Recap: Colorado ends lacklustrer season with loss to K-State

In what will go down as a frustrating game for the Buffs, Colorado concluded its 2025 season with a 24-14 loss to Kansas State in Manhattan, falling to a final record of 3-9.

The ingredients were very familiar to Colorado fans. A slow start from the Buffs, a brief surge, a long lull and then the game sliding away in the final quarter as the opponent leaned on the ground game and controlled the tempo.

Let’s break down the action against Kansas State and give a quick outlook for a hazy offseason.

1st Half

Kansas State received the opening kick and set the tone with a patient statement drive. The Wildcats strung together a 13-play, 74-yard march that bled the clock and ended in a touchdown. It was the kind of methodical series that makes a defense feel like it is bailing water with a coffee mug. K-State utilized inside zone on early downs, a keep by the quarterback to move the chains, a flat throw on third and manageable, then power in the low red area. Colorado fans everywhere felt the urge to change the channel right there because it looked like the same movie we have watched all year.

To their credit, the Buffs answered with a sustained possession of their own, ripping off a 13-play drive and pushed deep into Wildcat territory. The structure was sound. Dallan Hayden got downhill, Kaidon Salter kept the ball on a read to keep the end honest, and the quick game hit just enough to move the sticks. The problem was the finish. A fourth and short try stalled, and Kansas State took over with the defense stuck on the field for far too many snaps in the opening quarter.

From there the half settled into a tug of war. The Wildcats went three and out on the next series, the Buffs punted it back, and both teams spent a long stretch trading field position and short possessions. Colorado’s defense firmed up. The interior held the point better, the safeties fit the alley with more urgency, and the tackling improved. Offensively, the Buffs kept flirting with rhythm without cashing it in. A penalty here, a pressure there and the clock kept melting.

At the very final moment, Colorado finally finished the job . On the last meaningful series of the half, Hayden ripped a 24-yard run that flipped the field, and Salter found Omarion Miller on a well timed screen that turned into a 32-yard gain. The timing and spacing were clean, and the call punished Kansas State for bringing pressure. That chunk play set the Buffs up in the red zone with a chance to tie before the break. After a pair of tough runs to the goal line, Micah Welch finished the job with a one-yard plunge right up the middle. It was a workmanlike drive, the exact kind of possession this offense has needed more often.

Score at Half

Colorado 7

Kansas State 7

2nd Half

The second half opened with a small pocket of momentum and the ball in Colorado’s hands, but this is where the train came off the tracks. The Buffs left empty handed on their first three drives of the half. The issues were layered. First down efficiency disappeared, receivers had trouble separating against man coverage on the perimeter and protection did not hold up when Kansas State dialed up pressure. Salter had to play in long yardage more than anyone would like, which shrunk the play sheet and invited more blitz looks.

Meanwhile the Wildcats did exactly what their identity says they should do. They leaned into the run and wore the front down. Joe Jackson, the workhorse back, took control of the game and looked stronger as the snap count grew. Inside zone became duo, duo became counter and every crease seemed to produce four or five yards. Kansas State scored on three of its first four possessions of the half, cashing two touchdowns and a field goal while eating huge chunks of clock. The sequence flipped the scoreboard and the entire feel of the game.

For a moment it looked like the Buffs might make it interesting. Colorado pieced together a clean nine-play, 75-yard answer that featured Hayden and Welch in sequence, plus a timely throw from Salter to Miller on the boundary. Welch again finished the drive with a one-yard score, cutting the deficit to one possession with about seven minutes to play. The sideline woke up, the crowd quieted a bit, and there was a path if the defense could get off the field.

Kansas State slammed that door. The Wildcats’ final drive had everything that had worked for them all day. Motion to identify coverage, a quarterback keep to steal a first down, a patient cut by Jackson into a backside crease, and a play action throw to get across midfield. By the time they reached the red area, the Colorado defense had been on the field too long. The Wildcats punched in one last touchdown for good measure and then squeezed the remaining time. The Buffs had no answer in the two minute drill and the season ended the way too many Saturdays have ended this fall, with the opponent in victory formation.

Final Score

Colorado 14

Kansas State 24

Player of the Game

• Omarion Miller: The third year wideout was again the best offensive option. He finished with seven catches and right around a buck twenty in receiving yards, working both as a vertical threat and as a screen and run after catch weapon. The screen that sprung for 32 before halftime was a perfect example of why he needs touches in all quadrants. He kept showing up even when the coverage shaded his way. Miller could not will the group into the end zone by himself, but his production and the attention he draws are the foundation of whatever the passing game becomes in the spring.

Outlook

A long offseason now begins, and the questions are not small. Two losing records in the last three seasons will spark hard conversations about staff, scheme, and roster. Blue chip recruits want proof that a plan exists and that it is supported in every room. Retention is just as important as addition, and that starts with the core playmakers. Keeping Omarion Miller in black and gold should be a priority, and getting a healthy Jordan Seaton back to anchor the front would change the entire feel of the offense. The quarterback room has a clear centerpiece with JuJu Lewis and his redshirt preserved, so the program can build the spring around his growth, the protection menu he needs, and a more diverse red zone plan. That is, if they all stay.

None of this erases the frustration of 3-9. The details matter and they cost Colorado too many games. But the path back is not mysterious. Clean up first down on both sides, keep the drive finishers on campus, build the offense around the young quarterback’s strengths, and stop the bleeding against the run. If those boxes get checked, the tone of this recap a year from now will read very differently.

While the Buffs’ season is over, there is plenty of college football still on the calendar. We will be here through the postseason and the roster churn, tracking every coaching note and portal move. Stick with Ralphie Report as we keep the coverage rolling, and as always, Sko Buffs.