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Colorado Daily – West Virginia Week
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November 8th – Game Day!
… CU in a few minutes …
Daily Camera: West Virginia Scouting Report
From the Daily Camera …
5 Mountaineers to Watch
QB Scotty Fox Jr.: True freshman began the year fifth on the depth chart but is set to make his third start. He has completed 52-of-88 passes (59.1%) for 623 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also rushed for 145 yards and three scores.
RB Diore Hubbard: Has become the top rusher after star Jahiem White suffered a season-ending injury in September. He’s rushed for 264 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 3.4 yards per carry. He’s also caught nine passes for 59 yards.
DB Fred Perry: Leading the Mountaineers in total tackles (63), as well as tackles for loss (eight). He also has two sacks and two forced fumbles. He was first-team all-conference at Jacksonville State last year.
WR Cam Vaughn: Sophomore leads the team in receptions (28), receiving yards (444) and receiving touchdowns (four). As a freshman at Jacksonville State last year, he was exceptional, hauling in 48 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns.
LB Chase Wilson: A transfer from Colorado State, he has recorded 35 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a team-high three sacks and two interceptions. At CSU last year, he was second-team All-Mountain West with 98 tackles, three tackles for loss and two interceptions.
When West Virginia has the ball …
Like the Buffs, the Mountaineers have turned to a true freshman at quarterback, as Scotty Fox Jr. is set to make his third start. He threw for 301 yards in his first start and then displayed his dual threat ability in an upset of Houston last week. “Scotty is a good runner; not a great runner, a good runner,” Rodriguez said. “But Scotty’s got next level arm talent, from that as far as his release and getting rid of football and all that. So we’re trying to feature what he does.” While Fox leads the offense now, Rodriguez has always been a coach that leans heavily on the run game. This season, WVU has ran the ball on 63.4% of its snaps. Eight different players have at least 24 carries and at least 100 yards on the ground (although not all are currently healthy). When the Mountaineers put the ball in the air, receivers Cam Vaughn and Rodney Gallagher III have been the main targets, as they’ve combined for 37.9% of the catches. Overall, West Virginia had struggled scoring before a breakout at Houston last week. The Mountaineers are 14th in the Big 12 in scoring (23.2 points per game), failing to top 17 points five times. The Buffs, however, coming into the game allowing 30.1 points per game (14th in the Big 12), including 105 total points in the last two games. The Buffs rank 134th nationally against the run, allowing 215.8 yards per game.
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Jordan Seaton remains “Questionable”; fellow offensive line starter Larry Johnson moved to “Out”
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November 7th
… CU in a few minutes …
Freshman v. Freshman at quarterback Saturday morning
From the Daily Camera … When JuJu Lewis makes his starting debut on Saturday for the Colorado Buffaloes, he’ll be the least experienced quarterback on the field.
Just barely, though.
Like Lewis, West Virginia’s Scotty Fox Jr. is also a true freshman and the two will lead their teams during a matchup in Morgantown, West Virginia, on Saturday (10 a.m. MT, TNT).
“Freshman vs. freshman,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said. “We got a freshman that’s going to start for us. They got a freshman that did some wonderful things a week ago.”
Lewis, a five-star recruit in the 2025 class, came off the bench to throw for 121 yards and a touchdown in a 52-17 loss to Arizona on Saturday.
Fox, meanwhile, began the year fifth on the Mountaineers’ depth chart, but due to injuries became the starter two weeks ago. He’ll make this third start Saturday.
Fox threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns in his starting debut against TCU on Oct. 25, a 23-17 loss. Last week, he threw for 157 yards and a touchdown and ran for 65 yards and two touchdowns to lead West Virginia to a 45-35 upset of No. 22 Houston.
“I thought he played pretty well, especially for a true freshman,” West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “He’s growing up. He’s taken steps in. He played beyond his years, I think, in the last two games. You wouldn’t think he’s a true freshman that got thrown, thrust into that role.”
… Continue reading story here …
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November 6th
… CU in a few minutes …
Initial Participation Report: Jordan Seaton listed as “Questionable”
Starting offensive linemen Jordan Seaton and Larry Johnson III, and cornerbacks DJ McKinney and RJ Johnson, are the CU players listed as questionable with a road trip to Morgantown coming up. Johnson played one defensive snap against Arizona, his only action since Week 3 of the season. Seaton, Johnson and McKinney all saw action in each of Colorado’s first nine games this season.
Defensive tackles Amari McNeill and Christian Hudson, receiver Hykeem Williams, and cornerback Makari Vickers, are listed as “out.” Those four Buffs were out against Arizona last weekend. This will be McNeill’s and Hudson’s second straight game out of the mix. Williams will be out for the fourth straight game. Vickers played 184 defensive snaps over the first seven weeks of the season but has been sidelined since Colorado’s first bye week.
Safety Tawfiq Byard will be out for the first half against West Virginia after getting ejected in the second half of Colorado’s most recent game. The USF transfer leads Colorado and ranks tied for sixth in the Big 12 with 66 tackles.
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November 5th
… CU in a few minutes …
Report: Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur stripped of play-calling duties
From the Daily Camera … Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has made one significant change on his coaching staff.
BuffZone confirmed through a source a report by USA Today that offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was relieved of his play-calling duties after an embarrassing 53-7 loss at Utah on Oct. 25. Tight ends coach Brett Bartolone called offensive plays during the Buffs’ 52-17 loss to Arizona last Saturday, per the USA Today report.
Asked about any changes in duties on the staff during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Sanders said, “I might have already changed it and you don’t know.
“I don’t do stuff and blow the whistles and make major announcements, ‘Hey!’ I don’t do that kind of stuff. I do it and I let you guys still take shots. You don’t even know, you may be shooting at the wrong target. So, some things take place that you may not be privy to.”
Asked at what point any changes would be noticeable to outsiders, Sanders said, “That’s up to you to notice them. They may have already happened.”
The reeling Buffs (3-6, 1-5 Big 12) have been blown out in consecutive games and rank 15th in the 16-team Big 12 in scoring (22.0 points per game) and yards (329.8 per game).
CU visits West Virginia (3-6, 1-5) on Saturday (10 a.m. MT, TNT). Sanders announced Tuesday that senior quarterback Kaidon Salter has been benched, as true freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis will make his first career start on Saturday.
… Continue reading story here …
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November 4th
… CU in a few minutes …
*Coach Prime Weekly Press Conference*
… Coach Prime confirms Julian Lewis will be starting for Colorado v. West Virginia …
… “We are trending in the right direction” … Julian Lewis hand injury not a problem going forward … “I know this sounds like garbage, but they’re practicing right … The way they are performing, that’s on us. We’ve got to put them in the right situation to make the plays they need to make … We were in the top 25 in the nation in fewest penalties, then we go out and commit nine penalties – we’ve got to be better with discipline” … On a Kiszla about what is fair criticism: “It’s all fair, until it gets personal … It’s okay to talk about performance, but when it gets personal, that’s when you are stepping across the line” … On not having players at the press conference: “I have a fatherly spirit … I’m trying to shield my guys from certain things that may harm them … My job to put an umbrella over them until they are ready to take on the attacks and assaults” … “My health has nothing to do with the wins and losses. I’m not playing – I wish I could, since we are short on corners” …
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November 3rd
… CU in a few minutes …
Questions about quarterback Julian Lewis playing more the topic of the week
From the Daily Camera … Salter left Saturday’s game with the Buffs trailing 38-7. His replacement, Ryan Staub, went 0-for-2 with two interceptions.
So, the Buffs turned to Lewis, a five-star recruit who spurned USC to come to CU, and graduated a year early from high school to do so. Prior to Saturday, Lewis’ only game experience came against Delaware in Week 2, and it didn’t go well, completing 2-of-4 passes for eight yards.
With fans pouring out of Folsom Field, however, and Arizona converting Staub’s second interception into yet another touchdown, it was clearly time for Lewis.
“Sometimes you’re forced to do some things that probably should be done anyway and I’m glad he got an opportunity,” Sanders said of Lewis. “He’s got his feet wet a little bit. He got to see the blitzes, just real play, and what he needed to work on, and he will. He’s a worker. He’s going to try his best to get it done. But I’m glad we got to that conclusion.”
Lewis went 9-for-17 for 121 yards and his first career touchdown pass – a 59-yarder to Omarion Miller.
Now, the Buffs have to figure out what to do for the last three games.
Under current NCAA rules, Lewis can play up to four games and maintain his redshirt. He’s already played in two, so if he plays the next three, he’ll burn the redshirt. That may not be worth it in a lost season, but Sanders said, as of Saturday, there had been no discussion with Lewis or his family about redshirt plans.
“I don’t know his thought process or his parents’ (thoughts),” Sanders said. “I have no idea.”
Lewis left Saturday’s game with an apparent hand injury late in the fourth quarter, so his health will be a factor, too. But Sanders said he’ll do what Lewis wants in terms of redshirting or not.
… Continue reading story here …
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November 2nd
… CU in a few minutes …
Pat Rooney: Buffs have already waved the white flag on the season
From the Daily Camera … The schedule says Colorado still has three games remaining. Yet the Buffaloes have already waved the white flag on the campaign.
The eulogy for the 2025 Buffs could have been written at halftime of Saturday’s homecoming date against Arizona, as a CU team that still had plenty to play for, that professed a desire to bounce back from an embarrassing effort a week earlier at Utah, instead took a knee on even showing up.
Losing by 46 points at Utah was the low point of CU’s three seasons under head coach Deion Sanders. The effort against Arizona was worse. The Buffs treated the homecoming crowd to a 52-17 defeat while giving every indication this is a club that already has shut it down.
For all the hype surrounding Sanders’ ability to draw talent into the bright lights of his orbit, the Buffs sure look like a team that no longer wants to play for him.
This wasn’t a Big 12 power that came into Folsom and pushed the home team around. This was an Arizona team every bit as mediocre as the Buffs. And Colorado made the Wildcats look like a playoff team.
It was only three weeks and two games ago the vibe was completely different at Folsom, as the Buffs knocked off a ranked Iowa State team and appeared to serve notice they were a team that had perhaps found its identity at the season’s midpoint. With a bye week ahead and the biggest win of the season under their belts, a second-half surge seemed more probable than possible.
Instead, the Buffs checked out for the long weekend of the bye and haven’t returned.
… Continue reading story here …
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CBS Sports: The Colorado fairytale is over. Reality is coming
From CBS Sports … Deion Sanders made plenty of outlandish claims when he took the head coaching job at Colorado. Nearly three years later, most of them came to fruition.
Sanders produced a once-in-a-generation Heisman winner (Travis Hunter) and helped his son (Shedeur Sanders) become an NFL Draft pick. He recorded the most wins in a season at Colorado since 2016 and drew more eyeballs than almost any other program in the sport.
On Saturday, Shedeur was back in town to see his father during the Cleveland Browns’ bye week. Instead of a triumphant return, it only emphasized how much has changed in Boulder in only a year.
One week after getting blasted by Utah, Colorado lost 52-17 against Arizona. The Buffaloes have been outscored 81-7 in the first half of games over the past two weeks, ending their chances before they started. Losing badly to Utah is one thing — the Utes are one of the Big 12’s premier programs. An Arizona squad that came into Week 10 1-3 in Big 12 play is a little tougher to swallow.
After the loss to Utah, Sanders told his team that the book was out on how to beat them, especially by blitzing quarterback Kaidon Salter and an inconsistent offensive line. If there is a plan, Arizona followed it to perfection, with a fan exodus from Folsom Field before the second half even started.
The Wildcats forced a punt and a fumble as the Buffs ended the first quarter with minus-12 yards. They scored five touchdowns in seven drives with only one punt. They took a 38-7 lead into halftime with a pair of forced turnovers and 212 yards passing from quarterback Noah Fifita alone. Highly-rated freshman Julian Lewis came off the bench and threw a fun touchdown, but that was about it for positive moments.
And ultimately, that’s the greatest tragedy of the 2025 season for Colorado. They’re no longer even entertaining.
… Continue reading story here …
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27 Replies to “Colorado Daily – West Virginia Week”
Deion is the dumbest person. It’s almost like he is doing this on purpose.?!?!
Then his press conference will be the same BS.
I’m telling you something is not right. We weren’t going to win probably, but it’s like you threw the game.
Miller runs out before the marker, we have three timeouts down by 10 you run it on 4th down to get the first to burn more time off. Bailed out by the review. But you should have just kicked it odds you get the three and kickoff or can still onside.
The you burn a timeout to kick a field goal.
Someone has some explaining, because this team has so much talent but there is something going on behind the scene. Like this is just malpractice.
I just don’t want to see this program destroyed again, and do another 15 years of rebuilding.
Still knowing
Oh well. What a difference a qb makes. At least we got our guy.
Going to be an interesting next two games and off season. Again.
It seems there is a core of studs to keep building around, and the dudes Deion missed on will move along.
Go Buffs
I DON’T EXPECT ANYTHING DIFFERENT IN THE “O” PLAY-CALLING. SAME-O, SAME-O.
THE “O” SCHEMES WERE SO SIMILAR AT UTAH, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT SHURMUR WAS CALLING THEM. IT WILL BE SHURMUR’S DISCIPLE DOING THE “HONORS”….IF YOU CAN CALL THEM THAT.
Deion Sanders has not been better than Mike Macintyre in any measurement on the field. And I’m not saying Macintyre was great, Deion has brought a lot of exposure and money to the school. Should be commended for that. FSU not hiring him,. He’d go if asked. And the roster would leave. Because we don’t recruit home state kids anymore. But the shine is off. FSU not touching him.
I’m on fire! Speaking of cherry picking, here’s Kirk Ferentz’ recent quote, speaking of UO and DAn Lanning. “I’ll say this, it’s kind of like Dodgers or you go back when (Joe) Torre was managing the Yankees, just having talent’s not always enough,” Kirk Ferentz said. “To utilize your talent and put people in the right places and get them playing the right ways — they’ve done a great job of that. They’ve really done a great job of that for a long time now.
“There’s an art to that, too, so I’ve got a lot of respect for just their talent, their ability, but moreso how they’re coached and how they play. That’s really the end of the discussion, it’s about how you play. And they’ve done a really good job of that.” Full story here: https://sports.yahoo.com/article/kirk-ferentz-compares-oregon-uses-213428286.html
I’d love to see Iowa take them down. I don’t see it happening though.
Go Buffs
You are missing out earache. Why aren’t you a football coach? Big money and according to you very little work or responsibility. On top of that you can learn what little you need to know from the internet. The only problem I see is choosing the alphas for your team. You might need to be one to know one……..
Tons of work and responsibility in coaching. Just not so much on the x’s and o’s. That’s a tiny part that you can pick up from books and watching. Look at Jedd Fisch. But good effort! Plus, way too dang itinerant. I moved plenty from 0-28. Been in the same place ever since, which is crazy. But how life unfolded. So far, so good.
As to Alphas? I’ve done ok there. It’s why I keep my team small. We’re all good, and do great work. We’re harder to find than it seems. I think that’s the same in athletics. And pretty much everything. Otherwise, it would be easy, and everyone would do it.
Go Buffs
I know you’ve been watching ed, as have I: https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/texas-oil-and-football-how-texas-tech-has-raised-a-football-monster-in-no-time-at-all-162348066.html with great interest. Yeah, there’s still time for their wheels to fall off this year, or next or at any time in the future, but so far? Looks like they’re getting what they paid for, huh? What a difference a roster makes.
It’s why the pro leagues give their worst teams the best first picks the next year. Spread the talent. College doesn’t have that. Yet. At least not officially. But NIL and portalling sure do help. Especially for Deion in Boulder. He’s just getting started.
Go Buffs
Here’s another cherry picked quote, I guess? Listening to Deion’s presser, a journalist asked about Shedeur commenting that this team lacks Alphas. So, do you make alphas? Are they born that way? Can you coach ’em up? I will say, coaching can influence that, on the margins. But, you gotta have that drive, desire and ability inside you. It can’t be manufactured.
We all grew up pretending to make that last second shot, or touchdown to win the game, as did every person who ever played sports. But can you do it when it really matters, consistently? So far, that does seem to be a missing ingredient for this year’s team. The plays have been there. They just weren’t made. Looking forward to seeing how they do these next three games.
Go Buffs
It’s funny reading all this stuff now about Lewis and the portal. I’m just so confused that nobody is listening that Deion is going to Florida state. His record here is not going to be an issue as well as the last two games or the rest of the season. Lewis will join prime. Deion will have money and donors and will recruit like crazy in Florida. We only have these players because of him. He will be able to pay his coaches and get what he wants.
I just think it’s funny that you are not reporting this stuff or even having the conversation on this site.
I said this from week 1 that Deion is leaving and players will leave. This program is about to be completely screwed. It’s not that Deion was a good coach and doesn’t really need to be he’s a motivator and will be able to get the coaches he wants.
So, screw next week and getting to see juju because it’s all irrelevant they are leaving!
Just reading these rants about coaching changes and firing, it doesn’t matter because everyone is gone after this year anyway.
I know for a fact 100 percent guaranteed.
I don’t think he’s going anywhere, but so what if he does? In his three years in Boulder he’s brought in a ton of exposure and money for the school, and the community. I’ll take it. Whenever he leaves, he’ll leave the place in better shape than he found it.
As to Deion’s future? I guess we’ll find out in about a month or so. At least as it relates to FSU.
Go Buffs
Even if he does go to FSU, which I doubt and you are trolling. I don’t think Lewis will go with him. I do think Lewis will leave but I also think he can get a better offer than FSU. He will research programs that would fit him after the debacle here. Sanders coaching selections here certainly don’t guarantee he s going to get any better at FSU. Looking at all the NFL stars he has here indicate to me he will still select guys in his network.
I think you would be better off worrying about who is going to drag the fort fun lambs through the mud next year
There is nothing left to lose for this team. Let Lewis play the last 3 games. I’m kinda torn on this subject because shurmur aint gonna change anything for him and he may go down in flames too.
Sanders said he hasn’t talked to Lewis or his family about redshirting. To me the biggest threat is him jumping in the portal. And unless something does drastically change in a positive way, like someone else designing a few new plays AND calling them in a tactical manner Its possible there will be a mass defection at least on the offensive side of the ball. Gotta keep Lewis unless he really turns out to be 2 star bust…which I highly doubt, because there aint no one else coming in at QB soon, especially if shurmur is still here. ….cause if he is I can find something more pleasurable to do on Saturdays than screaming at the TV and turning it off after the first quarter.
You dont have to publicly humiliate shurmur by firing him. Just stick him back in the booth with an unplugged headset and let a ghost writer do the job. Give him the last 3 weeks to look for another job.
3 previously winnable games left. If anyone thinks that they are winnable now without some kind of change …..coach, scheme, a combo hypnotist/motivational speaker or divine intervention….maybe all of the above, you are hopeless.
These players have been playing football since they were 10 or 11 years old. They know when they are being handed a turd. The situation with shurmur has gone beyond the absurd as has Sander’s refusal to dump him.
My take on the defense is a carry over from the moral killing offense. My worry is Sanders is too much like some of the non “fickle fans.” “Aww don’t worry guys. No big deal we will get em next time”. after two 50 point blow outs?
Drastic situations call for drastic measures.
You’re not fickle at all. Very consistent. Probably always have been. You believe the coaching is just always awful.
As to this year? It could be a lost cause. It may not be. It’s going to be a good light on Deion’s coaching ability to not let the team shatter. I don’t think he will. Dudes were still playing hard in both the last two beatings.
I am looking forward to seeing how Julian does Saturday morning. Either way, I have confidence that Deion knows the issues and has the ability, drive and wherewithal to fix them (along with the support of the AD, Pres and Chancellor, which are all important too).
Go Buffs
Eric
since Barnett was fired by ridiculous and slanderous circumstances the coaching here at CU has mostly been awful. You want good offensive coaching? there is plenty of it out there. For one of the latest examples Watch a reply of Jeff Brohm at Louisville taking down Miami.
70-3 didn’t help. But that and the lost decades are old news.
I wonder if Miller Moss is a good QB or not? Former highly rated prospect, journeyman, found a home at Louisville, and is doing pretty well. Think he’ll be an NFL guy? Wonder if that helps Jeff and their OC? I think it does.
Go Buffs
nice cherry picking
CU coaching has still been awful since
Watch the damn game and come back with your expert opinion on play design and calling
pretty sure the consensus is that Beck is the better QB
Maybe neck is better. Maybe. Definitely not that day though. Four picks, and a fumble? Definitely a result of creative offensive play calling by Louisville.
Go Buffs
Kicking around reading sports stuff, this story caught my eye, in which Marvin Harrison sr says “”I feel like any kind of system can work if you have the 11 guys executing at a high level, whether that’s certain receivers getting maybe more targets than others,” Harrison Jr. said. “I think it all really still comes down to execution.
“I think you can still make it work, but you got to play the cards you’re dealt.”. You can read the full story here:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46817336/nfl-cardinals-marvin-harrison-jr-sr-monday-night-football
Go Buffs
your all or nothing arguments are ludicrous. Of course you can steamroll anyone else if ALL your guys are better than any one else’s. You don’t even need perfect execution. Thats what Alabama did for years. What about the rest of college football? So you are telling me coaches cant make up the difference with a difference in talent no matter how slight?
You obviously have never played a team sport and need to cherry pick other opinions to make your case.
Of course coaching matters. About 30% worth. However, coaching is not what cost CU the last two games. If you don’t have a QB, you don’t win. It’s really that simple. At all levels from pop warner to the NFL. If you have a mediocre QB, you need studs all the way around them. On both sides of the ball. That’s not the team CU currently has. Did the staff miss on evaluations? Perhaps. Maybe Rispress was part of the secret sauce before he left. We’ll learn a lot more over the next three games. As well as the off season.
Go Buffs
What’s funny is after CU beat Utah 49-24 last year, the fans and media were calling for Whittingham to “retire”, maybe even be shown the door whether he wanted to or not. The fans (and with the media stoking the fire) always seem to be carrying pitchforks and torches whenever their team doesn’t win.
That was the same story 7-10 years ago. Utah fans wanted him gone. Fans are fickle. But not us CU fans. No way. We know better. Maybe some of us do, anyway.
Go Buffs
Love that coach chasing carousel. Auburn job is open. Anyone want it?!
There will be more openings. Hi larious. And if people round here had their druthers, seems like CU would be looking too. Thank goodness Rick ain’t chasing. We got our guy.
Go Buffs
When they play like this, I call them the Beefaloes. 🙂