It was about nine months ago that the Colorado Buffaloes arrived at the Alamodome with a star-studded roster and walked out with a humbling loss.
On Saturday night, the Buffaloes will face BYU for the first time since that game on Dec. 28. This week’s game has been billed as a rematch of the Alamo Bowl, but head coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes have much bigger concerns than exacting revenge on the 25th-ranked Cougars.
It’s been a bumpy start to the season for the Buffaloes, who are already 0-1 in the Big 12 and know they can’t afford an 0-2 start.
“Every game means a lot,” Sanders said. “It’s a conference game, so it means more.”
Of course, the Buffs would love to get some measure of revenge for the 36-14 loss in December, but most of the players involved with that game are gone. And, Sanders has never been one to look back.
Instead, this is an opportunity for the current Buffs to prove themselves against a BYU team that once again appears to be a contender in the Big 12.
“Every week is a proving ground for not only myself, but this team, as well as our players,” Sanders said. “So every week, every practice, is a proving ground. We gotta win these type of games. We gotta be dominant in these type of games. But one thing that we want to do, we want to give our best effort. We don’t want to walk away from the game saying, ‘Dang, we could have played better.’”
The Buffs have done that too often in big games over the years – even before Sanders arrived in 2023.
In Sanders’ first game at CU, he led the Buffs to a 45-42 upset of No. 17 TCU on the road, on Sept. 2, 2023. CU is 0-7 against ranked teams since then, however, including the loss in the Alamo Bowl. Dating back to 2019, CU is 1-17 in its last 18 games against ranked foes.
This year, the Buffs have yet to face a top 25 opponent, but they’ve struggled in their two biggest tests.
Georgia Tech came into Boulder on Aug. 29 and pushed the Buffs around in the trenches for a 27-20 victory. And on Sept. 12, CU traveled to Houston for the Big 12 opener and got pushed around by the unranked and upstart Cougars, 36-20.
“In Houston, we played like garbage, man,” Sanders said. “We want to come out there and give you the best that we possibly can give you on every phase of the game. And these young men, they want to do the same.”
BYU will test the Buffs physically as much or more than Georgia Tech or Houston did, and Sanders is hoping his team is up for the challenge, especially on the offensive and defensive lines.
“You start at practice, start by tackling, start by hitting, thudding,” Sanders said of trying to get a team to be more physical. “Maybe not using your arms, not wrapping up, but getting there with your feet to practice getting there, period; everybody’s getting to the ball. Physicality is an attitude. Then it becomes the effort. But it starts with the attitude, then the effort.”
Attitude and effort has been there at times, but the Buffs are striving for consistency and looking to, of all places, their special teams unit as an example. Sanders has repeatedly applauded the consistent excellence of punter Damon Greaves and kickers Buck Buchanan and Alejandro Mata.
“We want consistency all across the board like we’re getting from those guys,” Sanders said.
Do that and the Buffs believe they can turn a bumpy start to the season into a special year.
“I’m saying (to the team), ‘Well, why can’t we do that on every play?’” Sanders said. “‘Why did this guy flash this play and you don’t see him again until he flashed later on in the game? Why not be consistent and be dominant and have your name called consistently?’”
The quest for consistency continues Saturday in a game that’s much more about this team than it is about what happened in December.
“They know the whole world is watching,” Sander said. “It’s a national televised game, night game. It is what it is and we’ve got to play. We want to come out victorious, and we will if we execute the things that we’re capable of doing. And this is a darn good, physical, capable team.”
Game at a Glance
Matchup: Colorado Buffaloes vs. No. 25 BYU Cougars
Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. MT
Where: Folsom Field in Boulder
Capacity: 51,400 (AstroTurf)
TV: ESPN
Radio: KOA (850 AM/94.1 FM)
Odds: BYU by 6.5
Series: CU leads 8-4-1
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