Colorado’s playoff hopes take a huge hit in loss to Jayhawks
This past Saturday in Kansas City is one that the Colorado Buffaloes will want to forget.
The Jayhawks came into last weekend riding high after defeating two ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks. With their momentum and confidence, Kansas became the first team in history with a losing record to beat three ranked opponents in a row. Colorado, meanwhile, had everything to play for—a potential spot in the Big 12 Championship and even a path to the college football playoff. Unfortunately, the Buffaloes fell short, losing 37-21 in a game where they were simply outmatched in the trenches.
Today, we’ll dive into what went wrong for Colorado and what the rest of the season could hold for the Buffaloes.
What Went Wrong?
1. Struggles Against the Run
The most glaring issue for Colorado in this game was their inability to stop Kansas’ rushing attack. From the first drive, it was clear that the Jayhawks planned to dominate on the ground, and they executed it flawlessly. Running back Devin Neal had a career day, racking up 207 yards and controlling the tempo of the game.
Colorado’s defense, particularly the front seven, struggled to shed blocks and make tackles, allowing Kansas to pick up chunk yardage time and again. This unit was unable to turn things around, and it didn’t look as though DC Robert Livingston made any meaningful changes schematically to help stop the run with the front seven.
Jalon Daniels, Kansas’ mobile quarterback, also exploited Colorado’s defensive lapses, using his legs to escape pressure and scramble for crucial gains. This dual-threat capability further stressed the Buffs’ defense, which had difficulty containing both Neal and Daniels. By halftime, Kansas had nearly 200 rushing yards, and the trend only continued in the second half.
In both of Colorado’s conference losses this season, the inability to stop the run has been a recurring theme. Against Kansas State earlier in the season, the Buffs allowed over 200 yards on the ground. It’s becoming clear that run defense has been CU’s Achilles heel this season.
2. Inconsistent Offense
Colorado’s passing attack, which has been their strength all season, wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. Shedeur connected with Travis Hunter for a spectacular 51-yard touchdown and found Drelon Miller for another score, but the Buffs’ inability to sustain drives put too much pressure on their defense.
All things considered, the offensive line played a decent game. The real problem for the Buffs was that nobody was getting open downfield. Kansas has talented corners, and Shedeur was forced to hold the ball far too long in the pocket. The lack of explosive plays and an inconsistent running game limited Colorado’s ability to keep up with Kansas’ high-powered rushing attack.
3. Other Defensive Struggles
This Kansas team came out with a flawless attack offensively. They were doing some sort of trickery, like weird formations and motioning players, every couple of plays to keep the Colorado defense off balance and unable to figure out where the ball was coming at them. Kansas got extremely creative when it came to attacking the Colorado defense, knowing that they would be in man for most of the game. Trick plays and man coverage beaters allowed Kansas to sustain long drives but Devin Neal landed the knockout punch every time with four touchdowns on the day.
Outlook
With this loss, Colorado’s path to the Big 12 Championship has become much more difficult. The Buffs no longer control their destiny and will need some help from other teams to make it to the title game. Specifically, they’ll need Houston to upset BYU, in addition to winning their matchup against Oklahoma State at home this Friday.
Colorado will be heavily favored against the Cowboys, but this game isn’t a guaranteed win. After squandering their playoff hopes, the Buffs will need to regroup mentally and find their identity as the best passing offense in the Big 12. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter will need to lead the way, but the entire team must step up if they want to close out the regular season with a win.
A victory against Oklahoma State would move Colorado to 9-3 on the season, which would still be an impressive finish for their first year in the Big 12. However, a loss could mean a disappointing end to what has otherwise been a remarkable season under Coach Prime.
Make sure to tune in this Friday morning as the Buffs look to bounce back and end the regular season on a high note. Sko Buffs!