Buffs, Cowboys Renew Series: Five Things to Know

BOULDER — Colorado football returns to Folsom Field on Saturday, hosting Family Weekend against the Wyoming Cowboys (8:15 p.m. MT). The game is the final non-conference contest on the slate for the Buffaloes.

Saturday will be the 28th all-time meeting between Colorado and Wyoming. The two teams from neighboring states haven't met on the gridiron since Sept. 19, 2009, in Boulder. Colorado owns a 24-2-1 record over the Cowboys.

Colorado (1-2) fell at Houston to start Big 12 Play in Houston last week. One constant for Colorado thru three games this season has been the consistency from CU's special teams. Alejandro Mata is perfect on kicks, hitting 8-of-8 PATs and 3-of-3 FGs this year and extending his streak to 85 straight PATs. Punter Damon Greaves ranks second in the Big 12 with a 45-yard average and has pinned 7-of-8 punts inside the 20 when kicking from 60 yards and in. Buck Buchanan has already blasted 13 touchbacks—nearly matching last year's season total of 15 in just three games, and he's averaging kicking about 7 yards deep into the end zone.

Houston (2-1) is coming off its first loss of the season, 31-6, vs Utah, in Laramie. Freshman running back Samuel Harris was the Mountain West Freshman of the Week, rushing for 68 yards, including a 28-yarder. He averaged 8.5 yards per carry against the Utes. He also caught three passes for 37 yards. The Cowboys' defense leads the Mountain West scoring defense, holding opponents to just 12.7 points per game.

Five Things to Know

Uncommon Ground – Despite being separated by just 110 miles as the crow flies (150 miles on US 287), Colorado and Wyoming have rarely shared the field. The border foes haven't met in 16 years, and in a series that spans 125 years, the two have played only seven times since 1947.
AstroSnow – When Colorado and Wyoming met in 1971, it marked the debut of AstroTurf at Folsom Field. That same weekend, Boulder was buried under a rare September snowstorm that dropped more than two feet. Many felt that had the field still been natural grass, the game would have been postponed. Instead, the Buffs rolled to a 56-13 win.
Byard Breakout – Junior safety Tawfiq Byard had a career-high 14 tackles at Houston – the most by a CU defensive back in more than a decade. He leads the Buffs with 19 total stops on the season, and also has a half-sack, two tackles for loss and one pass breakup.
Q for 6 – Not quite, but CU's dynamic freshman Quentin Gibson piled up 150 yards on kickoff returns at Houston, coming close to breaking free more than once and making good on his nickname.
Price is Right – Sophomore running back Simon Price delivered CU's longest run of the season with a 38-yard burst at Houston – the Buffs' longest rushing TD since 2018 – and his first career rushing score.

Dave Flemming and former Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler will be in the booth, and Storymy Buonantony will be on the sideline for ESPN.

Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and former head coach Gary Barnett will have pregame coverage starting at 5:15 p.m. MT on the Colorado Radio Network, locally on 850 KOA (AM) and 94.1 FM.

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Players Mentioned

Buck Buchanan

Tawfiq Byard

Quentin Gibson

Damon Greaves

Alejandro Mata

Colorado University Athletics