Colorado Rallies In Third Quarter But Falls To Utah

Saturday, October 17

Boulder, Colo.

8:15 PM

Colorado

2-4 , 0-3

Utah

6-0 , 3-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Utah	7	6	7	7	27
Colorado	0	0	17	7	24

Stats Quotes

Randon Fontenette breaks up a pass intended for Utah's Larry Simmons.

October 18, 2026 | Football

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By: Marcelo Brant, Athletic Communications Student Assistant

BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes' football team made a valiant third-quarter comeback, scoring 17 straight points and taking a brief lead, but fell short against Utah, 27-24, Saturday night at Folsom Field in front of a sell-out Family Weekend crowd of 52,489.

Colorado drops to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the Big 12, while Utah improved to 6-0 and 3-0 in conference.

The Buffs' offense struggled to find a rhythm in the first half, being shut out 13-0. However, the team picked up the pace at the start of the second half, scoring two touchdowns in five minutes to come back to take the lead against the Utes.

"Just the way we fought to the end, there was no give-up," Head Coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders said. "And not only the players, but the coaches, the support staff, there was no give-up whatsoever."

Both teams battled throughout the fourth quarter, but Colorado ultimately lost despite a thrilling final drive that ended on an incomplete Hail Mary in the end zone.

"I'm so mad and sad about that game because I wanted it so bad," said quarterback Isaac Wilson, who played for Utah last year. "I'm going into every game like that, and I think the O-line sees it, the wide receivers see it, for sure. They want that. There's blood in the water, and we're going to go get it."

CU's defense was the first to hold the high-powered Utah offense to fewer than 30 points this season. Linebacker Gideon ESPN Lampron had a standout performance, recording 11 total tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack.

"It felt good. We just put together a full game as a defense," Lampron said. "I'm really proud of the guys. It's nice that the stats could show it."

Despite CU's difficult start to the season, Sanders is still proud of his players.

"I got a lot of love and respect for these young men," Sanders added. "I really hate that the record tells a different story than who they really are. And prayerfully, they understand how good they could be, because you had two undefeated teams in a position that you could have won that game and easily defeated them, making a play here and there."

Next week, the Buffs take on Oklahoma State on the road.

"I know we're gonna practice our butts off," Sanders said. "We're not gonna have a pity party because ain't nobody care, and we're gonna fight to the end. I mean, the fans deserve it. Everybody deserves it. The kids deserve it. And before we departed, we talked about playing for two entities: the name on the front and the name on the back. And that's who they're playing for."

HOW IT HAPPENED

On the game's first drive, the Buffaloes' defense struggled to find its footing. The Utes drove 75 yards and capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Devon Dampier to tight end Hunter Andrews, giving Utah a 7-0 lead after five minutes.

As the first quarter wound down, Utah got the ball at their own 29 and proceeded to march down the field by converting four third-down attempts while also taking advantage of three penalties by CU's defense, totaling 28 yards. Place kicker Dillon Curtis booted a 27-yard field goal with six minutes to go in the half, finishing a 17-play drive that ate up nearly nine minutes off the clock and gave the Utes a 10-0 cushion.

After Colorado's third three-and-out of the half, Utah drove the ball into CU territory on a 23-yard pass from Dampier to wide receiver Ricky Johnson, and reached the 1-yard line after a 21-yard rush by Andrews.

The Buffs' defense stood strong at the goal line when defensive back Naeten Mitchell stopped running back Wayshawn Parker for a 2-yard loss. Defensive lineman Dylan Manuel then intercepted a shovel pass by Dampier on the very next play, off a deflection by Lampron, giving the Buffs the ball at their own 7-yard line with 2:13 to go in the first half.

On the following drive, with a minute left in the first half, Wilson threw his first interception of the game on a highly contested pass down the middle to tight end Charlie Williams. Both Williams and Utah defensive back Rabbit Evans converged on the ball, with Evans wrestling it away from Williams as the two hit the ground. Utah's subsequent 47-yard drive resulted in a 29-yard field goal, extending their lead to 13-0 at halftime.

The Buffaloes came out firing in the second half. On 3rd-and-3, Wilson completed a short pass to running back JaQuail Smith, who outran Utah's secondary and took it to the house for a 68-yard touchdown after just one and a half minutes in the third. The Buffs were finally on the board, trimming the Utah lead to 13-7.

After the Buffs defense forced a three-and-out, the offense picked up where it left off on its previous possession, producing a quick, two-minute, five-play, 76-yard drive. Running back DeKalon Taylor scampered for an 18-yard score on an option play, giving Colorado its first lead of the game, 14-13, with nine minutes left in the third period.

Throughout the third quarter, momentum kept swinging in CU's favor. On third down, defensive lineman Santana Hopper rushed Dampier out of the pocket, forcing him to throw an off-balance pass toward the right sideline, which was intercepted by Mitchell. The Buffs' ensuing possession led to a 32-yard field goal by kicker Elliott Arnold, extending Colorado's lead to 17-13 with four minutes left in the third.

The Utes struck back on their subsequent drive, with Dampier connecting deep with wide receiver Creed Whittemore for 43 yards down the left sideline, setting Utah up deep in Colorado territory at the 20. The Utes quarterback then threw a 16-yard pass to receiver Braden Pegan in the end zone for a touchdown with a minute left in the third quarter, as Utah retook the lead 20-17.

After a series of punts by both teams, the Buffaloes got the ball at their own 23. On the drive's first play, Wilson threw an interception to defensive back James Chenault Jr., who returned it to CU's 22. The Utes' offense capitalized on the field position, with Dampier again finding Pegan in the end zone, this time from six yards out, extending Utah's cushion to 27-17 with three minutes left in the game,

Colorado responded with a late touchdown of its own. Wilson connected with wide receiver DeAndre Moore, Jr. in the end zone for a 2-yard score with 1:21 left in the game. The TD was set up by a deep 48-yard completion from Wilson to Moore and cut the visitors' lead to 27-24.

After the defense forced a punt, Colorado had one more chance to drive the football down the field and get into field goal range. On third down, Wilson ran up the middle for 17 yards and pitched a lateral to wide receiver Quanell Farrakhan Jr., who gained another 15. However, after official review, it was determined that the lateral was an illegal forward pass. CU then had to throw a Hail Mary, which fell incomplete, securing the Utes' win.

UP NEXT: The Buffaloes take on Oklahoma State on the road on Saturday, Oct. 24.

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