Joel Klatt claims Colorado coaches 'fumbled the game' against Kansas State

Colorado dropped their first Big 12 game of the season last week to Kansas State. Losing in a close 31-28 contest that head coach Deion Sanders called ‘a wake up call’ for the Buffaloes.

Some key injuries left the Buffaloes undermanned on the field in the second half. But college football analyst Joel Klatt believes that Colorado’s coaching staff also played a key role in Saturday’s loss in Boulder during crunch time.

“I felt like the coaching staff for Colorado just fumbled the game at the end,” Klatt said. “You don’t play man coverage up four inside of three minutes to allow big plays to happen. You force them to snap it 10, 11, 12 times so you’ve got to create layers to your defense and force them and encourage them to run the football rally up, make the tackle, and then let the clock work on your side.”

An 11-yard touchdown connection between Shedeur Sanders and LaJohntay Wester gave the Buffaloes a 28-24 lead with 3:12 remaining in the ballgame. Which the Wildcats responded to in just three plays, giving up a 50-yard touchdown against a scheme that Klatt viewed as flawed.

“And then 4th & 5, don’t throw a fade,” Klatt said. “This is my pushback on Shedeur. He’s fabulous, he is accurate he is tough. I mean you talk about tough, there’s no one last two years in college football that has been hit more than Shedeur Sanders and he gets right back up there.”

Sanders is projected by some to be the top quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. But his decision on fourth down with the game on the line to throw a vertical fade route that wound up being incomplete speaks to one of the few flaws in his game according to Klatt.

“They’ve got to drive down to kick a field goal, it’s 4th & 6, he throws a fade. It’s like dude, you got blitzed from the field, the wide side of the field,” Klatt said. “You’ve got an in-breaking route from that side that has inside leverage on the support defender, throw the in-breaking route.”

Five of Colorado’s eight losses last season were by one score. And while the Buffaloes have looked improved in several areas, improved coaching and execution in the fourth quarter this season could serve as key to unlocking success.