Buffs Win Halloween Overtime Thriller Against K-State

Saturday, October 31

Boulder, Colo.

12 p.m.

Colorado

3-5 , 1-4

Kansas State

4-4 , 1-4

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Final F
Kansas St.	0	7	7	7	3	24
Colorado	7	0	7	7	6	27

Stats Quotes

Richard Young

October 31, 2026 | Football

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By: Marcelo Brant, Athletic Communications Student Assistant

BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes football team defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 27-24 in overtime to secure their first Big 12 win of the 2026 season on Saturday at Folsom Field.

The Halloween duel came down to the wire. After the Colorado defense held Kansas State to a 25-yard field goal on the first drive of overtime, Buffaloes tight end Charlie Williams caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Isaac Wilson to clinch the win.

"It should have never gotten to overtime, I feel, but we allowed it," head coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders said. "We allowed some crazy things to happen, but in all, we got the victory. Young men are happy. Staff is happy. The fan base is happy."

The win snapped the Buffaloes' five-game losing streak and improved their record to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big 12. K-State fell to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in conference play.

"Even in the losses, I've stayed hungry," said Wilson, who won his first game as a starting quarterback for CU. "I feel like we can keep winning. I know we should have won a lot of games in the past, but [we're] just continuing to roll."

The Buffs' high-powered rushing attack stood out during the win, tallying 222 yards, the most in Coach Prime's tenure at CU, and three touchdowns. Running back Richard Young had 120 yards on 24 carries and recorded his first two touchdowns as a Buffalo after transferring from Alabama.

"The running attack was truly vital," Sanders said. "And I like that because it took a lot of pressure off Isaac."

CU's defense also stood strong in the victory, recording five total sacks, a season high. The unit limited the Wildcat attack at crucial moments, including the first overtime drive, when safety Boo Carter broke up a pass from quarterback Blake Barnett to wide receiver Jaron Tibbs in the end zone.

"I think a lot of us wanted to have it on our backs and make the play to win the game," linebacker Gideon Lampron said. "But I'm proud that we didn't waver in overtime and we went out and held them to a field goal."

How it happened:

The start of the game was a defensive struggle until the Buffaloes offense found its footing at the end of the first quarter. Wilson hit wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. on the left sideline for an 8-yard third-down conversion, followed by a 22-yard run by Young. Wilson then found wide receiver Joseph Williams down the middle for 24 yards. Young punched it in from the K-State 2-yard line to give the Buffs a 7-0 lead with 1:44 remaining in the first quarter.

The Wildcats' next drive started at the KSU 49 after a 48-yard kickoff return by wide receiver Brandon White. K-State marched into field goal range, but kicker Luis Rodriguez missed the 49-yard kick wide left.

Young's standout first-half performance continued on the Buffs' following drive, with the running back recording a 32-yard reception to take the offense into enemy territory. However, the drive ended in heartbreak for CU when running back DeKalon Taylor broke loose for a 30-yard run, but cornerback Kaleb Patterson knocked the ball out of his grasp at the goal line. After a scrum, the ball rolled out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a Wildcats touchback.

The momentum swung after the turnover, with K-State's offense producing a clinical 80-yard drive, capped by a 28-yard touchdown from wide receiver Josh Manning, tying the game at 7-7 with 2:34 left in the half.

With five minutes left in the third quarter, Wilson found Joseph Williams for 12 yards, setting up CU at the K-State 53. CU running back JaQuail Smith then ran around K-State's defensive line and took off down the left sideline for a 47-yard touchdown, as the Buffs retook the lead 14-7.

The Wildcats responded quickly. Wide receiver Linkon Cure made a 25-yard catch down the middle and a 33-yard touchdown reception back-to-back, tying the game at 14-14, with two minutes left in the third period.

An explosive play by Colorado closed out the third quarter: Joseph Williams caught a screen pass from Wilson and ran into K-State territory for 38 yards. The Buffs soon capitalized with a 22-yard score by Young, with CU reclaiming the lead 21-14 with 12:33 left on the clock.

K-State then marched to the CU 33-yard line before missing their second field goal of the day wide left, with 6 minutes to go in the game.

With three minutes left, Kansas State drove down the field until Lampron came up with a huge sack of Barnett for a loss of 11 yards. The stop was Colorado's fifth sack of the day, and Lampron's second, giving the Buffs possession before the two-minute timeout.

After a defensive stop, K-State got the ball back with 55 seconds on the clock and marched down the field before scoring on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Barnett to tight end Garrett Oakley with two seconds left. The Wildcats kicked the extra point, sending the game to overtime.

Colorado won the overtime coin toss and decided to defend first. CU held firm, with Carter breaking up a pass in the back of the end zone intended for wide receiver Jaron Tibbs. K-State converted the field goal, giving the visitors their first lead of the game, 24-21.

When the Buffs got the ball for their first possession of overtime, they ran it up the middle four times until, on third down at the 11-yard line, Wilson found Charlie Williams up the middle in the end zone, sealing Colorado's win.

UP NEXT: The Buffs will travel to Tempe, Ariz., to face the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 5:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and on KOA 850 AM and 94.1 FM.

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