Micah Welch was on his way to a long run that could have essentially put the game away Saturday night against Wyoming, until he fumbled.
Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter made a point to lift up Welch in that moment.
“That’s the things that we want,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said of Salter’s leadership. “That’s the thing that we desire. That’s the things that, you know, ain’t too many people make a light of, but those are the things that a quarterback is expected to do. Those are the things that we’re happy that we see.
“It goes a long way with your teammates when they see in a time of despair that you’re able to pick that guy up and place him back, because, guess what? Two backs went down, and we needed (Welch) to get back in the game and do his thing.”
Tuesday was the first time this season that Sanders held a press conference previewing a game and didn’t have to field questions about who would be playing at quarterback for the Buffaloes.
A fifth-year senior, Salter solidified his spot as the starter with his performance – and his leadership – during the 37-20 win against Wyoming. And, as the Buffs (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) resume conference play with a visit from No. 25 BYU (3-0) on Saturday at Folsom Field (8:15 p.m., ESPN), there is a bit of calm with that position being settled.
“Definitely, this is exactly how I wanted it to be: Kaidon stepping up to the plate, showing a lot of leadership, showing that he can do this, showing how great a football player he can be,” receiver Sincere Brown said. “And, he’s got the perfect guys around him to be able to help him just keep this thing going.”
A transfer from Liberty, Salter won the starting job in preseason camp. He had a solid, but not great, opener in a loss to Georgia Tech. Then, Sanders shook up the room with a predetermined, three-man rotation in Week 2 against Delaware.
In Week 3 at Houston, sophomore Ryan Staub took over as the starter, but struggled in a 36-20 loss. So, last week, Sanders went back to Salter, although he didn’t declare that publicly until Saturday night.
Salter responded to his benching with one of the best statistical games by a quarterback in CU history, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 86 yards and a touchdown.
The difference in Salter last week?
“Certainty,” Sanders said. “If you’re gonna run, run. If you’re gonna throw, throw. Certainty – not, ‘I don’t know what I’m gonna do.’ Running with a confidence. … He made up his mind to do what he needed to do, and he did it.
“I think you’ve just seen a kid just hit another switch and said, ‘I got to get this together, and I got to play up to my ability.’”
He also stepped up as a leader, not only during the week leading up to the Wyoming game, but on game night, as well. And Welch had two carries after his fumble that helped CU chew up some clock and put the game away.
With some shuffling at quarterback, the Buffs have been a very up-and-down team in the first four weeks. But solidifying the most important position on the team could make an impact across the board.
“I do sense a relief, like we all got that figured out,” defensive lineman Amari McNeill said. “Just do our own job and just worry about dominating defensively and the offense got it. So, yeah, it is relief for us.”
Brown said it’s a settling feeling for the receivers, too. It took that group a few weeks to get going, but Brown, Omarion Miller and Joseph Williams all had big impact plays against Wyoming.
“By the end of day, that’s who Kaidon is. He’s been that guy,” Brown said. “He’d been doing that before he even got to Colorado. We’re all talented in our room, and he trusts all of us as much as we trust him. … Once the receiver room and he is clicking, y’all see what we can do.”
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.