Friday morning at Folsom Field was magical.
The Colorado Buffaloes provided the fireworks and then some against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Folsom Field on Friday morning, blowing out Mike Gundy and company by a final score of 52-0. Colorado controlled the game from start to finish, picking up a statement win in their last home game of the season.
For the night owls who didn’t wake up in time to watch the Buffs after their Thanksgiving feast, we’ll break down how it all unfolded:
Quarter 1
As soon as this game kicked off, Colorado was in the drivers seat. On the first drive of the game, freshman Oklahoma State quarter back looked all out of sorts. Only two plays later, he just threw the ball up into traffic, which was picked by Travis and set the Buffs up with great field position. The Buffs scored quickly on a handoff to Micah Welch, who was filling in for the injured Isaiah Augustave at running back.
Oklahoma State’s offense didn’t look any better as the quarter went on, fumbling once, and punting on their other two drives. This would give Colorado the opportunity to score two more touchdowns in the quarter, one on a short slant route to Travis Hunter, and another on a back corner throw to LaJohntay Wester. The Oklahoma State defense didn’t play awful, but had to start two drives backed up into their own territory.
The score at the end of the first quarter would be Buffs 21, Cowboys 0.
Quarter 2
The second quarter was an uneventful as it gets. The teams traded punts back and forth, and there were no points scored in the quarter. There were eight total punts, but it should be noted that the Buffs almost converted a 4th-and-goal attempt from the 34-yard line (Yes, you read that right). At halftime, these teams had combined for just one yard of rushing in the game, and the score going into the second half remained Buffs 21, Cowboys 0.
Quarter 3
The third quarter was full of action. On one of the first plays of the second half, LaJohntay Wester caught a quick throw towards that sideline that he cut up-field and ended up taking all the way to the house for a 69-yard touchdown reception.
That Wester touchdown was only the start of the onslaught that would take place in the third quarter. On Oklahoma State’s next drive, they would fumble, and give the Buffs great field position yet again. The Buffs would find a way to get Travis another touchdown, which broke the Colorado record for single-season receiving touchdowns. The Buffs would mount one last drive in the quarter that would result in a field goal.
This quarter would end Buffs 38, Cowboys 0.
Quarter 4
The fourth quarter would start in wild fashion, with DJ McKinney snagging a pick-six on one of the first plays of the quarter. This would finally be enough for OSU head coach Mike Gundy to bench freshman QB Maealiuaki Smith and move to seventh-year senior Alan Bowman under center.
The Buffs’ last drive before pulling their starters was one to remember. It was clear that the Buffs looked to feed Travis, and did just that. Travis caught two deep balls on back-to-back plays, with the second one being his third of the day.
The rest of the game would be back-ups for both teams, and nothing of note would happen before the end of the game. The final score would be Buffs 52, Oklahoma State 0.
Key Takeaways:
- I would argue that this team deserves to be in the conference championship game as much as anybody in the Big 12. The loss last week against Kansas will likely hang with Buffs fans for a long time. With this being the Buffs’ first year in the Big 12, a conference record of 7-2 is something to be proud of regardless.
- Travis Hunter isn’t just the best player in college football, he may be the best player that has ever played for the Buffaloes. Rashaan Salaam is a legend, but Travis Hunter is a differentt beast. Hopefully, fans got a chance to go see Travis in person in what should be a Heisman year for him, and his last year before going to the NFL.
- The run defense felt the need to atone for a tragic performance last week. The defense held this Oklahoma State offense to just 70 yards rushing, but most of those came in garbage time as the Cowboys looked to score on the last drive of the game.
Key Players:
- Travis Hunter: Travis should have secured his Heisman case today. Travis had multiple pass break-ups, 116 yards receiving, three touchdowns, and an interception on the day.
- LaJohntay Wester: Wester continued to do what he’s done all season, making big plays, and being the Buffs’ main chain-mover over the middle. Wester ended up with 175 yards on the day with two touchdowns.
- Shedeur Sanders: Shedeur played a great game, and the stats speak for themselves. On the day, Shedeur was 34/41 with 438 yards and had five touchdowns through the air.
Outlook:
With this win the Buffs will move to 9-3, and finish 7-2 in conference play. While I believe the Buffs to be one of the top two teams in the conference, they will likely be left out of the conference championship game due to tiebreaker rules. The Buffs will likely have their bowl game announced in the coming weeks, so be sure to look out for that, and be sure to tune into Big 12 action this weekend as the Buffs still have an outside chance of making the conference championship game.