Overview
- Arizona handed Colorado a second straight blowout after last week’s 53-7 loss at Utah, marking consecutive games in which the Buffs allowed 50-plus points.
- Colorado finished with five turnovers and a season-high 14 penalties as Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita threw four touchdown passes, with multiple Wildcat scores coming off takeaways.
- Deion Sanders took sole responsibility and withheld player availability for the first time in his tenure, saying, “Don’t attack the coordinators. Come at me,” and rejecting claims his team has quit.
- Quarterback instability persisted: Kaidon Salter was benched, Ryan Staub threw two interceptions, and freshman Julian Lewis delivered a 59-yard first career TD before exiting with a throwing-hand injury.
- The loss dropped Colorado to 3-6 (1-5 Big 12), produced the smallest home crowd of the Sanders era (48,223), and sets up a must-win stretch starting at West Virginia to preserve bowl hopes.