By Jake Levin
Colorado beat Texas Tech 41-27 and is now second in the Big XII as Iowa State lost to Kansas 45-36.
Colorado now controls its destiny in the league race. If 20th-ranked Colorado wins its last three regular season games, the Buffs will play in the Big XII championship when an automatic bid in the college football playoff is up for grabs.
Colorado is now 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference for the first time since 2016, when they finished with ten wins.
Shedeur Sanders had a big game today. He was 30 for 43 passing for 291 yards and three touchdowns. Shedeur also did not throw a single interception. Travis Hunter had 9 receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown.
Colorado was down 13-0 after the first quarter. The Buffs got on the scoreboard with 7:33 left in the second period when Sanders threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to LaJohntay Wester.
With 11 minutes left in the third quarter, Sanders would rush for a seven-yard touchdown to give Colorado a 17-13 lead, which was its first of the game.
Late in the third quarter, Hunter would catch his only touchdown pass, a 24-yard pass from Sanders, to give the Buffaloes a 31-20 lead.
Down 34-27 late, the Red Raiders got the ball back and had one last chance, but they fumbled it, and Shilo Sanders returned it six yards for a touchdown.
Now all eyes are on Colorado with Big Noon Kickoff coming to Boulder next week.
NOTE – If Colorado does not lose another football game this season, it is plausible that the Buffs will be the national champions. Colorado returns home next Saturday against preseason Big XII favorite Utah in another nationally-televised on FOX. The Buffs close out the regular season, playing Kansas at Arrowhead in Kansas City on November 23 and hosting Oklahoma State in Boulder on November 29. READ MORE / BIG XII STANDINGS
at CSU Pueblo 28, Colorado Mines 13 – The ThunderWolves clinched a tie for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title by snapping a five-game losing streak to Mines, which had out-scored CSU Pueblo 207-68 during the Pack drought. The Pack, 8-0 in the RMAC and 9-1 overall, has now won or shared eight league crowns since 2008, when the program was restarted. The last CSUP title was in 2018 when the Pack tied Colorado Mines for the championship. Overall, CSUP has nine RMAC titles, the first being in 1980. With victories this season over their chief challengers (Western Colorado, Colorado Mesa, and Mines), the ThunderWolves can claim the RMAC title outright next Saturday by winning at Chadron State. CSU Pueblo is assured of a spot in the NCAA Division II Championships and is currently the top-rated school in the Super Region Four rankings. The Pack has won 15 straight RMAC games since losing 55-14 to Colorado Mines last season at home. In leading CSU Pueblo to its eighth-straight win, Roman Fuller passed for 261 yards and three scores in his third-straight start this season. Pack wide receiver Reggie Retzlaff caught seven passes for 139 yards and two scores. Howard Russell V, the RMAC’s leading rusher and scorer, had 70 yards on the ground and 35 yards receiving, including a 19-yard TD romp and a 28-yard scoring pass from Fuller. With regular starting quarterback Evan Foster on the sidelines, freshman Joseph Capra passed for 161 yards and rushed for 80 yards. Mines receivers Flynn Schiele and Max McLeod, who combined to average 13 receptions, 218 yards, and two touchdowns per game, were held to nine combined catches for 115 yards and no scores. Mines, which had won or shared the last five RMAC, is 7-3 overall and 5-3 overall. The Orediggers close the season by hosting Fort Lewis next Saturday in Golden. CSU PUEBLO RECAP / MINES RECAP / RMAC STANDINGS / RMAC RECORD BOOK
at Western Colorado 21, Chadron State 17 – Drew Nash threw two second-half touchdown passes to lead the Mountaineer comeback, highlighted by a 22-yard pass to Elias Zarate with 6:39 left in the contest. Chadron State led 10-7 at halftime after scoring. Jadon Bowen returned a Nash pass 45 yards for a touchdown with 52 seconds left before intermission. Nash finished the game by completing 23 passes for 251 yards and the two scores. The Mountaineers, 7-1 in the RMAC and 9-1 overall, play at Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction in the regular season finale next weekend. Western Colorado still has an opportunity to tie for the league title as the Mountaineers must win at Mesa and hope that CSU Pueblo loses at Chadron State next Saturday. READ MORE
at Fort Lewis 44, New Mexico Highlands 22 – For the first time since the 2017 season, Fort Lewis has won back-to-back games in a season as the Skyhawks amassed 499 total yards behind the quarterbacking of Stone Walker. A redshirt freshman, Walker passed for 270 yards, two scores, and rushed for 51 yards and a TD with a 33-yard run for the Skyhawks’ first score. Orlando Guevara‘s 99-yard kickoff return gave Fort Lewis the lead for good with 4:17 left in the first half as Highlands had taken a 14-10 edge with 4:31 remaining in the second period. Guevara has averaged 38.6 yards on seven kickoff returns in the last two games and amassed 474 all-purpose yards (104 rushing and 100 receiving) in the two contests. With multiple wins in a season for the first time since 2019, Fort Lewis ends its season next Saturday at Colorado Mines in Golden. The Skyhawks are 3-7 overall and 2-6 in the RMAC. READ MORE
at Air Force 36, Fresno State 28 – The Falcons snapped a seven-game losing streak by controlling the football for over 45 minutes and rushing for 344 yards in their first Mountain West Conference win this season and second overall. Dylan Carson (120 yards, 1 TD) and quarterback Quentin Hayes (91, 2) combined for 211 yards and three scores as Air Force overcame a 21-17 halftime deficit. The Falcon defense held Fresno State to -5 yards rushing. Matthew Dapore added three field goals and became Air Force’s all-time leading scorer after making a 36-yard three-point with 1:56 left in the contest. Air Force (1-4 in the MW and 2-7 overall) closes its home schedule next Saturday by hosting Oregon State in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. READ MORE
at South Dakota Mines 17, Colorado Mesa 14 – The Mavericks had their six-game winning streak snapped as host South Dakota Mines scored ten fourth-quarter points highlighted by Holden Gilbert’s 21-yard run with 6:13 minutes left in the RMAC games. Colorado Mesa cut the lead to three points with 1:56 left in the contest as backup quarter Leslie Richardson engineered a seven-play, 80-yard drive with a two-yard scoring pass to Sam Horneck. Mesa got the ball back after the kickoff but could muster only 15 yards as Richardson’s pass was intercepted a pass at the Hardrockers’ 10-yard line to end the threat. The Mavericks, who are 6-2 in RMAC play and 7-3 overall, host Colorado Mesa next Saturday in the regular season finale at Grand Junction. READ MORE
at Black Hills State 45, Adams State 3 – The Yellowjackets held Adams State to 142 total yards in handing the Grizzlies their 16th straight setback since winning 21-14 last season at New Mexico Highlands. Brysen Gardner’s 26-yard field with 3:21 left in the third quarter highlighted a 16-play, 66-yard drive for Adams to cut the Black Hills State lead to 17-3, but the Yellowjackets scored on four of their next five drives to secure the win. Adams State closes out its season next Saturday at home against South Dakota Mines. READ MORE
Eastern Washington 43, Northern Colorado 15 – The Bears fell behind 22-0 after three touchdown passes by Kekoa Vispera in the first quarter and never recovered. UNC had its best passing day of the season with 275 yards and two scores. Peter Costelli, who completed 11 passes for 258 yards, had scoring passes of 29 yards to Brayden Munroe and 75 yards to Carver Cheeks. UNC, 1-9 overall and 1-5 in the Big Sky Conference, hosts Northern Arizona next Saturday in Greeley. READ MORE
Colorado State, the Mountain West Conference co-leader with a 4-0 record, is idle this weekend and returns to action next Friday for the Bronze Boot game with Wyoming in Fort Collins.
