This isn't the same high-flying Colorado football team that fans have gotten used to seeing in past years, as the Buffs are struggling to replace Shedeur Sanders at quarterback and get the passing game off the ground in 2025. Deion Sanders and company didn't get much going in their season opener against Georgia Tech, suffering a disappointing loss on their home field.
That problem got a little better on Sunday against an inferior opponent in Delaware, but the optics to get there weren't great as Sanders was cycling through quarterbacks all day long.
Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter got the start before true freshman Julian Lewis got some run. Then, it was third-stringer Ryan Staub that finally got the offense going before Salter returned to the game in the second half.
The curious rotation, and particularly Staub's success when he came into the game, has raised a lot of questions about who will start under center for the Buffs in their Big 12 opener on Friday night against Houston. Sanders is playing it close to the vest, but it seems like he already knows which way he's going to go, according to ESPN's Max Olson.
“I know exactly how I'm going to handle the quarterback situation,” Sanders said. “I'm not going to say it, but yeah, I'm not lost for direction.”
Salter was efficient getting the ball out and pretty accurate when he did, finishing 13-for-16 with 102 yards and a rushing touchdown, but there were times where he missed open receivers down the field and the offense didn't run smoothly with him at the helm for the second week in a row. Lewis didn't get many reps, finishing just 2-for-4 with eight yards.
Staub was unquestionably the star of the show, completing 7-of-10 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. The operation was very crisp when he was on the field and many Buffs fans will be clamoring to see him start the next game.
Staub has the most continuity with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and was the backup to Shedeur Sanders over the last two seasons, even stepping in with an impressive performance in the regular season finale in 2023 against Utah.
The Buffs comfortably knocked off Delaware 31-7 on Saturday in Boulder, but this is still back-to-back underwhelming performances to open the season. Now, with conference play getting underway, that margin for error is gone heading into Week 3.
