Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Joseph Williams (8) celebrates his first down in the fourth quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Deion Sanders Benches Key Colorado Weapons As Offense Capsizes Against Utah Utes

Originally posted on Colorado Buffaloes on SI
By Harrison Simeon | Last updated Oct 26, 2025 12:05 AM ET

For better or worse, coach Deion Sanders is a man of his word.

Ahead of the Colorado Buffaloes' clash with the Utah Utes, "Coach Prime" noted that there would be consequences for players who showed up in Boulder late after the bye week. Two of those stragglers appear to be wide receivers Joseph Williams and Omarion Miller.

As Colorado falls into deep trouble in Salt Lake City on Saturday, both standouts are yet to check in. The Buffaloes' two leading receivers appear to have been benched.

No Omarion Miller, Joseph Williams For Struggling Buffs

Williams and Miller had quickly developed into quarterback Kaidon Salter's favorite targets. The former, a sophomore Tulsa Golden Hurricane transfer, notched a career-high eight catches for 128 yards against Iowa State last time out. Miller led the Buffs in receiving with 371 yards and four touchdowns on the season entering Saturday.

However, it looks as if both playmakers were late returning to Boulder after Colorado's bye. Sanders didn't make any exceptions to this ultimatum against tardiness.

These two healthy scratches were glaring to start the night. Colorado's offense has looked severely outclassed by Utah's premier physicality, and Salter hasn't had any reliable pass-catchers.

Regardless, the Utes are flat-out thumping the Buffaloes. Freshman backup quarterback Byrd Ficklin dashed for a 63-yard touchdown on the game's second play from scrimmage.

Before he even completed two passes, Utah led Colorado 19-0. Despite a notably physical week of practice and two weeks to recover and prepare, a green sky was more likely than consistent run stops for the Buffs.

Williams and Miller may not have any significant effect on Saturday's result, but a completely lifeless offense appears significantly handicapped. Colorado had just eight total yards in the first quarter compared to Utah's 203, leaving tough questions for Coach Prime to answer after what's well on its way to being a blowout loss.

Buffs Face Worst Loss Of Coach Prime Era

These absences left a heavy burden on the Buffs' freshmen wide receivers, namely Quentin Gibson, Quanell X Farrakhan Jr. and Kam Mikell. Senior Sincere Brown leads Colorado in receiving yards in the first half with just two catches for 14 yards.

Sanders' decision sticks with his no-nonsense policies but derails the crucial momentum Colorado's offense rode after beating the No. 22 Iowa State Cyclones two Saturdays ago. Leaving an inexperienced arsenal of weapons against one of the Big 12's best defenses is a recipe for disaster.

Even what's typically led to success has failed the Buffaloes. Utah has sacked Salter three times in the first half, has stuffed the run and is well on its way to throttling an utterly unprepared and undermanned Colorado team.

This article first appeared on Colorado Buffaloes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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