Winning on the road is never easy, but going three straight quarters without a single score was something Colorado fans didn’t see coming. Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes hit rock bottom in last week’s matchup against Utah, trailing 43-0 by halftime, which quickly turned into social media fodder. After entering the season with high hopes following last year’s 9-4 record and first bowl appearance since 2020, this loss struck a nerve. Even Coach Prime’s patience ran out, as he reportedly tore into his players during the halftime break, frustrated by the team’s lack of fight.

“Y’all know all the right stuff to say, you know, all the songs, you know, everything that’s appropriate. But when is it going to transfer? Offensive line, getting your b–ts kicked. Defense, you’re getting your b–ts waxed. Coaches, we get outcoached. Where does he go to register, and when do you go to fight for you, for your dignity, for your pride?” Well, if a team goes -18 total yards and Utah puts 398 yards in the first half, what else can you expect from your coach?

Now, this loss drops the Buffs’ score to 3-5, which is concerning, as they need to go 3-1 in their last four games to at least reach 6 wins. If they fail to gain that mark, Colorado might lose bowl eligibility this year. The fear of repeating their 1-11 season was evident in Deion Sanders’s bold remarks: “We had 2 weeks to prepare, and this is what we do? We are better than this. I better not see any quitting. Have some self-pride and dignity.” Despite that, his team only scored 7 points late in the fourth quarter.

What added to their woes even more was that Deion Sanders’ squad failed to take advantage of Devon Dampier’s absence because of his lower leg injury. Their backup QB, Byrd Ficklin, completed 10 of his 22 passes, and not a single time did the Buffs intercept any of them. He rushed for 151 yards on 20 attempts to push Utah’s fate. And with that, the Buffs went from bad to worse as Utah racked up 422 rushing yards against them with 46 unanswered points. Without Omarion Miller and Joseph Williams, even Kaidon Salter couldn’t find a reliable hand to launch passes.

Then, with offense and defense, even their special team was a big mess. Their punter, Damon Greaves, couldn’t do much in the game, and right before halftime, his punt got blocked, which extended Utah’s lead even more. Later, he did make a good punt on Utah’s 20-yard line, but it came very late in the game. In the end, the Buffs became a Big 12, giving up the largest halftime lead since 2011. Now, you can understand why Sanders gave a hard reality check to his team.

Deion Sanders, who’s now 16-17 in his two-plus seasons, admitted how badly Kyle Whittingham’s team handed them the loss. “He kicked my b–t today,” Sanders said. “It was one-on-one with me and him, and he won by a significant margin.” And it’s not just Deion, QB Kaidon Salter seemed visibly frustrated after the game.

Kaidon Salter makes tough admission after the loss

Colorado’s squad was in their worst form against Utah, and Kaidon Salter was one of them, finishing the game with just 37 passing yards and an interception before Ryan Staub came in, replacing him. Now, after having a shaky slate since the start, getting benched for two games, and finally stepping up as QB1, his showing against Utah came as a shocker even for Salter.

While talking about his constant grind and 10+ hours of preparation while watching Utah’s film, Salter revealed the pressure it brought. “I felt like I had a great week of practice … today was blindsiding.” Salter said. “A lot of the pressures we saw today were nowhere to be seen on tape.” Salter didn’t score a single point for the team until Staub came in the fourth quarter.

After Staub took over, he led a 59-yard drive and finished it with a 1-yard TD, which finally put Colorado on the scoreboard. Now, this brings in the bigger question: Was going in with Salter a big mistake? It will be interesting to see if Deion Sanders lets him play in the next game or switches him for Staub.