Colorado answered the quarterback question Friday night -- at least in terms of who would get the start -- but ultimately neither Brendon Lewis nor J.T. Shrout provided answers.

Lewis manned the position for most of the evening with appearances from Shrout, as fans flooded message boards and Twitter with their frustration at the QB handling.

The end result was a deflating 38-13 loss at home to TCU, as Lewis finished 13-of-18 passing for just 78 yards -- reminding everyone of the Colorado passing attack that ranked near the bottom of college football last year and that prompted head coach Karl Dorrell to overturn his offensive staff.

Shrout showed a live arm, completing 13 of 23 passes for 157 yards and a late touchdown -- a 23-yard connection in the end zone with 1 minute, 13 seconds left.

It was Colorado's first score since a field goal that cut TCU's lead to 7-6 in the second quarter -- in between, the Horned Frogs scored 31 straight points to deliver a decisive knockout in the teams' season opener at Folsom Field.

In the second half, Colorado had just 136 total yards of offense to TCU’s 346.

There were very few positive highlights to pull from this evening matchup.

One important takeaway: OC Mike Sanford’s offense is indeed predictable -- or at least that's how it looked Friday night.

And at a certain point, Colorado’s defense couldn’t hold off the Horned Frogs any longer.

First Quarter

4:44, Colorado: Cole Becker 37-yard field goal, 3-0 CU

Second Quarter

14:36, TCU: Derius Davis 60-yard punt return (Griffin Kell PAT), 7-3 TCU

7:38, Colorado: Cole Becker 43-yard field goal, 7-6 TCU

Third Quarter

11:56, TCU: Emari Demercado 43-yard rush (Griffin Kell PAT), 14-6 TCU

3:45, TCU: Griffin Kell 33-yard field goal, 17-6 TCU

Fourth Quarter

10:55, TCU: Keandre Miller 3-yard rush (Griffin Kell PAT), 24-6 TCU

7:55, TCU: Derius Davis 27-yard rush (Griffin Kell PAT), 31-6 TCU

3:15, TCU: Sam Jackson 7-yard rush (Griffin Kell PAT), 38-6 TCU

1:13, Colorado: JT Shrout 23-yard pass to Jordyn Tyson (Cole Becker PAT, 38-13 TCU

Punter Ashton Logan provided TCU wide receiver Darius Davis with a punt on the Horned Frogs' 40-yard line, and Davis zipped down the left sideline for 60-yard touchdown return.

When J.T. Shrout came in at QB for Colorado, he got the ball moving toward the end of the second with his 35-yard pass to Daniel Arias but couldn't get any points on the board at the end of the half.

The Horned Frogs opened the second half with a quick scoring drive thanks to Emari Demercado's 43-yard touchdown run through the defense to make it a 14-6 TCU lead.

Colorado coach Karl Dorrell responded by going back to Brendon Lewis after halftime, resulting in quick punts the Buffs' next two series and eventually boos from the crowd as the offense stalled again.

The momentum had decisively shifted at that point and Colorado never recovered.

Not many contenders here, but Daniel Arias had himself a game on his 24th birthday catching a long strike from each quarterback. Unfortunately, Colorado couldn’t reach the end zone with Arias gains. He finished with a team-high 4 catches for 66 yards.

Again, slim pickings. Quinn Perry had a big third down stop in the second quarter, preventing a potential Horned Frogs score. He had 6 total tackles.

JT Shrout’s 35-yard pass to Daniel Arias putting Colorado on the Colorado 40-yard line. He would eventually get the Buffs across midfield on an 11-yard pass to Chase Penry and for a fleeting moment it felt like the offense was going to find some momentum. A fleeting moment, though.

The Buffs’ offense crumbled at in the second half with only 136 yards to TCU’s 346. That's the simple way to put it.

This offense was far from game-ready today.

All of their energy was expelled in the first half and TCU’s modest defense walked all over them in the second. As TCU ran up the scoreboard, Colorado’s offense wilted further.

This looked too much like 2021 all over again.

It's time for some much-needed offensive soul-searching to have any chance of winning this fall.

A 25-point loss in a season opener will never reflect well on a coach, but in Karl Dorrell's case, Colorado's dud Friday was that much more of an agonizing reflection of the third-year coach. The night was defined in many ways by Dorrell's baffling decisions.

After J.T. Shrout quickly moved Colorado up the field on the final possession of the first half -- a drive that eventually stalled at midfield -- Dorrell reinserted Brendon Lewis into the game for the first possession of the second half. After a three-and-out, he turned to Lewis again for the Buffs' next drive. It wasn't until the fourth quarter, when Colorado trailed 24-6, that Shrout was put back in. It wasn't just the bizarre quarterback shuffling, either.

With a fourth-and-5 at the TCU 41, less than a minute remaining in the third quarter and the Buffs trailing by 11, Dorrell elected to punt. The Horned Frogs made him pay for it, going 80 yards in 10 plays to effectively put the game away.

Passing

J.T. Shrout, 13 of 23, 157 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT

Brendon Lewis, 13 of 18, 78 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT

Rushing

Brendon Lewis, 8 carries for 42 yards

Alex Fontenot, 8 carries for 31 yards

Deion Smith, 7 carries for 30 yards

Jayle Stacks, 2 carries for 8 yards

Charlie Offerdahl, 1 carry for 6 yards

J.T. Shrout, 3 carries for -4 yards

Receiving

Daniel Arias, 4 catches for 66 yards

Jordyn Tyson, 2 catches for 26 yards, 1 TD

Montana Lemonious-Craig, 2 catches for 23 yards

Chase Sowell, 2 catches for 23 yards

Brady Russell, 3 catches for 19 yards

Jaylon Jackson, 2 catches for 18 yards

R.J. Sneed, 2 catches for 17 yards

Jack Hestera, 3 catches for 17 yards

Chase Penry, 1 catch for 11 yards

Deion Smith, 2 catches for 7 yards

Caleb Fauria, 1 catch for 5 yards

Maurice Bell, 2 catches for 3 yards