Colorado’s Friday night in Houston was a nightmare, there’s no way to sugarcoat it.
The Buffaloes got outplayed, outcoached and outsmarted by the Houston Cougars. The offense couldn’t build any semblance of momentum, as the passing game completely stalled and the run game was extremely predictable. The defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed, as Houston quarterback Conner Weigman and running back Dean Connors gashed Colorado all night. The only thing that CU can really hang their hats on is that punter Damon Greaves looked amazing, and fans saw a lot of the punting unit on Friday evening.
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The Buffs didn’t just struggle; they got crushed. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders agrees, expressing considerable dissatisfaction with his team’s performance in Houston.
“We’re not struggling,” Sanders said. “We’re getting our butt’s kicked. You don’t have to sugarcoat it… We are not as successful on either side of the ball as we would wish to be.”
After fans were left stunned by Colorado’s sloppy performance, Sanders said he’s in the same boat.
“No one could have told me that this game was going to turn out like this,” Sanders said. “With the week of preparation that we had, to the meeting that we had, and the film study and the preperation that we had, no one could have told me that it was gonna turn out like this.”
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Now with a record of 1-2 after dropping their first conference game, Sanders and his Buffs have a lot of reflection to do. Sanders started that reflection early, opening his post-game press conference by taking responsibility for Colorado’s rough outing.
“[Friday night] wasn’t good,” Sanders said. “It wasn’t good at all. I take full responsibility for the foolishness that went on out there that we tried to call football. It wasn’t that. We’ve got to do better in every phase of the game. We’ve got to do better at preparing our kids. We’ve got to do better, period.”
On the offense, the Buffs simply fell flat. In quarterback Ryan Staub’s first start since November 2023, the redshirt sophomore couldn’t get going, throwing for 19 for 35 and 205 yards, with two interceptions and a garbage-time touchdown to Joseph Williams when the game was already out of reach.
In a game that Staub needed to show out and prove himself to solidify himself as CU’s starting QB, the opposite happened. Staub looked lost and outmatched at times, as he was running for his life. It didn’t help that his receivers had the dropsies, either.
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“Staub didn’t play well,” Sanders said. “I saw what [everybody] saw. He did not play well today. That wasn’t his best, to say the least.”
On paper, the pieces for this Colorado offense are there. They’ve got flashy young receivers, an effective running back room and a beefed-up offensive line. When asked why his offense simply can’t put those pieces together, Sanders showed frustration.
“That’s a really fantastic question,” Sanders said when asked what’s holding his offense back. “I feel like we have the players with the ability to be physical and run the darn football.”
As for the defense, things weren’t much better. The Coogs smoked Colorado for 331 total yards, as the Buffs only ran five offensive plays for the entire third quarter.
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“When you come out in the second half, and I think they had the ball for 13 more minutes than we did,” Sanders said. “Normally, when you give up 200 yards rushing, that’s not a winning cause.”
For now, the Buffs will return to Boulder and the drawing board. Sanders says this team has lot of analyzing to do, starting right away.
“Now, you need to have a self-examination,” Sanders told his team in the locker room after the game. “You need to self-analyze yourself, and don’t point fingers.”
Colorado’s next matchup will be next Saturday against Wyoming. CU will be heavy favorites against the Cowboys, and the Buffs will need to take full advantage of their opportunity to get back on track.
