Avery Johnson connected with Jayce Brown for a 50-yard touchdown with 2:14 remaining to give No. 18 Kansas State a 31-28 victory over Colorado.
Johnson’s touchdown pass to Brown came less than a minute after Colorado took a 28-24 lead with 3:12 left on a touchdown pass from Shedeur Sanders to LaJohntay Wester. The Wildcats reached midfield after Colorado failed to cover RB DJ Giddens out of the backfield with a spin pass, and then Johnson found Brown on the next play.
Colorado had a chance to tie the game or take the lead after Johnson’s touchdown pass, but the Buffaloes failed to get a first down. Sanders went deep to Will Sheppard on fourth down and the pass went out of bounds.
Sheppard was one of the best healthy receivers left for the Buffaloes at the end of the game. Colorado played the entire second half without star CB/WR Travis Hunter. He left the game in the first half with an apparent right shoulder injury and watched the final 30 minutes from the bench.
In addition to Hunter, WR Jimmy Horn was injured in the first half and did not return. Omarion Miller stepped up in his absence and had eight receptions for 145 yards. But he suffered a left leg injury on his eighth reception and had to be helped from the field. He didn’t come back either.
Despite losing several receivers in the second half, Sanders completed 34 of 40 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns. However, Sanders threw a costly interception in the second half when he threw a pass that was intercepted by VJ Payne.
Sanders’ third touchdown pass of the game was the go-ahead goal for Sheppard with just over three minutes remaining. That was set up by a long interception return by Colton Hood, the man who replaced Hunter at corner, when the Wildcats decided to go for it on fourth down with just over four minutes left.
Giddens rushed 25 times for 182 yards as Colorado’s lack of running game reared its ugly head once again. Dallan Hayden was the team’s leading rusher with seven carries for 11 yards. Sanders was sacked six times and finished the game with minus-50 rushing yards.
Both teams are still in the thick of the Big 12 race, especially now that Utah has two losses. Iowa State and BYU are the only undefeated teams in the conference and Colorado doesn’t play either of them. Kansas State’s only loss of the season was to BYU and the Wildcats play the Cyclones in the final week of the season.