Folsom Field late games are never over until they’re over.

Three weeks after Colorado’s miraculous win against Baylor under the lights in Boulder, the Buffs were back at it with another rollercoaster against one of the top teams in the Big 12. This time, however, Avery Johnson and No. 18-ranked Kansas State got the last laugh.

The young quarterback one-upped the heroics of Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado defense with a beautiful 50-yard touchdown pass to Jayce Brown with 2:14 remaining to lift Kansas State to a wild 31-28 victory.

Coach Chris Klieman and Kansas State appeared to have this one pretty much under control from the start. The Buffs got on the board first with a nice drive and a 25-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to LaJohntay Wester, but Johnson, running back DJ Giddens and the Kansas State ground attack quickly took command.

Giddens constantly bounced off defenders, made others miss and got downfield for big gains, while Johnson was sound in the pocket and extended plays with his legs, eventually punching in an 8-yard touchdown run (and adding a little ode to Deion Sanders with the dance at the end of it) to even things up at 7-7.

In the second quarter, the Kansas State defense dialed up the pressure, starting to send blitz after blitz, looping defenders into the backfield from all three levels of the defense, flushing Sanders out of the pocket and into the waiting arms of more white jerseys.

The Buffs’ offense stalled as a result, as they were unable to come up with any meaningful drives, and former Buff Dylan Edwards punched in a short touchdown to give Kansas State a 14-7 lead going into the half.

The Wildcats rolled that momentum over into the second half, marching down the field once again with an 8-minute touchdown drive –withstanding an injury to Johnson in the process – to take a commanding 21-7 lead. The Buffs steadied themselves with a drive in response, but still trailed 24-14 entering the final frame.

As has been the case so often, the Folsom Field chaos began when the final quarter got going. A Shedeur Sanders interception down in the red zone appeared to dash the Buffs’ hopes, but their defense came up big once again with a three-and-out. The Buffs didn’t waste a second chance to drive down and cut the lead down to 3, as Isaiah Augustave punctuated a long drive with a short touchdown run.

Speaking of the defense stepping up, the Buffs called upon it once again for a huge play on fourth down. Reserve cornerback Colton Hood – subbing in for the injured Travis Hunter – picked off a tipped pass and nearly took it back to the house, setting Sanders up for his second touchdown pass to Wester to improbably put the Buffs in front, 28-24, with 3:12 remaining.

The Colorado defense came up big twice but couldn’t keep it going. Kansas State came up with a few chunk plays when it mattered — first a wheel route to Giddens for a huge gain down the right sideline, then the long touchdown pass to Brown, to reclaim the lead.

Colorado’s last gasp came up short with a four-and-out, and the Buffs picked up their first loss in Big 12 play.

The loss of Hunter mid-game was certainly a big story on both sides of the ball. His absence was felt at cornerback on the final drive, when the Buffs needed someone to make one more play. On offense, the loss of Hunter along with Jimmy Horn Jr., Omarion Miller and Terrell Timmons Jr. took a massive chunk out of the wide receiver unit, limiting Sanders’ weapons during the second half.

The Buffs will try to get healthy and regroup before a challenging road trip to Tucson to play against Arizona next Saturday.

First quarter

COL 7:06: LaJohntay Wester 25-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata kick), COL 7-0

KSU 0:44: Avery Johnson 8-yard run (Chris Tennant kick), tied 7-7

Second quarter

KSU 1:52: Dylan Edwards 1-yard run (Chris Tennant kick), KSU 14-7

Third quarter

KSU 6:55: Jayce Brown 1-yard pass from Avery Johnson (Chris Tennant kick), KSU 21-7

COL 4:44: Will Sheppard 7-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata kick), KSU 21-14

KSU 0:28: Chris Tennant 48-yard field goal, KSU 24-14

Fourth quarter

COL 6:44 : Isaiah Augustave 2-yard run (Alejandro Mata kick), KSU 24-21

COL 3:12: LaJohntay Wester 11-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata kick), COL 28-24

KSU 2:14: Jayce Brown 50-yard pass from Avery Johnson (Chris Tennant kick), KSU 31-28

The Buffs lost this game because of the disparity on the ground. They had improved in this area in recent weeks, shoring up the run defense and becoming very stout against the run despite some difficult opponents while establishing more of a presence in the running game on offense. On Saturday night, neither one of those things showed up.

Including six Shedeur Sanders sacks, the Buffs ran the ball for a grand total of negative-29 yards on 19 carries. Negative yards! That’s not going to cut it against a very good defense. On the other side of the ball, the Buffs had a big problem tackling DJ Giddens in the running game. Giddens ran for 182 yards on 25 carries and was a nightmare to get on the ground all night.

This game was full of turning points, but the final, most pivotal one came at the very end. After an incompletion on Kansas State’s final drive made it second-and-10, Avery Johnson found DJ Giddens wide open on the right side for a massive 34-yard gain to immediately flip the field. The Wildcats didn’t take their foot off the gas for even a play, as Johnson took the next snap and launched the game-winning touchdown to Jayce Brown.

The biggest play of this game for the Colorado offense came after the Colton Hood interception, when the Buffs took the field in a sudden change situation with a chance to take the lead. Shedeur Sanders started the drive off with a quick completion to Terrell Timmons Jr., and found LaJohntay Wester on play two for the duo’s second touchdown connection of the night to put Colorado in front.

On a night where the defense struggled to make plays and play sound football, it still came up with one massive play that changed the game. With Kansas State facing fourth-and-6 in plus territory and the Buffs needing a stop, Robert Livingston sent the house. Johnson panicked and threw an inaccurate pass that got tipped in the air and picked off by Colton Hood, who nearly scored on the return.

On a night where he lost more than half of his receiving core, Shedeur Sanders played a heck of a football game. He set a Colorado school record by completing 16 consecutive passes in the first half before a Will Sheppard drop ended the streak. It wasn’t a perfect night for Sanders – he threw an ugly interception and took a few bad sacks – but he kept the Buffs in the game on a night where most other quarterbacks would have wilted.

Sanders’ final statline was phenomenal: 34-for-40 with 388 yards and three touchdowns plus the one interception. It was one of his best games of the season, even in a loss.

The Buffs got pretty beat up in this one, losing multiple key players to injury. The biggest name, of course, is Travis Hunter, who left the game in the first half after taking a hard hit over the middle. Wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. also took a big hit over the middle and left the game with an injury. Omarion Miller also left the game with an apparent lower body injury after an awkward tackle in the second half, as did Terrell Timmons Jr., bringing the injured wide receiver count to four.

Deion Sanders said after the game that he didn’t have updates on any of the injuries, but Omarion Miller’s leg was in a cast. There was never any discussion about Hunter coming back in the game, despite him returning to the sideline with his helmet.

Colorado

Total Yards: 359

Passing

Shedeur Sanders: 34-for-40, 388 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

Rushing

Dallan Hayden: 7 carries, 11 yards

Isaiah Augustave: 3 carries, 10 yards, TD

Shedeur Sanders: 9 carries, -50 yards

Receiving

Omarion Miller: 8 catches, 145 yards

Will Sheppard: 5 catches, 83 yards, TD

LaJohntay Wester: 5 catches, 58 yards, 2 TD

Drelon Miller: 5 catches, 27 yards

Travis Hunter: 3 catches, 26 yards

Jimmy Horn Jr.: 3 catches, 20 yards

Dallan Hayden: 3 catches, 19 yards

Terrell Timmons Jr.: 1 catch, 6 yards

Isaiah Augustave: 1 catch, 4 yards

Kansas State

Total yards: 423

Passing

Avery Johnson: 15-for-23, 224 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

Rushing

DJ Giddens: 25 carries, 182 yards

Dylan Edwards: 7 carries, 21 yards, TD

Jadon Jackson: 1 carry, 0 yards

Avery Johnson: 7 carries, -15 yards, TD

Receiving

Jayce Brown: 6 catches, 121 yards, 2 TD

DJ Giddens: 2 catches, 38 yards

Dylan Edwards: 3 catches, 27 yards

Garrett Oakley: 2 catches, 17 yards

Dante Cephus: 2 catches, 16 yards

Jadon Jackson: 1 catch, 14 yards

Will Swanson: 1 catch, 5 yards