Two Colorado receivers hit the century mark in 23-13 loss to Baylor

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The Colorado Buffaloes receivers are productive, but it’s not leading to wins.

Deion Sanders' team lost the Big 12 opener 23-13 at Baylor on Saturday. Bears QB DJ Lagway returned from injury to lead his team with 221 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

Julian Lewis started the game under center for the Buffs before getting benched in the second half in favor of backup Isaac Wilson. The chance still could spark a boost for the Buffs. However, two Colorado receivers combined for 18 receptions and 244 yards. Joseph Williams, who has been the offensive bright spot for the passing game, had 11 receptions for 127 yards, one touchdown and a pass attempt of 49 yards. Quanell Farrakhan Jr, who had been quiet for the most part this season, exploded for 117 yards and almost 17 yards per reception.

Williams and DeAndre Moore have been the standout wide receivers through four games. Moore left this game with an injury. Both have combined for 570 yards and 5 touchdowns. However, there is a massive drop-off after those two names.

Quentin Gibson and Kam Perry were the only other receivers to register a catch vs Baylor. They combined for 17 yards. Perry, who fans had been waiting to see contribute in a significant way, had one reception for -1 yards and a key drop that would have given them a first and goal inside the Baylor five-yard line.

Sanders and his staff want to throw the ball. The success of the Go-Go offense is almost predicated on the ability to be multiple and gain chunks of yards in a multitude of ways. The system works for the running game but is rather inconsistent in the air. As long as there are concerns around the quarterback position, there will continue to be inconsistencies in the passing game.

Colorado had three passers today. One was simply a receiver option pass, which did render the biggest chunk play in this game. The remaining 41 pass attempts came from Julian Lewis and Isaac Wilson. Wilson had the better outing, doubling Lewis’ first-half output. Including double the yards and the team’s lone touchdown on only nine more pass attempts.

The first third of the season has concluded, and the Buffs sit even with a .500 win percentage. Now the schedule is getting tougher. In back-to-back weeks, the Buffs play Texas Tech and Utah. The No. 11 and No. 15 teams in the nation respectively. Tech is beating teams 76-60 while Utah is beating teams 142-24. Both teams have no problem scoring and Utah has been rather stingy on defense.

Sanders cannot afford to keep losing. A win over either Texas Tech or Utah would infuse significant optimism into the fan base. However, a win in either game now seems dramatically unlikely. Unless they do something stylistically and tactically different.

Go back to what won the game against Georgia Tech. Run the ball at an exhaustive rate until the opponent proves they can stop it. In that game, the Buffs ran 21 run plays in two possessions. It allowed the offensive line to dominate the line of scrimmage, monopolize the clock and limit the Yellow Jackets’ ability to play the game they might have wanted to play. If Colorado attempts to hang with Texas Tech and Utah by throwing the ball heavily, those games could get out of hand quickly.

Against Baylor, the only time they seemed to be competitive in this game was when they were sticking to the run. When they did, the score was close. Either early or late. When they went away from the run, that’s when Baylor was able to extend their lead. If they stay committed to the run, the way they did in Atlanta, they could potentially make the next couple of games competitive.

If they don’t change something, Texas Tech and Utah could be USC and Oregon from 2023 all over again.