Ryan Staub’s recent performance against the Delaware Blue Hens has added uncertainty to the Colorado Buffaloes’ quarterback situation. As the team prepares to face the Houston Cougars, it remains unclear who will be named starting quarterback for their Big 12 Conference opener.
Head coach Deion Sanders addressed questions about his plan at quarterback, stating, “I know exactly how I’m going to handle the quarterback situation (…). I’m not gonna say it, but I’m not lost for direction.” While Kaidon Salter started against Delaware and completed 11 of his first 12 passes—also running for a touchdown—he missed some opportunities and appeared out of sync with receivers at times.
Freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis was brought into the game early in the second quarter and again late, but struggled in limited action. On Lewis’s role moving forward, Sanders said, “You can’t throw everything at him; you don’t want to do that (…). You don’t want him to feel like he failed. You gotta proceed with precaution. Some guys want you to just throw them in there, and I’m too protective. I love the kid, and I want the kid to be successful, so we’re very protective on what we do with him and what we can do with him, and really how we call things with him. We want him to be in a situation to excel.”
Staub stood out on Saturday by leading three touchdown drives, including a strong six-play, 75-yard effort late in the second quarter. Reflecting on Staub’s journey as a backup over two years behind Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders said: “I’m just so darn proud of that guy (…). You have no idea how I feel about those types of guys who just hang in there. The opportunity may escape them, but people forget the last game against Utah a couple of years ago. He came in and did a fantastic job. He’s just been waiting for his opportunity. He never jumped into the portal. He had every right to take that away, but he’s just a great human being.”
The decision regarding which quarterback will start against Houston is expected later this week as practice continues.
