Familiar Foes: BYU and Colorado ready for another round on the football field
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- BYU defenders make a tackle during the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU sophomore Parker Kingston celebrates after scoring a touchdown on a punt return during the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
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- BYU sophomore Raider Damuni sacks Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
Both BYU and Colorado swear Saturday’s Big 12 football matchup in Boulder has nothing to do with what happened eight months ago in San Antonio.
That was the night the Cougars came into the Alamo Bowl as an underdog to the media darling Buffaloes, led by former NFL cornerback Deion Sanders, his son (quarterback Shedeur) and two-way star Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner.
ESPN announcers raved about the Deion, Shedeur and Hunter all night long despite BYU taking Colorado to the woodshed in a 36-14 victory.
There have been plenty of changes for both programs since that night in San Antonio. Hunter was the No. 2 overall selection in last spring’s NFL Draft and Shedeur Sanders, receiver LaJohntay Wester and receiver Jimmy Horn were also picked in the draft. Deion Sanders added 50 new players to his roster in 2025, 33 of them transfers.
BYU’s biggest change was at quarterback, where starter Jake Retzlaff ran afoul of the school’s honor code and transferred to Tulane rather than sit through a possible eight-game suspension in his last year of eligibility. Surprisingly, freshman Bear Bachmeier won the starting quarterback job for the Cougars.
“I think both teams are pretty similar,” BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill said. “I don’t think the schemes or programs changed that much, but the players have changed drastically.”
In his weekly news conference, Coach Sanders said, ” “We ain’t with that get-back stuff. I ain’t with that get-back stuff. I’m with that let’s get-them stuff. They played their butts off, kicked our butts in the bowl game. Now we have a whole new team.”
The Cougars are off to a 3-0 start, beating Portland State (69-0), Stanford (27-3) and East Carolina (34-13) with a dominating defense and great special teams. The offense, with Bachmeier at the helm, is a work in progress.
The Buffaloes (2-2) opened with a close loss to to a good Georgia Tech team (27-20), a 31-7 win against Delaware, a 36-20 loss to Big 12 foe Houston and a 37-20 victory against Wyoming. Three different quarterbacks — Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, sophomore Ryan Staub and five-star freshman Julian Lewis — have all taken turns at the helm. Salter, who threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns last week against Wyoming, is the probable starter against the Cougars.
There is a huge mutual respect between Coach Sanders and BYU head coach Kalani Sitake.
“I consider him a dear, dear, dear friend and a God-fearing man, which I adore,” Coach Sanders said. “A man of principle, a man of standards and a darn good coach. A good dude. He’s going to have his team ready. They’ve been playing superbly this season even with a young quarterback. The defense has been shutting things down. Offensively they’re physical and tough and that’s the team I know we are going to face, a physical, tough football team.
“I admire him so much. He played at the university and had an opportunity to play pro ball. Just a straight up winner.”
Sitake responded: “I think Coach Prime would tell your about our relationship. I have tons of respect for him and what he’s done as a coach and a father and a disciple of Christ. I’m excited for the matchup. We obviously saw each other in the bowl game but this is a different matchup. We’re a different team than back in the Alamo Bowl and they are a different team.”
In another interview, Sitake said Sanders had a flamboyant career but is “an old-school coach.”
Saturday will be BYU’s first trip to Boulder since 1981, when Jim McMahon (three TD passes) and Steve Young (two TD passes) led the Cougars to a 41-20 victory.
Former Daily Herald football beat writer Jason Franchuk — a Colorado native — said the joke when he was growing up was that the first CU loss of the season meant it was officially ski season.
“Game day on Pearl Street is pretty cool,” Franchuk said. “That’s kind of the hub of Boulder. It’s very similar to State Street in downtown Provo, but more upscale and obviously more drinking establishments. It’s within walking distance to the stadium. There’s a tailgating area now, which did not exist when I was growing up. The ‘Monarch of the Plains’ (a statue of a buffalo in recline) is a big gathering spot for pictures. The Balch Fieldhouse next to it used to have really good concessions as well. The buffalo burgers (bison) are delish.”
While BYU fans are eager to make their first trip to what has been dubbed “The People’s Republic of Boulder” — a nickname reflecting the city’s progressive political climate and reputation for activism — the Cougars are looking forward to the matchup on the field and the environment at Folsom Field.
“I’ve talked to Carsen and Keanu (tight end Carsen Ryan and defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa, who have played in Boulder before with the University of Utah) and they (the Colorado fans) are like right on top of you,” BYU receiver Parker Kingston said. “The sidelines are super close and the students are right behind you. It’s going to be a hostile environment so I’m super excited for it.”
Sitake added, “The fun part is the game prep during the week. We don’t know exactly what they are going to do but they don’t know what we’re going to do either, so you kind of have to prep for it all, make adjustments and see what happens Saturday night.”
