Going into the last game without their best pass rusher didn’t seem to be ideal for the Colorado Buffaloes.

No worries, as several others stepped up and put the Buffs’ often-discussed depth on the edge on display.

“That’s what we’re supposed to do, you know?” sophomore Samuel Okunlola said. “We all can play, we all contribute to this team.”

They’re all going to be needed Saturday, too, when the Buffs (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) battle 18th-ranked Kansas State (4-1, 1-1) at Folsom Field (8:15 p.m., ESPN).

Senior Dayon Hayes, who missed the Buffs’ 48-21 win at Central Florida on Sept. 28 with an undisclosed injury, is “still a little gimpy, but he’s progressing week by week,” defensive ends coach Vincent Dancy said.

Getting Hayes back would be huge for the Buffs, as he posted 16 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in the first four games.

Yet, without him at UCF, the Buffs doubled their sack total for the year, from five to 10. Redshirt freshman Taje McCoy recorded his first two sacks as a Buff, while Okunlola had his first.

McCoy had been turning heads at practice since arriving in Boulder last year but finally got his first true opportunity to shine on game day and made the most of it.

“It was just an amazing feeling, honestly, just being able to cheer with my guys too,” he said. “They’re always happy for me. We were all celebrating on the sideline and just coming together with them. My mom, she couldn’t make it to the game, but I know she was going crazy at home; my sister filmed her. Everybody was excited for me. I had a lot of calls after the game. It was an exciting feeling.”

It was good feeling for the entire group, as McCoy, Okunlola and junior Arden Walker combined for 15 tackles, three sacks and four TFLs against UCF, with all three playing a season-high number of snaps.

“Yeah, it shows what we can do when we all firing off,” McCoy said. “We haven’t even reached our pinnacle yet. We’ve still got more room to improve, honestly, so it’s only up from here.”

Dancy said it’s a boost to the Buffs’ defense to see that group step up and contribute to an impressive win.

“I don’t consider them backups, because they easily could be playing at the one, but it just helps us out overall, especially as a unit,” Dancy said. “Everything we do up front is predicated off each other and helping each other. Because, hey man, this game may not be for you, but let me see how can I set my brother up? So we just rush as one, trust each other, be disciplined within the scheme, and that’s how we execute.”

That will be critical against Kansas State and their quarterback, Avery Johnson. The Buffs have been vulnerable against running quarterbacks, and Johnson is the best the Buffs have faced.

A sophomore, first-year starter, Johnson has modest passing numbers (61.1 completion percentage for 879 yards, nine TDs and four interceptions), but he’s dangerous as a runner. He’s been sacked just four times, while rushing for 321 yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s elusive,” Dancy said. “If he gets outside, man, he could do damage. So we’ve got to be very, very disciplined, trust our rush lane, trust the guy that’s next to us, and execute the assignment.”

Johnson is complemented by a dynamic running back duo of DJ Giddens (604 yards, two TDs) and former Buffs star Dylan Edwards (201 yards, two TDs).

“It’s another run-heavy team,” said McCoy, who played little league football with Johnson and Edwards in Wichita, Kan. “We all played on the same little league team, so I know those guys. I know Avery is a pretty athletic guy. He likes to run, so if we could just contain him, it’ll be a good game for us.”

Containing Johnson and the K-State backs won’t be easy. The Buffs are just 80th nationally against the run, allowing 156 yards per game, but they’ve also shown improvement. And against UCF, they held the Knights to just 47% of their average coming into that game.

With a strong defensive line and a more confident group on the edge, the Buffs go in feeling good about their progress up front.

“I’d do the same thing if I was a head coach at another school; I’d want to run the ball (against CU), too,” defensive tackle Chidozie Nwankwo said. “But we’re definitely getting stronger each and every week. Seeing different blocking schemes and stuff like that, it’s getting us better knowing that we are a young D-line. So I’m looking forward to it.”