By Aniket Prabhu and Elliot Tzinberg
1st Quarter 14:48: Quarterback #3 Kaidon Salter’s first pass attempt is complete to a wide open #8 Wide Receiver Joseph Williams across line of scrimmage, who takes it up the sideline for 11 yards up to the 36 yard line for a CU first down.
1st Quarter 12:57: Kaidon Salter finds standout Wide Receiver #4 Omarion Miller, who turns and drags a defender with him for a gain of 19 yards up into BYU territory (the 34) on 1st & 10.
1st Quarter 9:44: After a wide array of runs from Kaidon Salter and running back #29 Micah Welch, Salter maneuvers his way into the endzone on 2nd goal from the 3-yard line for a CU touchdown. 6-0 CU
1st Quarter 9:44: Extra point from kicker #16 Alejandro Mata is good. 7-0 CU
1st Quarter 8:59: BYU Quarterback #47 Bear Bachmeir is sacked by #98 Defensive Lineman Amari McNeil as he tries to evade the Buffs’ defensive line, as the pocket collapses, but is taken down by the facemask, resulting in a 15-yard penalty that negates the sack against CU on 2nd & 9 at the BYU 26.
1st Quarter 6:31: On 4th &1 for BYU at the CU 37, they opt to go for it, and Bear Bachmeier throws into a crosser route, which drew a flag earlier to #2 Chase Roberts, but low and behind, resulting in Roberts not being able to come up with it and a turnover on downs.
1st Quarter 6:23: Micah Welch finds a hole through the left guard and then bounces off a defender after already picking up the 1st down, quickly marching his way onto the BYU 35 for 27 yards.
1st Quarter 5:08: CU shocks everyone by having #6 Wide Receiver Dre’Lon Miller take 3 consecutive snaps out of a wildcat shotgun formation starting at the BYU 35, and with such ease runs straight up the middle for large gains and a Touchdown, on 1st & goal from the 5 yard line. 13-0 CU
1st Quarter 5:08: Extra point from Mata is good. 14-0 CU on top.
1st Quarter 4:56: Bear Bachmeier finds a wide-open #20 Tight End Carsen Ryan placed for 28 yards on the 1st play of the drive perfectly in between CU’s zone coverage despite having 3 secondary players in proximity to him.
1st Quarter 3:34: Bear Bachmeier strings together a couple of runs immediately after the 28-yard pass play to amount to a gain of 23 yards (11 and 12 respectively) all the way up to the Colorado 24.
1st Quarter 0:45: Bear Bachmeier finally gets stopped as he tries to run through the outside on 3rd & 3 at the CU 5 for a big defensive stop for CU. BYU hesitantly sends their kicking unit out and ends up racking a delay of game 5 yard penalty, but it didn’t end up mattering as Kicker #44 Will Ferrin drills a ball through for the 28 yard field goal. 14-3 CU.
2nd Quarter 14:54 #6 Dre’lon Miller rushes for 6 yards up the sideline to start the quarter
2nd Quarter 13:57 #3 Kaidon Salter tucks it and runs for 6 yards for a CU first down at the BYU 48
2nd Quarter 13:14 #3 Kaidon Salter tucks it and runs once again for a gain of 13 yards to the BYU 30
2nd Quarter 12:33: #3 Kaidon Salter sacked by #11 Satuala for a loss of 4 yards, pushing CU to a 2nd & 14 at the BYU 34
2nd Quarter 11:50 #3 Kaidon Salter reverse to #14 Farrakhan Jr., who gets blown up for a gain of only 4 yards to the BYU 30 (3rd & 10)
2nd Quarter 11:09 #3 Kaidon Salter is sacked by #17 Kelly for a loss of 9 yards, leading to a 4th and 19, pushed back 5 by a penalty, then a punt that was nearly blocked but pinned BYU to the 6.
2nd Quarter 8:53 #47 QB Bear Bachmeier throws down the sideline to a diving #2 WR Chase Roberts, but a holding penalty on #64 RG Sfarcioc is called and enforced as 2nd & 10 from the BYU 9-yard line
2nd Quarter 8:53 #47 QB Bear Bachmeier throws the ball away on 3rd down, and the ensuing punt is fielded by #15 KR Freshman Quentin Gibson at the CU 36 yard line
2nd Quarter 7:35 #3 QB Kaidon Salter pulls the handoff in an option play and is sacked once again by #17 Miller, leading to a 2nd and 14
2nd Quarter 6:22 #3 Kaidon Salter passes to #8 Williams in the slot for a gain of 13 for a first down to the BYU 48
2nd Quarter 4:22 #4 WR Omarion Miller misses a pass from #3 Kaidon Salter and forces a punt, which is foolishly caught and returned by #19 Tiger Bachmeier and pinned at the BYU 6
2nd Quarter 3:33 #47 QB Bear Bachmeier completes pass to #20 TE Ryan for a first down at the BYU 16
2nd Quarter 2:00 #47 QB Bear Bachmeier tucks it and runs close to a first down and laterals the ball to #4 RB LJ Martin, who takes the ball to the BYU 41 for a first down
2nd Quarter 1:55 #47 QB Bear Bachmeier narrowly avoids a sack from #53 DE Arden Walker and completes the pass to #11 WR Parker Kingston to the CU 48 for 7 yards
2nd Quarter 1:36 Defensive holding by #8 CB DJ McKinney, ball is placed at the CU 30 yard line, followed up by another (1:29) defensive pass interference on #4 Preston Hodge, placing the ball at the CU 17 yard line, BYU’s first timeout
2nd Quarter 0:50 BYU second timeout (1st and goal from the CU 5)
2nd Quarter 0:46 #47 QB Bear Bachmeier completes a 5-yard touchdown pass to #2 Chase Roberts, 14-9 CU
2nd Quarter 0:44 #44 PK Ferrin’s extra point is good, 14-10 CU leads
2nd Quarter 0:01 Referee announces BYU called their 3rd and final timeout before halftime as CU, ostensibly believing CU would punt to allow a return attempt by BYU. #3 QB Kaidon Salter drops back instead and throws toward the sideline and the half ends.
HALFTIME 14-10 CU UP
3rd Quarter 12:51: BYU tries to open the half with a selection of Quarterback Draws, but to no avail, they end up stalling and punting on 4th & 4 at their own 41.
3rd Quarter 10:17: Salter connects with Joseph Williams twice for 6 yards in their first drive to open the half, but despite efforts from Williams on a 3rd &5 screen he ends up falling one yard short, therefore resulting in a 3 and out for the Buffaloes offense, a chance for Punter #35 Damon Greaves to flip the field again with a towering 47 yard kick out of bounds, downed at the BYU 26.
3rd Quarter 9:33: Bear Bachmeier somehow sends a dart across his body to the near sideline just over the outstretched arms of CU Cornerback #3 Teon Parks to Wide Receiver Chase Roberts for 16 yards to the BYU 45 on 2nd &7.
3rd Quarter 8:36: Costly pass interference on Linebacker #37 Martavious French, who somehow saw himself in coverage on a deep circle route intended for Running Back #4 LJ Martin. Since the foul was committed more than 15 yards from the line of scrimmage, instead of a spot foul, it becomes the maximum penalty of 15 yards.
3rd Quarter 8:25: BYU catches CU sleeping with misdirection from Bachmeier before Parker Kingston takes the carry and easily finds the outside, until he’s finally strung down by a dogpile of CU defenders; nonetheless, a 20-yard gain up to the Colorado 25.
3rd Quarter 5:26 With the difference being 4, on 4th & 2 at the Colorado 4 after a pass breakup by #23 CB Carter Stoutmire, BYU decides to be aggressive, and it pays off with Bear Bachmeier finding Chase Roberts completely uncovered, due to a busted assignment by the Colorado Secondary. 14-16 BYU now leads.
3rd Quarter 5:26: PAT is good. That makes it 14-17 with 17 unanswered by BYU after being down 14-0 early in the matchup.
3rd Quarter: Kaidon Salter rolls to his right and delivers a spiral to an open Joseph Williams, who takes it further up the west sideline to the BYU 49 for a 26-yard gain, as an immediate response to the BYU touchdown.
3rd Quarter 2:42: On 1st &10 at the BYU 19, Kaidon Salter immediately looks to the endzone and drops a dazzling over-the-top pass straight into the hands of Joseph Williams for a CU touchdown. 20-17 CU after another successful uptempo drive.
3rd Quarter 2:42: PAT is good. CU back on top 21-17.
3rd Quarter 2:27: Bachmeier scrambles to his right on the very 1st play of the drive and finds LJ Martin right in front of him, who then turns upfield with a head of steam, until his sideline lane dissolves for 19 yards and a 1st down.
4th Quarter 14:02: Triple reverse to #5 WR Cody Hagen picks up blockers and results in a 32-yard BYU touchdown. 21-23, BYU leads
4th Quarter 14:02 #44 PK Ferrin drills the extra point to extend the BYU lead to 3 points (21-24)
4th Quarter 12:34 #3 QB Kaidon Salter breaks free for a big rush, but it’s called back due to a hold by #4 WR Omarion Miller. 3rd and 1 from the BYU 34
4th Quarter 12:23 BYU uses its second timeout of the half
4th Quarter 12:08 #3 QB Kaidon Salter turns a 3rd and 3 into 4th and 25 at the BYU 10 in an attempt to evade a sack, followed by a 46-yard punt starting BYU at the CU 45
4th Quarter 8:31 #47 QB Bear Bachmeier gets a high snap and fumbles the ball, but LJ Martin recovers the ball before CU can capitalize
4th Quarter 8:07 #44 PK Will Ferrin’s 55-yard field goal attempt has the distance but is wide left, leaving the score untouched at 21-24 BYU
4th Quarter 6:46 #3 Kaidon Salter’s pass on a huge 3rd and 6 at the CU 41 yard line was deflected by the BYU defensive line, resulting in a 4th and 6
4th Quarter 6:45 First timeout of the half called by the Buffaloes
4th Quarter 6:38 #35 P Greaves catches the ball off balance and punts 29 yards to just the CU 30-yard line
4th Quarter 4:59 #47 Bear Bachmeier passes down the middle to an open #2 WR Chase Roberts for 16 yards and a BYU first down
4th Quarter 4:07 #4 LJ Martin continues the Cougars’ positive momentum with a 16-yard rush to the CU 35 and another BYU first down
4th Quarter 2:15 #4 RB LJ Martin stuffed short, leading to a BYU 4th and 9 at the CU 34 yard line
4th Quarter 0:50 #3 QB Kaidon Salter makes a few dink and dunk passes to set up for a game-tying field goal, but his pass was intercepted by #16 LB Isaiah Glasker
4th Quarter 0:00 #47 QB Bear Bachmeier kneels the ball out and BYU escapes overtime with a 24-21 victory.
[Postgame]: While there are no such things as moral victories– a sentiment echoed by both Coach Prime and Tawfiq Byard in postgame– CU showed a much more dynamic run game centered around sophomore wide receiver Dre’Lon Miller, who played more of a versatile role in this game as well as quarterback scrambles by Kaidon Salters. The defense stepped up to the tall task in comparison to some of the previous games, especially in the 1st half, allowing only 10 points against a team that had only won so far in blowout fashion. The headlining play was a big 4th down stop in CU territory in on 4th & 1 at the CU 37 in the opening quarter. However, if you ask Coach Prime, the biggest takeaway from tonight’s game was the lack of consistency between the halves, citing that the “Moment became too big for some of the players” when BYU showed resilience under their promising freshman Quarterback, Bear Bachmeier. Deion criticized his players’ ability to maintain peak form throughout the game and beyond the half, noting that the misfires he observed during the game were the same ones he had seen in practice, similar to his remarks on the practices before the Wyoming Game, except the result was the polar opposite.
Throughout the game, BYU was bailed out of stalled drives by defensive miscues, which included untimely penalties, busted coverages, and the defense having a more laid-back approach on 3rd & longs. The 3rd quarter defense was characterized by 4th down conversions by BYU, which they fully capitalized on, scoring a pair of touchdowns from doing so, one being the causation of a 16-yard Quarterback scramble on 3rd & 17, the other coming in the form of a completely left alone Chase Roberts in the endzone. When asked about the penalties, Deion did not criticize his players for committing them outright, but instead emphasized the timeliness of said penalties, such as how the pass interference call on Martavious French was pivotal in letting BYU storm through the Buffs’ defense and take the lead in the 3rd quarter. When it came to the Quarterback play of Kaidon Salter, Deion Sanders had nothing but positive comments to describe his participation in tonight’s game. Kaidon, on the other hand, thought he “most definitely did too much” and said that he has to do a better job of finding easier throws to make and getting the ball out to avoid costly sacks that could dictate field positioning both offensively and defensively.