A scouting report of the Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes ahead of Saturday’s game at Folsom Field in Boulder.

Colorado Buffaloes

Head coach: Deion Sanders, 2nd season (11-10, 38-16 career)

2024 season: 7-2, 5-1 Big 12

Last week: Won at Texas Tech, 41-27

Rankings: No. 17 CFP, No. 18 AP, No. 20 Coaches

5 Buffs to watch

LB LaVonta Bentley: Last week at Texas Tech, he had a season-high 10 tackles. This season, he has 39 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack, along with two fumble recoveries. He has 107 tackles in his two seasons at CU.

CB/WR Travis Hunter: The Heisman Trophy campaign continues. He’s caught 69 passes for 856 yards and nine touchdowns on offense, while posting 20 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass breakups on defense.

PK Alejandro Mata: Since Big 12 play began, Mata has been on fire, going 9-for-9 on field goal attempts. He’s 11-for-13 on the season and has the best field goal percentage (.840, 21-of-25) in CU history. He’s also 37-for-37 on extra points this year.

S Shilo Sanders: Capped last week’s win with a fumble return for touchdown. The senior has big-play potential and has posted 37 tackles, one TFL and a pass breakup in six games this season.

LT Jordan Seaton: The true freshman has been one of the better tackles in the Big 12 and he’s been especially exceptional since a slow start to the year. In the past seven games, he’s allowed one sack, no hits, five hurries and six pressures.

Utah Utes

Head coach: Kyle Whittingham, 20th season (166-84)

2024 season: 4-5, 1-5 Big 12

Last week: Lost to No. 9 BYU at home, 22-21

Rankings: N/R

5 Utes to watch

LB Lander Barton: He leads the Utes with 59 tackles this season while also posting three tackles for loss and four pass breakups.

RB Micah Bernard: Although the Utes have struggled on offense, Bernard has been one of the best running backs in the Big 12, ranking sixth with 95.6 rushing yards per game. He has posted 860 yards and three TDs this year while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

DE Van Fillinger: Utah’s top edge player, he has 37 tackles and leads the team in tackles for loss (eight) and sacks (six). The fifth-year senior has 27.5 TFLs and 19.5 sacks in his career.

CB Smith Snowden: Sophomore has been one of the Utes’ top defenders this season, playing in the nickel position. He’s recorded 33 tackles, three TFLs and six pass breakups, along with an interception. He is also expected to return kickoffs.

QB Isaac Wilson or Luke Bottari: Wilson was benched before the BYU game, but Brandon Rose was injured and Wilson could be back in the lineup. The younger brother of Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson, he has started five games, completing 55.4% of his passes for 1,200 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. There were rumors out of Salt Lake City on Friday, however, that an illness could prevent Wilson from playing. That would lead Utah to turn to Bottari, the only other non-injured quarterback on the roster. Bottari hasn’t played this season but made his only start a year ago against CU, going 6-for-10 for 61 yards and running for two TDs.

When Colorado has the ball

In Big 12 play, the Buffs have had the highest-scoring offense in the league, at 37.2 points per game. Shedeur Sanders has been one of the top quarterbacks in the country, while Heisman Trophy front-runner Travis Hunter leads a talented group of receivers. Isaiah Augustave has led the run game in recent weeks, but the Buffs were slowed down a bit on the ground last week. Utah hasn’t seen an offense as good as CU’s, but the Buffs haven’t seen a defense as good at Utah. The Utes have the top defense in the Big 12, allowing just 17.1 points per game. They haven’t racked up sacks but have been exceptional against the pass. Head coach Deion Sanders said the Buffs have to be prepared for Utah’s physicality on defense. “They’re still tough, they’re still aggressive, they’re still stout defensively,” he said. “They can still do some things that force you into some looks. You cannot take this team lightly. I don’t give a darn what their record is, as long as (Utah coach Kyle Whittingham) is over there on that sideline, you better be prepared for a tough game.” Some of the most physical battles could be in the perimeter. The Buffs’ receivers are good blockers, while the Utes are physical in the secondary. “Pretty physical defense all around,” CU receiver Will Sheppard said. “They’re gonna be relentless.”

When Utah has the ball

With senior QB Cameron Rising, the Utes averaged 30.3 points per game. Rising is out for the year, however, and in six games without him Utah has averaged 18.8 points per game. Rising is one of several offensive players out with injuries, including star tight end Brant Kuithe and receiver Money Parks. The Utes do have one of the Big 12’s top receivers in Dorian Singer, but it’s unclear who will throw the ball. If Isaac Wilson can’t play, Luke Bottari will lead the team. With Bottari the in lineup against CU last year, Utah threw 10 passes and ran the ball 53 times. The Utes at least have a top running back in Micah Bernard. CU, meanwhile, has picked up some momentum on defense, holding seven consecutive opponents below their season scoring average. The Buffs will aim to stop Bernard and the run game, but they’ve also been piling up quarterback sacks in recent weeks. “They definitely say (sacks) come in bunches, but I feel like just staying consistent (is key), and continuing to keep rushing, to figure out plans that help us create havoc and be successful and influence the quarterback,” CU defensive end Arden Walker said. “I think we all, in our room, from D-tackle to D-end, we all just continue to keep rushing and got on our bag and making plays. Now we’ve got to keep going, and it hasn’t stopped.”

Special teams

CU’s Alejandro Mata has made nine field goals in a row and is 11-for-13 on the season, along with 37-for-37 on extra points. Punter Mark Vassett overcame some early struggles and didn’t have his best game at Texas Tech, but he’s still been very good all season at pinning the opposition inside of its 20-yard line, doing so on 17 of his 37 punts. Former CU kicker Cole Becker is 12-for-17 on field goals this season for the Utes, but he’s missed his past two and hasn’t made one since Oct. 11. Jack Bouwmeester was the preseason choice for All-Big 12 punter and he’s lived up to that, averaging 44.7 yards and landing 16 of 43 inside the 20. Neither team has done much in the return game, but both teams rank at the bottom of the Big 12 in kickoff return coverage (CU is 15th, Utah 16th) and they are the only teams in the conference to allow kickoff return touchdowns, so there could be return opportunities this week.

Notables

• CU announced on Friday that the game has been sold out. It will be the 10th sellout in 11 games at Folsom Field since head coach Deion Sanders was hired. The only game that was not sold out was this year’s opener against North Dakota State.

• Colorado is trying to get to 8-2 through 10 games for the first time since 2016. Prior to that, the last 8-2 start was in 2001.

• The Buffs have held eight of nine opponents below their season scoring averages, including each of the last seven opponents.

• Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders needs just 118 passing yards to post the fifth 3,000-yard season in program history. He would become the first to have two 3,000-yard seasons. He also needs four TD passes to tie the single-season record of 28, set by Sefo Liufau in 2014.

• CU star Travis Hunter has been named a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, which he won last year as the most versatile player in the country. He’s also a semifinalist for the Maxwell and Walter Camp player of the year awards, the Bednarik Award (top defensive player), Lott Impact Trophy (defensive player of year) and Thorpe Award (top defensive back).

• Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham is 11-2 against Colorado, tied for the most wins he’s had against any one opponent during his tenure. He also has 11 wins against rival BYU (11-5).