What started as a close halftime game with the Colorado Buffaloes on top turned into a massacre against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who won 57-24 after scoring 37 unanswered points, including 34 in the second half.
With the talent Oklahoma State has on offense, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker who is considered a potential Heisman candidate, it is no surprise this game came down to who had the more explosive offense. The surprise is how different Colorado looked in the second half than in the first.
After such an embarrassing loss, questions remain about this program's future, including who should stay on the coaching staff after this year and who their quarterback should be.
Here is everything we learned from Colorado's degrading loss to
Oklahoma State.
Colorado cannot play four complete quarters
Going into halftime, Colorado led 24-23. They went toe-to-toe with Oklahoma State offensively, and it looked like an offensive shootout. But the Buffaloes' offense did nothing after halftime, while the Cowboys' offense looked even better in the second half. This was eerily similar to how Colorado played against Utah, just flipped. In the first half against the Utes, the Buffs did nothing, but they made it a highly competitive game in the second half. Clearly, Colorado can't play football for a full 60 minutes. They seem to top out around the 30-minute mark. They won't win another game if they keep this inconsistent play up for the rest of the season.
It may be time to move on from Deion Sanders
After starting the season 2-0 with a thrilling win against Georgia Tech and Weber State, the Buffaloes have lost their last five games. They are playing uninspired football, with drastic shifts during games and they can't get consistent play out of their offense. After an embarrassing loss like this, with a halftime lead, the program needs to change. With the Buffaloes having won only five games since the start of the 2025 season, the problem seems to lie with the head coach. Nothing is likely to happen during the season, but we may be seeing the last of Sanders in Boulder.
Isaac Wilson should finish the season at quarterback
Statistically, Isaac Wilson didn't have a bad game. Most of his counting stats came in the first half, but he finished the game completing 70.4% of his passes, throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He threw two interceptions in the third quarter, which hurt, but the Buffaloes were already going downhill after his costly fumble early in the second half. Given the quarterbacks Colorado has available, they should stick with Wilson for the rest of the season, but will need to completely reevaluate the position in the offseason.
The Buffaloes cannot run the ball consistently
Colorado started the season with three straight games with at least 180 rushing yards. Then, they had two straight games with under 100 rushing yards, but rebounded with 138 rushing yards against Utah. The team's running game struggled significantly against Oklahoma State, totaling just 56 rushing yards. That was their lowest output since they managed only 51 rushing yards against West Virginia last season. The Go-Go offense was meant to emphasize the run game, but over seven games, it hasn't elevated that aspect of the offense.
Colorado has a turnover problem
The Buffaloes have a turnover problem on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they now have 16 turnovers, including three against Oklahoma State. It is their third game of the season with at least three turnovers, after turning it over four times against Northwestern and Texas Tech. On the other side of the ball, Colorado's defense cannot force turnovers. This is their second game without generating a turnover, and they have only seven takeaways through seven games. After this season, they need to look in the transfer portal for players who can make a play on the ball and change the course of a game.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Takeaways from Colorado's disastrous 57-24 loss to Oklahoma State
