For the third straight year, Khalil Tate and the Arizona Wildcats have emerged triumphant over Colorado, as Zona took down the Buffs at Folsom Field Saturday afternoon, 35-30.

Below are 10 takeaways from the loss.

1. The Buffs are in a precarious situation regarding injuries to key players.

***Definitive injury news released today says that Mustafa Johnson could be out as long as a month, Laviska Shenault remains day-to-day but given CU has a short week before facing Oregon on the road Friday, his core muscle strain could possibly be a nagging injury that keeps him out, while Chris Miller is out for the year, having underwent surgery Friday to repair a torn ACL.

To make matters worse, Jalen Sami had a right knee injury that prevented him from returning to the game, K.D. Nixon was sidelined for most of the game with an undisclosed injury, Colby Pursell did not play today, Mikial Onu missed significant time in the second half due to a torso injury while Brady Russell also left the game, again with an undisclosed injury.

Finally, Jalen Harris, after barely playing vs. ASU, did not take the field Saturday vs. Arizona.

The final count is nine players, including the top two depth chart TEs, the starting free safety and a key member of CU's pass rush in Johnson.

2. "Next man up" has its limits.

***I'm not here to disparage and negate the efforts of guys lower on the depth chart who were forced to step up in place of starters, but for all we've heard about "next man up," Saturday's game seemed like a good example of the practical limitations of that.

Sam Noyer playing extended snaps at safety along with K.J. Trujillo starting at corner over Mekhi Blackmon — in other words, two DBs who have played their respective positions for two months now, is indicative of the shorthanded atmosphere present back there.

Johnson and Sami being out places more pressure on freshmen DLs who might not be ready to play 50-plus snaps a game.

3. The tough situation Colorado is in regarding the secondary has roots — less than impressive recruiting in the defensive backfield.

***It would be wholly unfair to lump the majority of the blame on Tyson Summers for Colorado's continued struggles to avoid giving up big plays through the air.

Thinking where this defense would be if the Buffaloes hadn't landed Onu for a grad transfer year adds perspective to what Summers and Co. are working with in terms of bodies and talent.

Half the DBs from the Class of 2017 (Kevin George and Dante Wigley) are no longer with the program and within the Class of 2018, Hasaan Hypolite was dismissed from the program and L.J. Wallace now plays JUCO ball.

In regards to the 2019 class, Mark Perry and K.J. Trujillo are currently going through baptisms of fire — their trials likely are just getting started and it wouldn't be fair to expect them to be game changers and stabilizers as freshmen.

Point being, Colorado's secondary heading into this season was a house of cards that seemed poised to topple in the event of injuries to key guys, which we are actively seeing.

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