What We Need To See From the Colorado Buffaloes vs. BYU

The Colorado Buffaloes bounced back this past week with a commanding 37-20 victory over the Wyoming Cowboys, fueling an infusion of positive vibes into Buffs Nation.

That positivity will be tested this week, though, as the No. 25 BYU Cougars come to Folsom Field, with both teams clamoring for their first conference victory of the new season.

What do we need to see from the Buffaloes this weekend as they search for that pivotal win?

1. Kaidon Salter Building Off His Strong Showing vs. Wyoming

Kaidon Salter played like a man possessed in the Colorado Buffaloes’ romp over the Wyoming Cowboys, and he’ll have to continue to build on that performance if the Buffs are to have any hope of upsetting the BYU Cougars this weekend.

In Salter’s earlier auditions, he seemed to be trying too hard to operate solely as a passer. It felt forced, like he was trying to avoid being categorized as a run-first quarterback, attempting to appeal to Pat Shurmur’s pocket-passer preference, offering up his best Shedeur Sanders impression, or some combination of the three.

Against the Cowboys, Salter played free, leaned on his incredible athletic gifts, and the offense cruised. The Buffaloes averaged 10. 9 yards per passing attempt, and Salter tallied 86 yards on 11 carries, though that latter figure is deflated by the 14-yard sack on CU’s first drive of the game. Salter also scored four of the Buffs’ five touchdowns, notching three through the air before he sealed the game with a 35-yard TD scamper.

When the offense started clicking, they scored four touchdowns over five drives, put the game away at 28-3, and then took their foot off the gas.

Even past the production, Salter’s talent flashed all game long. He threw off-field downfield strikes with ease and glided past the Wyoming defense for explosive gains.

If Colorado gets another game like that from their gunslinger, it could spell trouble for BYU.

2. The Colorado Buffaloes Re-Find Their Pass Rush

Last season, the Colorado Buffaloes had the best pass rush in the Big 12, as they tallied a conference-leading 39 sacks – four more than any of their peers.

CU’s pass rush hasn’t been nearly as impressive to open this season, though. Through the first four games of 2025, Colorado has just six sacks, putting them on pace for 18 total on the season, which would’ve been the second-worst total in the conference last year.

Plus, the Buffaloes have yet to play a game this year where the defense has registered more than two sacks. Last year, the Colorado Buffaloes did that seven times.

That steep drop-off from the pass-rush has been one of the biggest factors in the defense’s regression. Plus, without Travis Hunter on the backend to buoy the coverage unit, the Buffs are now even more reliant on their pass rush to spearhead the defense than they have been in past seasons under Coach Prime.

Fortunately, there is reason for optimism. Through the first four games of last year, the defense had recorded merely five sacks and had just one game of three or more sacks. In their fifth game of the season, though, the pass rush finally popped, totaling five sacks that week and 16 sacks over the next three games.

Hopefully, the defense can experience a similar leap in its fifth game this season.

3. Shorten the Game With Their Own Rushing Attack

The Achilles heel of the Colorado Buffaloes this season has been their run defense. To make matters worse, the problem only seems to grow as the game goes on, and the defense gets worn down by the sustained level of physicality.

Now, ideally, that run defense will improve and become less of a weight on the Buffs, but until they make that leap, Colorado has to use their own run game to protect their defense from that wear and tear.

With the best offensive line of the Prime era, a backfield of three legitimate rushing threats, and a quarterback with high-end speed, the Buffs should lean on their rushing ability to milk the clock and help get their defense some additional rest.

If they suffer too many quick possessions, which has been a trend under Pat Shurmur, things could spiral quickly for CU’s defense.