A scouting report of the Colorado Buffaloes and BYU Cougars ahead of Saturday’s Valero Alamo Bowl game at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Colorado Buffaloes

Head coach: Deion Sanders, 2nd season (13-11, 40-17 career)

2024 season: 9-3, 7-2 Big 12

Last game: Beat Oklahoma State 52-0, on Nov. 29

Rankings: No. 23 CFP, No. 20 AP, No. 22 Coaches

5 Buffs to watch

WR Jimmy Horn Jr.: Injured for much of November, he’s been healthy in practices and could play a huge role against BYU. He has 33 catches for 434 yards and a touchdown this season.

CB/WR Travis Hunter: The second Heisman Trophy winner in CU history is expected to play, and if he does, he’ll be looking to have one last big game in a Buffaloes uniform. He comes into the bowl with 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, along with four interceptions and 11 pass breakups on defense.

QB Shedeur Sanders: He’s already set just about all of CU’s single-season school records, but he also needs just two touchdown passes to set a career record in that category.

S Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig: The heart of the CU defense for the past two years, he’s leading the team with 87 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

DE Arden Walker: One of the key contributors to what has been, at times, a dominant pass rush for the Buffs. The Cherry Creek graduate has 31 tackles, six tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

BYU Cougars

Head coach: Kalani Sitake, 9th season (71-43)

2024 season: 10-2, 7-2 Big 12

Last game: Beat Houston, 30-17, on Nov. 30

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

5 Cougars to watch

DE Tyler Batty: First-team All-Big 12 selection by the coaches, he leads the BYU defensive front. He has 55 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, along with eight QB hurries.

CB Marque Collins: Among the leaders of a secondary that has been tough against the pass this season. He has 22 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high eight pass breakups.

LB Isaiah Glasker: Has earned All-Big 12 recognition from various outlets. He’s done a bit of everything, with 62 tackles, a team-high 13.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble.

WR/KR Keelan Marion: A first-team All-American by the FWAA and Walter Camp, he’s one of the most dangerous returners in the country, averaging 26.2 yards and taking two back for touchdowns. As a receiver, he’s caught 23 passes for 340 yards and a touchdown.

QB Jake Retzlaff: A first-time starter this season, Retzlaff has posted 2,796 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while completing 57% of his passes. He’s also dangerous with his legs, ranking second on the team with 388 rushing yards and leading the team with six rushing touchdowns.

When Colorado has the ball

For one last time, the Buffs offense will be led by dynamic quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Statistically, he’s having the best season of any quarterback in CU history, with school records for completion percentage (74.2%), passing yards (3,926) and TD passes (35). Although CU will try to run the ball, that’s been extremely inconsistent all season. In four November games, the Buffs averaged just 50.0 rushing yards per game. Look for Sanders to attack through the air, looking for Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, a now-healthy Jimmy Horn Jr., speedy LaJohntay Wester, Will Sheppard and more. BYU has been excellent against the pass, allowing just 180.3 yards per game (second-best in the Big 12) and picking off 20 passes (tied for second-best in the country), but the Cougars also haven’t seen a quarterback as good as Sanders. “I just have a real appreciation for the player and the person and man,” CU offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. “He’s got a bright future. If one of these NFL teams doesn’t select him, then I think they’re taking the second best quarterback. It’s just my opinion.”

When BYU has the ball

The Cougars have had a fairly balanced attack all season, but it is led by their quarterback, Jake Retzlaff. He struggled a bit in November, with just two TD passes and three interceptions, while BYU’s scoring average was just 22.0 points per game in those four games. Retzlaff did have a string of six consecutive games with multiple TD passes at one point, though. He also poses a running threat that CU hasn’t seen much in recent games from the quarterback. BYU didn’t have any first- or second-team all-conference receivers, but Chase Roberts (51 catches, 843 yards, four TDs) and Darius Lassiter (43 for 679, four TDs) are reliable targets. LJ Martin is a solid running back as well, leading the BYU ground game with 630 yards and five TDs, while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. The Cougars don’t have the most dynamic offense around, averaging 30.8 points per game (sixth in the Big 12) and 397.4 yards (12th), but they’re efficient. “Very sound team, very technically sound team,” CU cornerback DJ McKinney said. “They’re gonna do their job. They’re gonna execute what their coaches are calling and everything, so we’ve just got to be more disciplined than them, really.”

Special teams

CU’s Alejandro Mata has made 10 field goals in a row and is 12-for-14 on the season, along with going 53-for-53 on extra points. Punter Mark Vassett is averaging 43.8 yards per punt and has put 19 of his 49 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. BYU kicker Will Ferrin was first-team All-Big 12, going 21-for-24 on field goals (long of 54) and hitting all 38 extra points. Punter Sam Vander Haar has been solid, at 42.8 yards per punt. In the return game, there’s a clear advantage to BYU. CU got a punt return for touchdown by LaJohntay Wester against Utah but hasn’t done much else this season. BYU has an All-American kickoff returner (Keelan Marion) and has scored four touchdowns on returns (three kickoffs, one punt).

Notables

• CU and BYU both finished among the four-way tie for first place in the Big 12, but were the two teams left out of the conference title game because of tiebreakers (Arizona State beat Iowa State in the title game).

• The two schools became Big 12 Conference rivals this year when CU joined the conference, but they haven’t met in 36 years. The last meeting came on Dec. 29, 1988, in the Freedom Bowl in Anaheim, Calif. BYU won that game, 20-17.

• From 1922-47, the Buffs and Cougars were conference rivals in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (1922-37) and the Mountain State Conference (1938-47). They matched up just 10 times in those 26 seasons, though, with CU going 8-1-1. They’ve met just twice since then, in 1981 (a 41-20 BYU win in Boulder) and the 1988 Freedom Bowl.

• CU is 12-18 all-time in bowl games and is looking to snap a four-game bowl losing streak. BYU is 17-22-1 in bowl games, winning its last one, 24-23 against SMU in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl.

• Buffs receiver LaJohntay Wester is just 120 yards away from 1,000 for this season (880 on 70 catches). He’s also tied for sixth in FBS history with 322 career catches and could move as high as fourth with a big game. He’s 10 away from tying for fourth.

• CU’s Travis Hunter has the second-most catches in a season in program history (92) and could join Nelson Spruce (106 in 2014) as the only players in school history with 100. Hunter is also 127 yards away from becoming just the 11th receiver in CU history with 2,000 for his career (1,873).

• Buffs kicker Alejandro Mata is tied for eighth in CU history with 89 points this season. The single-season record is 100 by Mason Crosby in 2004.

• BYU has forced more turnovers (27) than any other team in the Big 12, and only four teams nationally have more takeaways. CU, meanwhile, is second in the Big 12 with 24 takeaways, tied for 13th nationally.

• The Cougars have won at least 10 games for the third time in the last five years under head coach Kalani Sitake. Overall, this is the 19th 10-win season in BYU history.

• CU is appearing in the Alamo Bowl for the fourth time, going 0-3 in its first three trips. BYU is at the Alamo Bowl for the first time.