
(Photo of Shedeur Sanders: Stephen Garcia / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
