Colorado’s defense spent Saturday afternoon lined up across from a quarterback who was playing high school football last fall. This week it gets one with 21 career college starts and a national championship-winning play-caller in his ear.
The Buffs won 52-21 and gave up 372 yards to an FCS opponent. As part of that, Weber State freshman Nate Dahle went 20 of 48 for 244 yards and three touchdowns, and Noah Kjar caught seven passes for 121 yards and two scores. None of it threatened a game Colorado led 42-14 at halftime. None of the Buffs who spoke afterward called it harmless.
What bothered them was not the effort.
“The effort was there for the entire game, I think even to the last second,” linebacker Tyler Martinez said. “And then just the communication. We were on the same page the whole game. Little things tore us apart in some of those plays.”
Safety Randon Fontenette put the problem in the same place.
“It’s not the defensive scheme, because coach Marve is going to call a great game every time,” Fontenette said. “It’s really on us just owning up to doing our job and trusting each other. Just tighten up on the little things.”
Northwestern is equipped to punish the little things.
Aidan Chiles, who started 20 games at Michigan State before transferring, completed 14 of 24 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown in the Wildcats’ 34-18 win over South Dakota State on Sept. 5, and then ran in a 14-yard score to put it away. His first throw of the season traveled 71 yards to Griffin Wilde, a third-team All-Big-Ten receiver who caught 71 passes last season. Northwestern averaged 11.4 yards per pass attempt and 7.2 per carry, with Joseph Himon II breaking an 80-yard touchdown run in the final two minutes.
Running that offense is Chip Kelly, in his first season at Northwestern. He won a national title calling plays at Ohio State, then spent last year as the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator before being fired in November after a 2-9 start. The Wildcats’ bye came last weekend, giving Kelly two weeks to prepare for the Buffs.
Most of what got away from Colorado on Saturday came after the game stopped being competitive, which Fontenette offered less as an excuse than an explanation.
“We’re human still,” he said. “We have emotions, we have egos. When you get up like that, people pull their foot off the pedal. But coach Marve kept emphasizing we’ve got to keep going until the clock hits zero.”
There will be less room for that this week.
What held up was the pass rush. Lamont Lester Jr. has a sack in each of Colorado’s first two games — four overall — and the Buffs added 10 quarterback hurries and nine tackles for loss Saturday. South Dakota State sacked Chiles twice. He threw 11 interceptions in 2024, and Northwestern went 1-5 least season when it turned the ball over twice or more.
The run defense has been the steadier half. Colorado allowed 51 rushing yards at Georgia Tech and 127 against Weber State. Its defensive line was named the Big 12’s unit of the week after the opener. Northwestern went 5-0 last season when it ran for at least 199 yards and 2-6 when it didn’t.
Depth was the part Martinez came away encouraged by.
“Some of those guys who came in late in the game played their butts off,” he said. “Knowing they can come in and provide support when we need them to, that’s a big deal for us on defense.”
He was less willing to grade the afternoon generously.
“We just need to learn and notice that we’re not as good as we want to be yet,” he said. “This isn’t the end goal.”
Fontenette was already looking ahead.
“It’ll be fixed vs Northwestern,” he said.
Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MT on Saturday.
Baylor game time set
CU will get its first early kickoff of the season when it travels to Baylor on Sept. 26. The Big 12 announced Monday that the Buffs and Bears will kick off at 10 a.m. MT, and the game will be broadcast on either ESPN or ESPN2.
