Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders’ final Colorado game was unforgettable thanks to BYU.
Colorado was outmatched in almost every aspect of the game on Saturday night as the No. 17 Cougars defeated the No. 23 Buffaloes 36-14 in the Alamo Bowl.
As many of the problems that had dogged Colorado during the first two years of Deion Sanders’ tenure came back to haunt them, BYU (11-2) led 20-0 at the half. The offensive line had trouble protecting passes, and the Buffs (9-4) were unable to establish a running game. Parker Kingston returned a punt 64 yards for a score in the second quarter, extending the Cougars’ lead after BYU had taken a 10-0 lead in the first.
Even though backup quarterback Gerry Bohanon threw one in his lone pass attempt and BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw two interceptions, the blowout still occurred.
The highlight for 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Hunter came in the third quarter when he scored a 43-yard touchdown on a well-placed ball from Sanders. However, that was the only positive development for the Buffaloes.
Despite probably being selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Hunter and Sanders both played for Colorado. Prior to the game, Colorado obtained insurance coverage for Sanders, Hunter, and other players in case of an injury.
Before the game, Sanders even showed off cleats bearing the New York Giants emblem. The Giants presently hold the poorest record in the NFL and are vying for the first pick in the draft. However, Sanders wore black cleats before he took the field in the first quarter.
Due to the Alamo Bowl’s selection process, the game was a contest between the two Big 12 teams. Historically, teams from the Big 12 and Pac-12 have faced off in the bowl, but the Pac-12 broke apart before the 2024 season, leaving only Washington State and Oregon State as conference members.
Prior to the 2023 season, the Alamo Bowl announced that it will select a Pac-12 and Big 12 team, respectively. Before the 2024 season ended, the bowl declared that, depending on the result of the Big 12 title game, it would take either Arizona State or Colorado against either BYU or Iowa State. This was because Arizona State and Oregon were in the College Football Playoff and other former Pac-12 teams were not having particularly strong seasons.
BYU and Colorado did not play each other during the regular season, although it was a matchup between current Big 12 teams. The two teams lost the opportunity to compete for the conference title and a spot in the College Football Playoffs because they ended up on the losing end of a four-way tie for first place with ASU and ISU.
With the victory, BYU has won 11 straight games for the first time since 2020 and the first time since 2009 in a season without a pandemic. Despite the losses of Sanders and Hunter, Colorado, on the other hand, made a five-win jump in 2024 and hopes to maintain that success in 2025. Five-star quarterback JuJu Lewis has committed to the Buffaloes, and former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter has also been added to the transfer site.
