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Breaking down the biggest plays in the Buffs last home game
Colorado made a statement to close their regular season, crushing the Oklahoma State Cowboys to advance to 9-3. The Buffs won 52-0, and the seniors stepped up in their last game of the season.
Friday morning at Folsom Field was magical, so let’s relive it! Here are the top four plays from Shedeur Sanders’ and Travis Hunter’s final home game in Boulder:
#4: DJ McKinney’s Pick Six
This interception came late enough in the game that it didn’t have an affect on the outcome, however, this was still a remarkable play for a few reasons. This was an important play, as McKinney was playing against his former team. It was also DJ’s first pick-six of his college career and only his second interception of the season. McKinney has played phenomenally all season, and his lack of forced turnovers has been a testament to how good he has been in coverage this year.
DJ will be a key player to watch in the off-season as he will be this team’s best coverage cornerback next season, given he remains in Boulder.
Here’s a look at this great moment for DJ:
#3: Travis Hunter’s first drive interception
This one play was a great representation of how the defense played as a whole on Saturday. This interception was a big play for the secondary and Travis, but this play didn’t happen without the pass rush getting to freshman Oklahoma State quarterback Maealiuaki Smith.
This pick exemplified how well the defense was going to play in both phases, which just happened to go the way of the best player in all of college football. The real star of this play was actually Samuel Okunlola, as he beat the tackle off of the edge and forced a young quarterback to make a rushed throw.
Here’s a look at Travis’ early interception that set the tone for the Buffs:
#2: Travis Hunter’s Third Touchdown
With the game winding down and the Buffs holding a 45-point lead, Travis delivered with two big plays on one drive.
The first big play was a 31-yard strike from Shedeur that was hauled in by Travis over the top of a defender. Travis capped off the drive with his third touchdown of the day just three plays later, with a 23-yard touchdown reception that was caught in spectacular fashion.
Watching this play, it wasn’t clear if this ball was going to be underthrown or if Travis even had a chance at catching the ball. Travis contorted his body, turned around and made one of his more impressive catches of the year. This play allowed Deion Sanders to start pulling starters out of the game as Travis had seemingly secured his Heisman.
Here’s a look at this wild catch by Travis:
#1: LaJohntay Wester’s 69-yard touchdown
This play was the exact moment when things got out of hand in Boulder. A play that was designed to be a typical chain-mover to LaJohntay Wester, got taken all the way to the house with Wester going completely untouched. This would be Wester’s second touchdown of the day and tenth on the season.
Looking back on the year, Shedeur reaching out personally to recruit LaJohntay Wester was potentially the best decision he made all year. Wester has provided both big-play ability and chain-moving consistency to this offense. With the injury to Jimmy Horn Jr, our other slot receiver, Wester became one of our most valuable players in conference play. From the Hail Mary reception to send it to overtime against Baylor, to any of his other ten touchdowns on the year, every play has the potential to be a highlight when LaJohntay touches the ball.
Here’s a look at the catch and run, which was also the Buffs’ longest play from Saturday:
by Jacob.Thompson
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