BOULDER, CO – Colorado football coach Deion Sanders preached all week about how his team just needed more “consistency” this season after going back and forth from good to bad.
On Saturday, Sept. 27, he got the opposite once again – a team that started strong but ended in disaster and a 24-21 loss at home against No. 24 BYU.
The loss drops Colorado to 2-3 this season, including 0-2 in Big 12 Conference play. No. 24 BYU improves to 4-0 and 1-0 in the Big 12 after getting a big night from freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier.
The Buffaloes scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game to stake a 14-0 lead. But then the bottom dropped out again, sort of like it did in 2023, when they lost in overtime against Stanford after taking a 29-0 halftime lead.
This time, their lead shrunk to 14-10 at halftime before the Cougars closed the game with big plays, including a 32-yard touchdown run by receiver Cody Hagen to help take a 24-21 lead and then an interception on Colorado’s final drive by BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker.
Bachmeier finished 19-for-27 for 179 yards and two touchdowns and added 98 more yards on the ground on 15 attempts. The Cougars rushed 36 times for 208 yards.
Colorado QB Kaidon Salter was 11-for-16 passing for 119 yards with a touchdown and the late interception. He added 49 yards on 17 attempts on the ground and a TD. Colorado rushed for 172 yards.
The Buffaloes now face a tough stretch of Big 12 games, starting at No. 25 TCU next week, followed by a home game against No. 13 Iowa State.
BYU vs. Colorado highlights
Final: BYU 24, Colorado 21
Kaidon Salter is intercepted with less than a minute to go and BYU runs out the clock.
BYU misses 55-yard field goal
BYU kicker Will Ferrin missed wide left on a 55-yard field-goal attempt with 8:07 remaining. Now the Buffs get the ball at their own 37-yard line to try to retake the lead. Ferrin had made 25 consecutive field goals before that.
Big play lifts BYU to 24-21 lead
BYU receiver Cody Hagen took the ball around the left side on a trick play that ended with a 32-yard touchdown and a 24-21 lead with 14:02 left.
This answers Colorado’s only touchdown since the first quarter. The drive went 77 yards in eight plays.
End of third quarter: Colorado 21, BYU 17
BYU has the ball and is driving into Colorado territory to start the fourth quarter.
Colorado strikes back for 21-17 lead
The Buffs struck back with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Kaidon Salter to receiver Dre’Lon Miller, helping them take a 21-17 lead with 2:42 left in the third quarter.
The drive went 75 yards in six plays, highlighted by a 26-yard pass from Salter on first down and a 19-yard run from Salter one play after that.
Miller now has a touchdown run and touchdown catch in this game.
BYU takes its first lead, 17-14
BYU has come back to take a 17-14 lead against Colorado after scoring on fourth-and-2 with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Bear Bachmeier to receiver Chase Roberts. The drive went 74 yards in nine plays, culminating with Roberts’ second touchdown catch of the game with 5:26 left in the third quarter.
The touchdown evaporates Colorado’s 14-0 start and gives the Buffs a sense of dread. It’s not as bad yet as when they took a 29-0 halftime lead in 2023 against Stanford but lost in overtime. But after taking that early lead, they look helpless to the momentum BYU is building.
Colorado punts again after hot start
Colorado has punted three times now after scoring two touchdowns on its first two possessions of the game, including another punt to end their first possession of the second half. The Buffs still lead 14-10 with 10:17 left in the third quarter.
Halftime: Colorado 14, BYU 10
BYU has battled back, cutting Colorado’s lead to 14-10 in the final minute of the half with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Bear Bachmeier to receiver Chase Roberts on the right side of the end zone.
The drive went 94 yards in 10 plays and was aided by two Colorado penalties committed by CU defensive backs DJ McKinney and Preston Hodge. The latter of the two penalties brought BYU to the CU 17-yard line before the Cougars scored four plays later.
After scoring on their first two series of the game, the Buffs have lost momentum. BYU now gets the ball to start the second half.
Bachmeier is 10-of-14 passing for 109 yards and a touchdown. He also has seven runs for 48 yards.
BYU going all in with freshman QB
With two minutes left in the first half, Colorado still leads 14-3. BYU has gone all in with freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who has passed or run on 18 of BYU’s 23 plays so far. Running back LJ Martin entered the game as the ninth-leading rusher in the nation with 114 yards per game but only has four carries for 11 yards.
Colorado’s offense slows down
After scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions, the Buffs have punted on their next two. They still lead 14-3 with 4:10 left in the first half. Quarterback Kaidon Salter has passed for 60 yards and rushed for 33. He’s also been sacked twice in the second quarter.
End of first quarter: Colorado 14, BYU 3
BYU kicker Will Ferrin drilled a 28-yard field goal to end his team’s second possession of the game, cutting Colorado’s lead to 14-3 in the final minute of the quarter. Colorado stopped the Cougars on third-and-3 on the CU 5-yard line after a 65-yard drive by BYU.
Colorado has eight first downs, compared to five for BYU. The Buffs also have outgained BYU, 138-84, in total yards.
Colorado now up 14-0
OK everybody, the Buffs are clicking tonight under the direction of quarterback Kaidon Salter. He just led the team on another touchdown drive, this time ending on a 5-yard run from Dre’Lon Miller with 5:08 left in the first quarter. Colorado is up 14-0 after the four-play, 62-yard drive, which started with a 27-yard run from running back Micah Welch.
BYU’s first possession ended on fourth-and-2 when quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw an incomplete pass with 6:31 left in the first quarter. The Cougars ran eight plays for 38 yards, but the Colorado defense held and gave the ball back to Salter to work his magic.
Colorado takes 7-0 lead
Quarterback Kaidon Salter showed his two strengths in the game’s opening drive, running and passing his way to a 7-0 lead for Colorado. He scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to cap an 11-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 5:16. He is 3-for-3 passing for 39 yards and has five rushes for 31 yards.
Watch Ralphie VII run
This is Ralphie VII’s second game-opening run. She made her debut last week against Wyoming, running before the game and before the second half.
When is BYU vs Colorado?
Kickoff is at 10:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 27 from Folsom Field in Boulder, CO.
How to watch BYU vs. Colorado
The game will be televised on ESPN and also is available on Fubo. It began showing on ESPNews but will move to ESPN upon conclusion of the Arizona-Iowa State game.
Bad timing on CU’s official gameday program
The official gameday program distributed at Folsom Field Saturday features three Colorado players on the magazine cover, all running backs: Simeon Price, DeKalon Taylor and Micah Welch.
But two of them are out with injuries for this game: Price and Taylor.
It’s a reminder that old print media takes time to produce in advance and isn’t always current by the time it lands in the hands of readers. It’s also another reminder of the team’s chronic struggles in the running game over the past three seasons.
Big quarterback recruit at the game for Colorado
Kavian Bryant, a five-star quarterback recruit for 2027, is in town for an unofficial recruiting visit with the Buffaloes. He ranks as the No. 2 quarterback for the 2027 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
“I will be at Colorado today and tomorrow for an unofficial visit!!!! #GoBuffs,” Bryant wrote on social media site X.
If the Buffs can get him, he would be the second big quarterback to commit to the Buffs under Sanders since last year. Current freshman Julian Lewis is the other and would be in his third year at Colorado by the time Byrant arrived in 2027.
Why is BYU vs Colorado an Alamo Bowl rematch?
BYU and Colorado both are now members of the Big 12 but still faced each other in the Alamo Bowl last December because of a quirk in the bowl selection process. After the College Football Playoff field was finalized, the Alamo Bowl had the first pick among remaining bowl-eligible teams from the Big 12 (BYU) and former Pac-12 Conference (Colorado), according to agreements that predated the breakup of the Pac-12 in 2024.
It worked out because the two had not played each other in the 2024 season and had not played each other at all since 1988. Tonight’s game will be their first conference matchup since 1947.
What is Deion Sanders’ record in night games?
It’s 6-9 after a 37-20 victory last week against Wyoming. In games that start before 7:30 p.m. ET, his record in three seasons is 9-5. After that time, it’s 6-9. Sanders generally dislikes night games because he’s an early riser and his team usually practices in the morning. But before the Wyoming night game, the Buffs had two evening practices to better prepare for the late kickoff. He indicated the team would do something similar before tonight’s game.
Quarterback issues at BYU and Colorado
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff led BYU to victory over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl last December but he left the team before the season after he allegedly violated the school’s honor code for having premarital sex. Retzlaff is now playing at Tulane. In his place, freshman Bear Bachmeier has emerged to lead the Cougars to a 3-0 start after spending the spring at Stanford.
Deion Sanders’ son Shedeur played his last college game in the Alamo Bowl before getting drafted in the fifth round by the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. He has been replaced by two different starting quarterbacks this year before the Buffaloes finally settled on one – Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, who is playing out his final year of college eligibility.
Key matchup: LJ Martin vs Colorado defense
BYU’s LJ Martin, a junior from El Paso, Texas, ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. Now here he comes again possibly better than last year while Colorado’s defense might be worse. Martin ranks ninth nationally in rushing yards per game with 114. Colorado ranks 121st in rushing yards allowed per game with 194.5, according to NCAA statistics.
Deion Sanders wants his team to be more physical in this regard.
“Physicality is an attitude,” he said this week.
Colorado has two running backs out
Two of Colorado’s top three running backs were injured in last week’s 37-20 win against Wyoming and will not play: Simeon Price and DeKalon Taylor.
Colorado still has options at that position, especially after Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden recently returned from a hand injury.
“We’ve made adjustments in the running back room” Sanders said Tuesday.
Quarterback Kaidon Salter leads the team in rushing with 153 yards. Price and sophomore Micah Welch both have 143.
Before Saturday, Colorado ranked 88th nationally in rushing yards per game with 141.3. The Buffaloes ranked last nationally in that category the past two seasons.
Who is Colorado’s backup QB now?
After some shuffling among three quarterbacks in the first three games, Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter is the undisputed starter at quarterback for Colorado. But what happens if Salter falters or gets injured? The backup spot is not exactly settled, according to the team depth chart for the BYU game. It lists the No. 2 QB as Ryan Staub “OR” Julian Lewis.
Staub, a redshirt sophomore, has started two games since 2023, including the 36-20 loss at Houston Sept. 12. Lewis, a celebrated freshman, only saw action off the bench in a 31-7 win against Delaware on Sept. 6. He was 2-for-4 passing for 8 yards.
Announcers for BYU vs Colorado game
ESPN announcer Mark Jones will handle the play by play and will be joined by color analyst Roddy Jones. Sideline reporter Quint Kessenich will provide updates from the field.
BYU vs Colorado odds
College football odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook; Odds updated Sept. 26. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Spread: BYU (-6.5)
- Moneyline: BYU (-250), Colorado (+)200
- Total: 49.5 points
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com