The Colorado Buffaloes’ rough start to the 2025 season continued Saturday night, losing 36-20 in their Big 12 opener against Houston. Deion Sanders’ team, with two losses in three games, clearly is struggling to find consistency without its star players.
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The Buffs-Cougars game was competitive early on. Colorado trailed by just 16-14 at halftime after putting together back-to-back scoring drives late in the second quarter. But after the break, the Cougars took control, outscoring the Buffaloes 20-6 while dominating possession.
Houston held the ball for 13 more minutes than Colorado and kept the Buffaloes’ offense in check for much of the night. After a much-hyped offseason, Coach Prime’s squad has yet to live up to expectations on the field, leaving fans and analysts questioning whether the momentum from last year can carry over.
However, despite the early disappointment, one of Sanders’ most high-profile supporters, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, remains firmly in his corner.
“I’m so proud of Coach Prime, the coaching staff, all the players, but I’m most proud of Coach Prime because what he is attempting to do, what he’s doing, there’s no blueprint,” Johnson said.
The Hollywood actor and former WWE superstar praised Sanders not just for his football acumen, but for the broader impact he is having on the program and community.
“He’s creating his own blueprint. And that’s the special thing he is doing for this city, for this town, for these players and for college football,” he added.
Johnson’s words underscore how Sanders’ influence is defining what a college program can look like under a charismatic, culture-shifting leader.
On the playing field, though, the team has struggled this season. Outside of a garbage-time touchdown in the fourth quarter, Colorado was unable to sustain drives behind freshman quarterback Ryan Staub, who made his first career start. Sanders, too, was visibly frustrated following the loss.
Calling the performance “foolishness,” but refusing to throw his players under the bus, the head coach admitted he was “at a loss for words.”
“It wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all. I take full responsibility for the foolishness that went on out there that we tried to name football. We tried to call it football. It wasn’t that. We’ve got to do better in every phase of the game. We’ve got to do better [at] preparing our kids,” said Coach Prime.
Colorado’s only win this season came last week against FCS opponent Delaware. The comfortable 31-7 victory had come as a relief after the Buffaloes lost their season opener, a 27-20 home setback against Georgia Tech.
Looking ahead, expectations for the remainder of the season are tempered. Colorado faces a difficult schedule and will need to quickly find stability to claw back into bowl contention.
Still, with Sanders’ relentless mindset and his unwavering commitment to excellence, the program has what it takes to steady itself. For now, it’s less about chasing glory and more about building resilience.
Sanders’ squad will look to bounce back and even its record at 2-2 when it returns home to face Wyoming next weekend.
