Colorado football report card after blowout loss to Northwestern

This team looked like the 2025 Colorado Buffaloes in their loss to Northwestern this week. They had two games last season with at least four turnovers and really wanted to avoid a game like that this season. Colorado's run defense really looked like last year after allowing 182 yards to the Wildcats and two rushing touchdowns. Northwestern also had success in the passing game, posting 241 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Not everything was bad in this game. The Buffaloes were still able to run the ball with 180 total rushing yards and 5.5 yards per carry. But two of their running backs were also responsible for two fumbles lost. Overall, it was not Colorado's day and hopefully will be their lowest point of the season

Here is the report card from the Buffaloes' first loss of the season:

Quarterback 

Grade: D

Quarterback Julian Lewis did not have a good day. The passing game was off, and it showed in his 5.8 yards per attempt. He was bound to throw an interception someday, but it was really disappointing to see his two picks in this game. The first pick in the second quarter was pretty bad, although the second interception was not as bad. Sometimes defenders make a good play. But the 50-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Williams was all Williams; Lewis actually had poor ball placement on that play. However, he only got sacked once and had a nice 15-yard run. So, there are positives to take away, but there's a lot to work on after this one.

Running Backs

Grade: C-

This is the third straight game the Buffaloes have recorded at least 180 rushing yards, which is quite impressive. They averaged 5.5 yards per carry, their highest total in any game this season. However, this was the first game in which Colorado did not score any rushing touchdowns. And, more importantly, the running backs lost two fumbles. Turnovers are unforgivable. Any running back knows that ball security is the most important part of the job, and they lost two fumbles. Sure, the ball was wet because of the rain. But they should have been prepared for this.

Receivers and Tight Ends

Grade: B

I don't have any significant complaints about the wide receivers or tight ends. None of them fumbled, and none were responsible for either interception. Joseph Williams had another nice game, and he turned a bad throw into a touchdown on the 50-yard score. DeAndre Moore had a decent game with 56 receiving yards. Not many receivers got the ball in this game, which I cannot hold against them. But from the ones that did catch a pass, I thought they were pretty solid.

Offensive Line

Grade: A

This is honestly a really good offensive line. Lewis was only sacked once, which is a credit to the offensive line. They also recorded 180 rushing yards, which is also a credit to the offensive line. Also, while Colorado had nine penalties as a team, only two of them were on the line. Through the first three games, they have been the most consistent position group on the Buffaloes, and they will be important for Colorado's success throughout the season.

Defense

Grade: F

It seemed like most of the penalties on the Buffaloes were on defense, but that was the least of their problems. Northwestern had a total of 423 yards, including 182 yards on the ground. They dominated time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 37 minutes, and turned it over only once. Quarterback Aidan Chiles was only sacked once. Four different receivers for the Wildcats have a catch of at least 20 yards. Northwestern scored 41 points; this defense only allowed 34 points in the first two weeks combined. This game was a defensive failure. It could not have been much worse.

Special Teams

Grade: B-

Damon Greaves did perfectly fine with his punting duties. In his four punts, he averaged 40.3, with his longest punt being 45 yards. Two of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line. He gets an A. Elliot Arnold didn't get much action, but he made his single extra-point attempt. Colorado only averaged 15.8 yards on their kick returns and had one yard on their only punt return of the game. That is pretty bad. Conversely, Northwestern averaged 27 yards on their kick returns, including one return for 37 yards. That also speaks to Colorado's special teams coverage.

Coaching

Grade: C-

I am mad about those three failed fourth-down conversions. On the first failed fourth down, they got 0 yards on third and two. They finished the drive with six straight run plays. While I understand they want to run the ball, play-action could not hurt every once in a while, especially on third or fourth down. They should have just punted instead of going for the second fourth-down conversion. It's understandable to try to make a statement at the start of the second half, but they lost four yards on a third-and-long, making it fourth and 11. That is a clear dropback situation and, not surprisingly, led to a sack. The third failed fourth-down conversion was also frustrating. On fourth and one, they got stuffed. Execution could have been better on this run, but momentum was already strongly in Northwestern's favor because of earlier coaching mistakes. This was not the finest game for the players or the coaches.

Overall

Grade: D

It wasn't all bad, but the Buffaloes could have done a lot more. The turnovers were atrocious. Colorado's fourth-down struggles helped swing momentum further in Northwestern's favor. This was undeniably the defense's worst game of the season and Julian Lewis had his first two interceptions of his college career. Colorado will need to clean up a lot for their next game against Baylor and beyond.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football report card after blowout loss to Northwestern