This may have been Deion Sanders’ first rodeo at the Alamo Bowl, but Colorado fans have seen this movie plenty of times.

During the lead-up to Saturday night, all of the talk around Colorado was that it was fully focused on getting its 10th win of the season. As it turns out, the Alamodome is a cursed venue for Colorado football no matter who is donning the headset or rocking the uniforms.

Colorado (9-4, 7-2 Big 12) got crushed by BYU, 36-14, on Saturday night in a game that was never really close right from the start. The Cougars (11-2, 7-2 Big 12) came out with a great game plan and played with a ton of energy to put the game out of reach early and coast to a comfortable victory.

After blowouts at the hands of Oklahoma State (38-8 in 2016) and Texas (55-23 in 2020), the Buffs have now been outscored 129-45 in their last three bowl games, all at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Coming into the game, it was fair to worry about how Colorado would look coming out of the gates. The Buffs have struggled to start fast all season long, and they had one of their worst opening quarters of the season coming off of a bye week against Texas Tech.

As it turns out, having nearly a month off didn't help the Buffs get off to a fast start. After forcing a BYU three-and-out, the Buffs turned the ball over on downs on fourth-and-1 near midfield. BYU quickly responded with a six-play touchdown drive and running back LJ Martin got the Cougars on the scoreboard first with just over 7 minutes to go in the first quarter.

The Cougars tacked on a field goal to make the score 10-0 near the end of the first quarter before reaching into their bag of tricks. Kalani Sitake opted to go with a surprise onside kick that worked to perfection, stealing an extra possession for his team before the Buffs seemed to turn the momentum.

Despite moving the ball with little resistance, BYU decided to let its running quarterback, Baylor transfer Gerry Bohanon, throw the ball and it didn’t go well. Bohanon was intercepted on a severely underthrown ball by DJ McKinney and the Buffs were back in business. After a huge 58-yard catch and run by Travis Hunter, Colorado seemed poised to get back in the game.

Even in a position to score, the Colorado offense stalled out once again. Shedeur Sanders took a 23-yard sack on third down, pushing the Buffs back to the edge of Alejandro Mata’s field goal range. The 48-yard kick missed wide left and the zero on the scoreboard remained.

On CU’s next possession, a false start and another sack of Sanders set up a punt, where CU’s special teams demons from earlier in the season rose to the surface. BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston found a seam and raced 64 yards to the end zone to extend the lead to 17-0 with 5:32 left in the first half. The Cougars added three more points on the final play before halftime and mercifully sent the game to the locker room.

The second half started off just how the first half ended. After the Buffs finally picked up a first down to start a drive, Jimmy Horn Jr. dropped a ball due to a big hit and it popped up in the air before it was intercepted by BYU cornerback Evan Johnson. The Cougars offense continued to dominate as it marched right down the field to make it a 27-0 ballgame on a touchdown by Sione I Moa.

The Buffs finally found some life on the ensuing series with some of the magic that lifted them up so many times during the season. Shedeur Sanders escaped pressure out to his right and lofted a perfect pass to Hunter. The Heisman Trophy winner made the catch and made multiple defenders miss on his way to the end zone for a 43-yard score to get CU on the board just over halfway through the quarter.

As Colorado tried to chip away at the massive BYU lead in the fourth quarter, it just couldn’t string enough plays together. After Hunter’s touchdown, the Buffs allowed BYU to march right down into the red zone before defensive back Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig intercepted a Jake Retzlaff pass in the end zone. However the Buffs’ offense couldn’t take advantage of that momentum as it quickly went three-and-out and punted the ball back to the Cougars.

That was the story of the rest of the fourth quarter, and the night as a whole, as BYU ran away with a convincing win in the Alamo Bowl. The Cougars’ season ends on a high note with 11 wins and the Buffs head back to Boulder with their tail between their legs.

Hunter was a star in the box score once again for Colorado, recording 106 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches. He also made four tackles on defense. For BYU, Martin ran all over the Buffs’ defense to finish with 93 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

BYU dominated this game on the field and that story played out on the stat sheet. The Cougars picked up 22 first downs to just nine for the Buffs. Colorado was outgained by 121 yards and BYU held a 180-2 advantage in rushing yards. This was a thorough domination from start to finish that will surely leave a sour taste in Colorado’s mouth heading into the offseason.

First quarter

BYU 7:10: LJ Martin 1-yard run (Will Ferrin kick), BYU 7-0

BYU 2:19: Will Ferrin 51-yard field goal, BYU 10-0

Second quarter

BYU 5:32: Parker Kingston 64-yard punt return (Will Ferrin kick), BYU 17-0

BYU 0:00: Will Ferrin 54-yard field goal, BYU 20-0

Third quarter

BYU 8:03: Sione I Moa 13-yard run (Will Ferrin kick), BYU 27-0

COL 6:14: Travis Hunter 43-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata kick), BYU 27-7

Fourth quarter

BYU 10:27: LJ Martin 9-yard run (Will Ferrin kick), BYU 33-7

BYU 5:28: Will Ferrin 31-yard field goal, BYU 36-7

COL 2:17: Sav’ell Smalls 2-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Alejandro Mata kick), BYU 36-14

The Buffs lost because they plain didn’t show up to play in this one, and that falls on everyone. The game plans on both sides of the ball left plenty to be desired. The players didn’t come out with energy or focus and they failed to execute time and time again.

The offensive line allowed pressure all night. Shedeur Sanders missed a crucial fourth down throw early on and took a few very bad sacks. The wide receivers struggled to make catches in traffic like they have all season. The offense as a whole committed a handful of pre-snap penalties that set them back on multiple drives.

BYU was locked in on both sides of the ball and executed very well throughout the night, but there’s no question that it was up against a Colorado team that was far below its best.

Colorado was hanging around in this one into the second quarter when it looked like it was close to turning things around. The Buffs had come up with three stops in a row – one to force a field goal followed by a pair of interceptions – as BYU hung on to a 10-0 lead.

However, the Colorado offense went three-and-out once again, and BYU wideout Parker Kingston made a huge play that really kicked the rout into high gear.

The Buffs didn’t have a ton of success on offense in this one, but there were still some moments of magic from Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter that Colorado fans have grown accustomed to over the last two seasons. In the third quarter, the two stars got the Buffs on the board with a vintage connection for the 43-yard touchdown.

Despite a bad day for the defense overall, safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig still showed out in his final college game. With the Buffs trying to chip away at the big BYU lead in the fourth quarter, Silmon-Craig took points off the board with this excellent interception to give CU the ball back.

Despite the loss and the fact that it wasn’t his best game on either side of the ball, Travis Hunter still showed out in this game. He made four tackles on defense and caught four passes for 106 yards and a touchdown, including this beauty of a catch and run to put Colorado into the red zone in the first half.

Hunter would add a touchdown later in the game, showcasing his skills all night even in a blowout loss.

DT Amari McNeill, CB Preston Hodge, EDGE Keaten Wade and OL Kahlil Benson all did not suit up for this game due to injury, but wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. was back in action.

Defensive back Carter Stoutmire left the game with a left leg injury and was spotted on the sideline with crutches and a walking boot on. Later in the second half, wide receiver Will Sheppard went down with an injury and did not return.

Colorado

Total Yards: 210

Passing

Shedeur Sanders: 16-for-23, 208 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

Rushing

Micah Welch: 5 carries, 25 yards

Isaiah Augustave: 3 carries, 11 yards

Dallan Hayden: 1 carry, 0 yards

LaJohntay Wester: 1 carry, 0 yards

Shedeur Sanders: 9 carries, -34 yards

Receiving

Travis Hunter: 4 catches, 106 yards, TD

LaJohntay Wester: 4 catches, 51 yards

Dallan Hayden: 1 catch, 38 yards

Jimmy Horn Jr.: 4 catches, 7 yards

Will Sheppard: 1 catch, 4 yards

Sav’ell Smalls: 1 catch. 2 yards, TD

Drelon Miller: 1 catch, 0 yards

BYU

Total yards: 331

Passing

Jake Retzlaff: 12-for-21, 151 yards, 2 INT

Gerry Bohanon: 0-for-1, INT

Parker Kingston: 0-for-1

Rushing

LJ Martin: 17 carries, 93 yards, 2 TD

Jake Retzlaff: 7 carries, 29 yards

Sione I Moa: 4 carries, 25 yards, TD

Pokaiaua Haunga: 5 carries, 20 yards

Gerry Bohanon: 3 carries, 18 yards

Keelan Marion: 3 carries, 1 yard

Receiving

LJ Martin: 2 catches, 33 yards

Ryner Swanson: 2 catches, 30 yards

Parker Kingston: 1 catch, 24 yards

Darius Lassiter: 2 catches, 24 yards

Mata’ava Ta’ase: 1 catch, 12 yards

Sione I Moa: 1 catch, 12 yards

Chase Roberts: 1 catch, 11 yards

Keelan Marion: 1 catch, 6 yards

Pokaiaua Haunga: 1 catch, -1 yards