Colorado Buffaloes Stock Report: Three Players Rising and Three Falling After Week 2

A comfortable home opener at Folsom Field still moved individual stock for several Colorado Buffaloes.

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) walks off the field after defeating the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Colorado Buffaloes' home opener gave them plenty to like without making every individual grade easy. Two receivers topped 100 yards, a running back joined them in triple digits, a kicker got his first college field goal attempt, and three quarterbacks saw the field.

The Week 2 tape is still moving individual stock in both directions. Several Colorado players strengthened their cases for bigger roles, while a few left with something to clean up before playng the Northwestern Wildcats.

Sep 12, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Joseph Williams (8) reacts following his touchdown in the second quarter against the Weber State Wildcats at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rising: Receiver Joseph Williams

Colorado wide receiver Joseph Williams, a Tulsa transfer, needed four catches to reach 123 yards, and two ended in the end zone from 63 and 32 yards. Williams averaged more than 30 yards per reception and gave Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis a downfield answer whenever Weber State lost track of him.

It was Williams’ second 100-yard game at Colorado after his eight-catch, 128-yard performance against Iowa State last October. Colorado also finished Saturday with two 100-yard receivers and a 100-yard rusher, only the third time in program history that combination has happened and the first since 2018.

Rising: Kicker Elliott Arnold

Colorado kicker Elliott Arnold’s first college field goal attempt did not come from friendly range. Colorado sent him out from 52 yards in the third quarter, and he put it through after making all seven extra points. 

Arnold’s high school career-long was also 52 yards, and Saturday gave Colorado game evidence that he can carry that range into college. Colorado coach Deion Sanders has said before the game that Arnold would continue to get field goal work and that he wanted to see the kickers handle pressure (a 52-yarder is a useful first answer).

Elliot Arnold (6) celebrate Arnold's goal against Christiana Brothers during the Division II Class AA State Soccer Championship game at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Thursday, May 23, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Rising: Running Back Micah Welch

Colorado running back Micah Welch turned the opening play of the second quarter into a 55-yard touchdown and finished with 106 yards on 11 carries. It was Colorado’s first 100-yard rushing performance of the Deion Sanders era.

Welch also scored his 10th touchdown as a Buffalo, joining former Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter, former Colorado wide receivers LaJohntay Wester and Omarion Miller as the fourth Colorado player to reach double digits under this staff. In a backfield built for rotation in offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s offense, Welch keeps earning touches by producing when his number comes up.

Falling: Defensive Back Boo Carter

Colorado defensive back and returner Boo Carter’s Week 1 finish made him an easy riser after he blocked Georgia Tech’s final field goal attempt. His first home game brought the kind of special teams mistake that can swing the other way.

With 23 seconds left before halftime, Carter muffed a punt at the Colorado 18, and Weber State recovered at the 20. The Wildcats didn't turn the short field into points, but Colorado gave up a possession. Carter can erase mistakes with one play, as Atlanta showed. Saturday put one on his own cleanup list.

Boo Carter muffed a second-quarter punt that Weber State recovered at the Colorado 20. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Falling: Offensive Lineman Chauncey Gooden

Colorado offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden showed up twice in the penalty column, which makes him a fair one-week faller in a game Deion Sanders later criticized for discipline.

A second-quarter false start did not stop a touchdown drive, but his third-quarter holding penalty erased a nine-yard catch by Colorado running back JaQuail Smith that would have put Colorado at the Weber State 5. Lewis was sacked on the next snap, and Colorado settled for Arnold’s 52-yard field goal. One lineman did not create all 13 flags, but those mistakes can change a drive.

Falling: Quarterback Isaac Wilson

Nothing Colorado quarterback Isaac Wilson did was poor. His stock moves because of the order in which Colorado used its backup quarterbacks after Lewis’ day ended.

Colorado freshman quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne received the first extended relief work, completed seven of 10 passes for 35 yards and ran for a nine-yard touchdown. Wilson followed and completed both throws for minus-3 yards. Wilson arrived from Utah with seven starts as a true freshman, so one fourth quarter does not settle the backup order. Sweetwyne getting the first turn is still worth tracking.

What the Colorado Buffaloes Take to Evanston

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Colorado’s 13 penalties for 107 yards belong on the team ledger before a road game at Northwestern. Gooden’s hold is a useful example of how one flag can turn a promising possession into a long field-goal attempt, and Sanders made clear afterward that the overall discipline was below his standard.

The Buffaloes travel to Evanston on Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. MT kickoff. Week 2 gave Colorado six different stock movements, and the next game should reveal which afternoon swings are starting to become trends.

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