Colorado University Athletics
Salter’s Bounce Back Gives Buffs a Timely Spark
September 21, 2025 | Football
BOULDER — Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter delivered a much-needed spark against Wyoming, throwing for 304 yards and rushing for a team-leading 86 yards to lead the Buffaloes to a 37-20 victory in front of 53,442 fans on Family Weekend at Folsom Field.
Salter's 304 passing yards marked his first 300-yard game since posting 319 against New Mexico on Dec. 1, 2023. In that Conference USA Championship win, he went 20-for-25 with a touchdown while adding 165 rushing yards and another score. Following his head coach's departure to Indiana, Salter's production dipped the next season before transferring to Colorado.
The dual-threat field general joined the Buffs in the spring, traveling with the team to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl, where his leadership and energy were quickly evident.
Head coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders has emphasized consistency and leadership in the quarterback room since camp. Salter opened the season as CU's starter against Georgia Tech, completing 17-of-28 passes for 159 yards. In limited action against Delaware, he went 13-for-16 for 102 yards, but the offense lacked rhythm. Backup Ryan Staub was inserted and later earned the start against Houston, pushing Salter to the sideline.
"I'm a big competitor, and have been in sports my whole life, football, basketball, track, whatever it was. I wanted to be the best at it," Salter said after being asked if losing his starting job lit a fire inside him. "Playing the quarterback position, you get the ball in your hand every play, so a lot of things do fall on you, and you just have to take it, keep moving, and play the next play."
Coach Prime called it a necessary moment of growth.
"I'm not just singling him out. It was a growth moment. I think there are tremendous moments in all our lives that God allows us to grow from," Coach Prime said. "It's been several moments over the last few weeks with all of us, not just him, but you've seen glimpses of what he's capable of doing. We just want that consistently, and when we get that consistently, we're going to be hard to deal with."
Salter responded in a historic way. For only the second time in program history, a CU quarterback finished with at least 300 passing yards, 80 rushing yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, joining Steven Montez (Sept. 24, 2016, at Oregon). It was Salter's third career 300-yard passing game and his first as a Buff.
"It was amazing," Salter said. "But the thing is consistency, and I just have to go out there and do it again moving forward."
Against Wyoming, he threw touchdown passes of 29, 68 and 47 yards on four straight scoring drives. Colorado outscored the Cowboys 21-3 in the second quarter before opening the second half with a three-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 47-yard strike to Joseph Williams, threaded through two defenders. Salter capped his night with a 35-yard touchdown run with 1:46 remaining.
Afterward, Coach Prime addressed the team and pointed at his quarterback: "Way to bounce back."
Through three games, Salter is 48-of-72 passing for 565 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding 153 rushing yards and three more scores. That's 718 total yards of offense and seven total touchdowns.
Up next: Colorado (2-1) will continue Big 12 play versus Brigham Young on Saturday, Sept. 28, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. MT.
Salter's 304 passing yards marked his first 300-yard game since posting 319 against New Mexico on Dec. 1, 2023. In that Conference USA Championship win, he went 20-for-25 with a touchdown while adding 165 rushing yards and another score. Following his head coach's departure to Indiana, Salter's production dipped the next season before transferring to Colorado.
The dual-threat field general joined the Buffs in the spring, traveling with the team to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl, where his leadership and energy were quickly evident.
Head coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders has emphasized consistency and leadership in the quarterback room since camp. Salter opened the season as CU's starter against Georgia Tech, completing 17-of-28 passes for 159 yards. In limited action against Delaware, he went 13-for-16 for 102 yards, but the offense lacked rhythm. Backup Ryan Staub was inserted and later earned the start against Houston, pushing Salter to the sideline.
"I'm a big competitor, and have been in sports my whole life, football, basketball, track, whatever it was. I wanted to be the best at it," Salter said after being asked if losing his starting job lit a fire inside him. "Playing the quarterback position, you get the ball in your hand every play, so a lot of things do fall on you, and you just have to take it, keep moving, and play the next play."
Coach Prime called it a necessary moment of growth.
"I'm not just singling him out. It was a growth moment. I think there are tremendous moments in all our lives that God allows us to grow from," Coach Prime said. "It's been several moments over the last few weeks with all of us, not just him, but you've seen glimpses of what he's capable of doing. We just want that consistently, and when we get that consistently, we're going to be hard to deal with."
Salter responded in a historic way. For only the second time in program history, a CU quarterback finished with at least 300 passing yards, 80 rushing yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, joining Steven Montez (Sept. 24, 2016, at Oregon). It was Salter's third career 300-yard passing game and his first as a Buff.
"It was amazing," Salter said. "But the thing is consistency, and I just have to go out there and do it again moving forward."
Against Wyoming, he threw touchdown passes of 29, 68 and 47 yards on four straight scoring drives. Colorado outscored the Cowboys 21-3 in the second quarter before opening the second half with a three-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 47-yard strike to Joseph Williams, threaded through two defenders. Salter capped his night with a 35-yard touchdown run with 1:46 remaining.
Afterward, Coach Prime addressed the team and pointed at his quarterback: "Way to bounce back."
Through three games, Salter is 48-of-72 passing for 565 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding 153 rushing yards and three more scores. That's 718 total yards of offense and seven total touchdowns.
Up next: Colorado (2-1) will continue Big 12 play versus Brigham Young on Saturday, Sept. 28, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. MT.
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