Buffs Beat

Five Shocking Stats From Colorado Buffaloes' Loss At TCU

Good and bad, a few shocking statistics have emerged from the Colorado Buffaloes' Saturday night loss to the TCU Horned Frogs. Quarterback Kaidon Salter and coach Deion Sanders have plenty to fix moving forward, and the numbers only tell part of the story.
Jack Carlough|
Oct 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders on the sidelines during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Oct 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders on the sidelines during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

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Colorado BuffaloesTCU Horned Frogs

Statistics don't tell the whole story, but the Colorado Buffaloes have put up some concerning numbers through six games.

While none are more important than 2-4, the Buffs must improve in several areas if they have any hopes of flirting with a bowl game. Most notably, quarterback Kaidon Salter and whoever's lining up at the second cornerback spot must get going quickly, and that only became clearer throughout Saturday's 35-21 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs.

Below are five surprising stats from Colorado' Saturday night loss at TCU:

Two-Minute Chaos

Shocking Stats Colorado Buffaloes Loss TCU Horned Frogs Deion Sanders Kaidon Salter Dallan Hayden Keaten Wade Big 12 Football
Oct 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Kaidon Salter (3) throws downfield against the TCU Horned Frogs during the second half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

As brought to light by BuffZone's Brian Howell, Colorado's offense has found much greater success with Ryan Staub over Salter at quarterback in two-minute scenarios. Staub has thrown for 121 yards (6-for-9 passing) and a touchdown in two opportunities while Salter owns 67 passing yards (6-for-19) and three interceptions in six chances.

Third-Down Success

Unlike last week against BYU, Colorado's offense was efficient on third and fourth downs, gaining the required yardage 10 times out of 15. The Buffs' success running the ball game on early downs made this possible, and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur also deserves some credit here.

Time Of Possession

Colorado hasn't won the time of possession battle frequently under coach Deion Sanders, but that wasn't the case on Saturday night as the Buffs' offense was on the field for 31 minutes, 25 seconds. Rarely does a team that loses by 14 points lead the time of possession by over one minute.

MORE: Colorado's Kaidon Salter Shares Candid Thoughts On Three-Interception Game At TCU

MORE: Colorado Quarterback Kaidon Salter’s Struggles vs. TCU Reignite Power 4 Debate

MORE: What Deion Sanders Said After Colorado Buffaloes' Disappointing Loss To TCU Horned Frogs

Back-To-Back Collapses

Shocking Stats Colorado Buffaloes Loss TCU Horned Frogs Deion Sanders Kaidon Salter Dallan Hayden Keaten Wade Big 12 Football
Oct 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Joseph Manjack IV (14) makes a touchdown catch infront of Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Preston Hodge (4) during the second half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The most embarrassing result from Saturday? Colorado held a 14-0 lead for the second straight week only to watch it disappear.

Even worse, the collapse essentially occurred within the span of about two minutes. TCU scored two touchdowns late in the first half, with Salter throwing an interception almost immediately after the Horned Frogs' first score.

"It's frustrating because I'm seeing what you see," Sanders said, per BuffsTV. "I felt like, and this is no disrespect to TCU, because they're well-coached, they did a wonderful job, quarterback made plays. I feel like we were the better team. Felt like that last week, week before, but yet we're still in this situation."

Road Woes Continue

Colorado beat Colorado State, UCF, Arizona and Texas Tech in succession away from Boulder last season but has since fallen to Kansas, BYU, Houston and TCU on the road. None of those four losses were closer than 14 points, too.

"We all got to stick together," Salter said, per BuffsTV. "We're in college, we're with each other every day. We just got to stay locked in, continue to trust each other, continue to hold each other accountable, and that's that. It starts at practice, like I said. It starts with us getting up at six in the morning, going to meetings, just staying together. We gotta stay together. That's one big thing that you have to do when you're having a season like we're having so far."

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Jack Carlough
JACK CARLOUGH

Jack Carlough is lead reporter for Colorado Buffaloes on SI. Jack graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor's degree in journalism and minors in business and sports media. Born and raised in the Boulder area, Jack began covering Colorado athletics in 2018 and was the head sports editor of the CU Independent during his college career. More recently, he spent over three years as the managing editor of the USA Today Sports Network's Colorado Buffaloes Wire, where he covered Colorado's hiring of head football coach Deion Sanders. Other publications Jack has written for include the Boulder Daily Camera, Left Hand Valley Courier and SB Nation’s Ralphie Report. In 2022, the Colorado Press Association awarded Jack second place in its annual Class 5 Best Sports Column Writing category.

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