Colorado Buffaloes Get Humbled In Houston: The Ryan Staub Experiment Goes Sideways

Well, that escalated quickly. Or should I say, de-escalated? The Colorado Buffaloes rolled into Houston with dreams of making a statement in their Big 12 opener, but the only statement they made was that this team has more questions than a confused freshman on the first day of calculus.

Let me paint you a picture: It’s Friday night under the lights at TDECU Stadium, and the Buffs are supposed to prove they can win without their departed superstars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Instead, they looked like they were auditioning for a blooper reel, falling 36-20 to a Houston team that was about as threatening as a wet napkin last season. How did everything go so wrong?

The Ryan Staub Show Nobody Asked For

Ryan Staub got the start at quarterback after a musical chairs situation that would make even the most patient fan dizzy. This kid went from third-string to starting quarterback faster than you can say “depth chart chaos.” Unfortunately, his debut performance had all the consistency of a broken GPS.

Staub finished 19-of-35 for 204 yards with one touchdown and two picks that made you wonder if he was wearing the wrong jersey. The junior looked like a deer in headlights for most of the night, especially when the pressure mounted in the second half. His completion percentage of 54% tells the story – and it’s not a fairy tale ending.

The most frustrating part? Staub showed flashes of brilliance, like that beautiful two-minute drill at the end of the first half where he hit passes of 36 and 25 yards before scampering into the end zone himself. But those moments were rarer than a parking spot at Folsom Field on game day.

Colorado Buffaloes Defense: Missing in Action

If you thought the offense was struggling, wait until you hear about the defense. The Colorado Buffaloes defense gave up 431 yards to a Houston offense that couldn’t score points against a JV squad last year. That’s like getting outrun by your grandmother at a 5K.

Conner Weigman, Houston’s quarterback, had the game of his life, throwing for 222 yards and rushing for a career-high 83 yards with two rushing touchdowns. The guy was running around the field like he was playing backyard football with his little cousins. Meanwhile, Colorado defenders were missing tackles like they were trying to avoid cooties.

The most damning stat? Houston rushed for 209 yards on 53 attempts. When you’re giving up nearly four yards per carry to a team that struggled to move the ball consistently in previous seasons, you’ve got problems bigger than a busted offensive line.

Deion Sanders: Coach Under Fire

Coach Prime wasn’t mincing words after the game, and you could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. “We’re not struggling, we’re getting our butts kicked,” Sanders said to reporters with the kind of brutal honesty that makes you wince.

The man who once intercepted passes for a living watched his defense miss more tackles than a Little League team. Sanders knows this isn’t just about one bad game – it’s about a pattern that’s developing faster than a Polaroid picture.

The quarterback situation has become more complicated than trying to explain the Big 12 realignment to your grandparents. Sanders has three options: stick with Staub and hope he figures it out, go back to Kaidon Salter (who wasn’t exactly lighting it up either), or throw freshman Julian Lewis into the fire.

What Went Wrong For the Colorado Buffaloes

Everything. Seriously, name a phase of the game, and the Colorado Buffaloes probably botched it. The offense couldn’t sustain drives, the defense couldn’t stop a runny nose, and the special teams were about as special as cafeteria meatloaf.

The running game was non-existent for most of the night, managing just 60 yards on 21 attempts by running backs. When your ground game is moving backward faster than a politician’s promise, you’re in trouble.

But here’s what really stings: this was supposed to be the game where the Colorado Buffaloes showed they were more than just the Shedeur and Travis show. Instead, they looked like a cover band trying to play Beatles songs – technically, they hit some of the notes, but nobody was fooled.

Looking Ahead: Wyoming Can’t Come Soon Enough

The good news for Colorado Buffaloes fans? They get to go home next week to face Wyoming. The bad news? After this performance, even the Cowboys might smell blood in the water.

Sanders has a week to figure out his quarterback situation, fix a defense that’s leaking points like a broken faucet, and somehow restore confidence in a team that looked completely lost on national television.

The Colorado Buffaloes came to Houston hoping to make a statement. Mission accomplished – just not the statement they wanted to make. Sometimes in college football, you learn more about a team in defeat than in victory. What we learned about the Colorado Buffaloes on Friday night is that they’ve got a long way to go before they can call themselves contenders in the Big 12.

Time will tell if this was just a bad night or a sign of things to come. But one thing’s for sure – the honeymoon phase of the Deion Sanders era just got a serious reality check.