What's Holding Back the Colorado Buffaloes, Deion Sanders

The Colorado Buffaloes entered the season with plenty of questions surrounding their defense after struggling on that side of the ball a year ago. Through the first five games of the season, however, defensive coordinator Chris Marve’s unit has quietly turned into one of the biggest positives on this team.

Even with Colorado sitting at 2-3 and entering its bye week on a three-game losing streak, the defense has shown significant improvement, particularly since the loss to Northwestern. The problem is that the offense has not been able to take advantage of it.

Colorado’s defense has put the Buffaloes in position to compete time and time again. However each time offensive struggles have occurred, there’s been turnovers and an inability to consistently finish drives to prevent the team from capitalizing. It’s easy to imagine this is a frustrating situation for Sanders and his coaching staff. The defense appears to be improving at exactly the time when the offense is struggling the most.

Colorado Buffaloes Football Deion Sanders Defense Offense Isaac Wilson Julian Lewis Chris Marve Turnovers — Sep 12, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive lineman Santana Hopper (97) tackles Weber State Wildcats quarterback Nate Dahle (13) in the first quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chris Marve’s Defense Has Stepped Up

The numbers from Colorado’s first two Big 12 games show exactly how much the Buffaloes defensive coordinator Chris Marve’s defense has improved. The Buffaloes are allowing 22.5 points per game in those contests while holding opponents to a 55 percent completion rate. In addition to that, they allowed opposing offenses to convert only 31 percent of their third-down opportunities.

Perhaps the most impressive number is the 21 tackles for loss that the Buffaloes have recorded across those two conference games.

That production reflects the identity Marve wanted to establish when he took his new position. The Buffs have become way more aggressive around the line of scrimmage, consistently creating negative plays and forcing opposing offenses into difficult situations.

Colorado’s overall numbers reinforce this point. The Buffaloes have recorded 43 tackles for loss through five games, ranking first in the Big 12 and third nationally among FBS teams.

The defense also played well against Texas Tech despite the 29-7 loss. The Red Raiders entered the game averaging 429.5 yards per game but finished with only 315 yards against Colorado. Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond was held to just 134 passing yards, while the Red Raiders converted only three of 12 third-down opportunities.

Impressively, Colorado’s defense gave the offense opportunities to stay in the game despite missing several key players. Among others, the Buffs were without linebacker Tyler Martinez, cornerback Jason Stokes Jr. and defensive lineman Lamont Lester Jr. Marve’s unit was still able to hold Texas Tech to only 15 points through much of the fourth quarter.

The Offense Is Holding the Defense Back

Unfortunately for Colorado, strong defensive performances do not mean much if the offense cannot consistently put points on the board and are barely helping making progress throughout a matchup.

That has been the biggest issue for the Buffaloes during their three-game losing streak. Colorado has been outscored 93-27 during that stretch, and the offense has struggled to sustain drives, protect the football and finish opportunities in scoring territory.

The quarterback position has been at the center of these exact problems. Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis was replaced by Isaac Wilson during the Big 12 opener against Baylor, and Wilson eventually received the starting job against Texas Tech.

He threw three interceptions in that game, with turnovers contributing to 19 of Texas Tech’s 29 points. Colorado opened the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive, but the offense failed to keep up the momentum and couldn’t score another touchdown.

Against Baylor, Colorado’s defense held Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway to 221 passing yards and a 49 percent completion rate while limiting the Bears to 23 points. Against Texas Tech, the defense again gave the Buffs a chance to win. The offense simply could not consistently capitalize.

Colorado is currently the lowest-scoring team in the Big 12 as they rack up 18.6 points per game, while the defense has established itself as the team’s clear strength.

For Colorado coach Deion Sanders, that creates a difficult challenge heading into the second half of the season. The defense does not need to be perfect, but it has shown enough improvement to suggest that it can give Colorado a chance against any quality Big 12 opponent. The offense just needs to meet it halfway.

If Colorado can find stability at quarterback, eliminate the costly turnovers and become more efficient in the red zone, Marve’s defense could provide a foundation for the Buffaloes to build on. If the offensive struggles continue, the defense’s progress could ultimately be wasted.

The biggest takeaway from Colorado’s first five games may be that the Buffaloes are not as far away defensively as their 2-3 record suggests. The defense has responded since Northwestern. Now, the offense has to give it something to play for.

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