Chris Klieman’s Kansas State Wildcats team is still reeling from a 51-47 thriller with the Utah Utes. Now awaits Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes, all hungry and ready to pounce. Though Klieman shook up, he hid it behind a veil of praise for Deion’s crew. Moreover, Julian Lewis is the one who reeled in the most praise.

On November 24, Klieman faced the media for the pre-game press conference. “They’re really explosive on offense, and they’ve played a few quarterbacks, and the freshman is a really talented kid,” said Klieman. “You can tell his comfort level as he’s gotten more starts.” 

Notably, the Buffs lost 29-22 against West Virginia, but all eyes were on rookie Julian ‘JuJu’ Lewis. Making his first start, he crushed it with a 79.4 PFF grade over 75 snaps, proving he’s more than just hype. Lewis fell into the “above average” range, that is, between 68-78.

He made his first start look like a highlight reel, going 22-of-35 for 299 yards and two touchdowns with a 62.9% completion rate. Not to forget, there was a catch.

All that came without Jordan Seaton on the line. Lewis absorbed seven sacks but scrambled and juked like a veteran to keep plays alive. Not bad for a debut that had pressure coming from all sides. That’s how Coach Prime knew Lewis would be the starter for the rest of the season.

“He was a little nervous early on until he got right, but he got out of the pocket, scrambled, did some good things with the ball, threw the ball away,” said Deion.

Lewis got the starting nod after Kaidon Salter and Ryan Staub just couldn’t get it done. Utah never let up, and Salter couldn’t find his rhythm under constant heat, going 9-of-22 for just 37 yards without his usual protection. Against Arizona, Salter got yanked late in the first half for Staub, who also got benched after throwing two picks in the third.

Neither quarterback could hang, which automatically opened the doors for Lewis to take over. The next game is against the Kansas State Wildcats, who are struggling with a 5-6 record. The inconsistencies throughout the season faltered their progress after a 9-4 record last year. But the spotlight belongs to Lewis.

His performances on the field channeled his energy to get louder in the locker room and sharper on the practice field. He earned Deion’s complete trust to lead the Buffs down the stretch. It’s what you say he’s organically become a leader.

“He [Julian Lewis] has that intangible that he makes other guys want to play with him, and want to compete as such,” Deion said. “Now they (receivers) know, if I get a step, that ball is gonna be there.”

Coach Prime’s trust in Lewis was evident from the start. Colorado ripped off three 30-plus yard completions, with Joseph Williams and Omarion Miller finding the end zone. 

Now we know what Klieman talked about. However, amidst the quarterback’s rise, chaos prevailed.

Julian Lewis showed promise, but could not stop Colorado from sliding down

The Buffaloes sit at 3-8 and 1-7 in Big 12 play, and this fall they’ve looked like one of the roughest Power 4 squads out there. Lewis and Co. are buried near the bottom nationally, 108th in scoring offense, 107th in scoring defense, 107th in yards per play, and 108th in yards allowed per play.

The skid got ugly fast with a 53-7 beatdown at Utah followed by a 52-17 home drubbing from Arizona.

Even with Lewis flashing promise, he couldn’t keep Deion’s squad from sliding into a new low. Colorado’s matchup against Arizona State drew the smallest crowd of the Sanders era at Folsom Field, barely under 40,000 tickets sold. The previous low was 48,322 against Arizona, a far cry from the program’s peak Deion-era highs of 53,180 in 2023 and 52,514 in 2024.

Julian Lewis may have won his way back into the trust circle, but the regret has to sting. The loss to West Virginia officially slammed the door on Colorado’s bowl hopes. The fallout put Deion Sanders squarely on the hot seat, with CU alum Moneyline Matt even tweeting, “There needs to be changes, and it starts with the HC.”

The real question now is whether Lewis and the Buffs can show enough in their 2025 finale to keep Deion’s seat from catching fire in Boulder.