NCAAF

Kansas State Wildcats at Colorado Buffaloes

· NCAA - Football
Final
31 - 28
4-2, 2-1 Home

Johnson shrugs off late interception, throws winning TD as No. 18 Kansas St beats Colorado 31-28

Travis Hunter exits to locker room with an injury

The dual-threat quarterback for the Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) finished with a rushing score and two passing TDs, both to Brown.

Leading 21-7 in the third quarter, the Wildcats saw the Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1) steadily chip away. Colorado took the lead when Shedeur Sanders threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to LaJohntay Wester with 3:12 left.

The score was set up when Johnson’s tipped pass resulted in a 59-yard interception return by cornerback Colton Hood, who was filling in after two-way star Travis Hunter left the game in the first half with an apparent shoulder injury.

Johnson needed only three plays to help Kansas State retake the lead. The Wildcats defense stopped the Buffaloes on downs to cement the win.

“Ultimately you’ve just got to make plays in big moments,” Johnson said. “Ultimately, that’s what our guys did.”

It was nearly the second straight magical comeback at Folsom Field for the Buffaloes. They beat Baylor on Sept. 21 in overtime after tying it up on a Hail Mary pass with no time left in regulation.

“Sometimes when you lose in life, you get your butt kicked and you've just got to take. Sometimes you lose, you say, ‘Dang, we should’ve won that. We should've had that,'” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “That was one of those types of games. That's not taking anything away from our opponents because they played their butts off.”

DJ Giddens finished with 182 yards to become the first tailback this season to break 100 against the Buffaloes. Kansas State outgained Colorado 185 to minus-29 on the ground.

Dylan Edwards, it was a successful return to Folsom Field with a 1-yard TD run. He was a true freshman with the Buffaloes last season before transferring to Kansas State.

The Buffaloes' three-game winning streak came to a halt. More concerning, the health of Hunter, who appeared to hurt his shoulder catching a Shedeur Sanders pass and running full speed into safety Daniel Cobbs in the second quarter. The team also lost receivers Jimmy Horn Jr., Omarion Miller and Terrell Timmons Jr. to injuries.

Deion Sanders had no immediate injury updates.

Hunter is a Heisman hopeful for his play as a cornerback and receiver. Before leaving, he showed off his blocking skills by picking a defender and allowing Wester to score on a 25-yard pass.

Prior to the interception and the comeback, Johnson was having all sorts of fun on the field. He broke out the “Deion Shuffle” after a score. The cameras also caught Johnson taking a selfie with a fan in the stands who handed him their phone as he rode a stationary bike.

Johnson briefly went to the locker room in the third quarter holding his left side but returned to throw a TD pass to make it 21-7.

Shedeur Sanders finished 34 of 40 for 388 yards and three scores. He completed a school-best 16 straight passes and nearly had a 17th in a row but Will Sheppard dropped a pass in his hands. Soon after, Sheppard made up for it with a difficult 7-yard TD reception to make it 21-14.

“Yeah, we made a statement — that we lost,” the Colorado QB said.

The Takeaway Kansas State: Johnson and the Wildcats didn't panic after losing the lead and found a way to respond. “Some of the things that happened will help us down the road,” coach Chris Klieman said.

Colorado: Safety Shilo Sanders made his return after missing three games with a forearm injury. “I thought he was rusty," his father/coach said.

Celebrity sightings Longtime NBA standout Carmelo Anthony was on the sideline wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey. Kevin Durant showed up near Colorado's bench, too. The Phoenix Suns play the Denver Nuggets in a preseason game Sunday night.

Also on hand was Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook.

Up next Kansas State: At West Virginia on Saturday.

Colorado: At Arizona on Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Kansas State Wildcats vs. Colorado Buffaloes?
  • TV Channel: Wildcats at Buffaloes 2021 College Football, week 7, is broadcasted on ESPN.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Buffaloes: 47.7%
Wildcats: 52.3%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

COLO TD 1st Period 7:06 LaJohntay Wester 25 Yd pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata Kick)
KSU TD 1st Period 0:44 Avery Johnson 8 Yd Run (Chris Tennant Kick)
KSU TD 2nd Period 1:52 Dylan Edwards 1 Yd Run (Chris Tennant Kick)
KSU TD 3rd Period 6:55 Jayce Brown 1 Yd pass from Avery Johnson (Chris Tennant Kick)
COLO TD 3rd Period 4:44 Will Sheppard 7 Yd pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata Kick)
KSU FG 3rd Period 0:28 Chris Tennant 48 Yd Field Goal
COLO TD 4th Period 6:44 Isaiah Augustave 2 Yd Run (Alejandro Mata Kick)
COLO TD 4th Period 3:12 LaJohntay Wester 11 Yd pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata Kick)
KSU TD 4th Period 2:14 Jayce Brown 50 Yd pass from Avery Johnson (Chris Tennant Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2306.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originKSU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/38.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCOLO
22 1st Downs 20
5-13 3rd down efficiency 4-11
2-3 4th down efficiency 2-3
423 Total Yards 359
238 Passing 388
17/26 Comp/Att 34/40
9.2 Yards per pass 9.7
185 Rushing -29
43 Rushing Attempts 19
4.3 Yards per rush -1.5
5-19 Penalties 5-20
1 Turnovers 1
0 Fumbles lost 0
1 Interceptions thrown 1
35:00 Possession 25:00

Game Information

Folsom Field

Location: Boulder, CO
Attendance: 53,972 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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