Looking Back At BYU Football’s History With Colorado

PROVO, Utah – The BYU Cougars and Colorado Buffaloes are set to face each other for the second time in ten months when BYU blasted the Buffaloes 36-14 in the 2024 Alamo Bowl.

No. 25 BYU football travels to Boulder, Colorado, to meet Coach Prime’s team at Folsom Field on Saturday, September 27. Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. MT.

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Saturday’s game marks the second between these programs as Big 12 opponents and the first in the regular season.

BYU is 4-8-1 all-time against the Buffaloes, but 3-0 in games played since 1981.

BYU bombards Buffaloes in Alamo Bowl romp

The San Antonio-based bowl game was the first game between these programs since 1988. More than 64,000 fans watched BYU outplay the much more heralded Buffaloes in all three phases of the game.

BYU intercepted three passes, Parker Kingston returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown, and the offense added three rushing TDs in a game they controlled from the opening kick.

The Cougars never trailed, building a 27-0 advantage before Colorado scored its first points midway through the third period.

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BYU put up points in every quarter, led by two touchdowns and 93 rushing yards from LJ Martin. Sione Moa added 25 yards and a score on four carries.

LB Isaiah Glasker led the defense with eight tackles and one tackle for a loss.

The victory gave BYU its 13th 11-win season in program history.

Cougars buffalo Colorado in the 1988 Freedom Bowl

Two seasons before winning the first and only Heisman Trophy in BYU history, Ty Detmer came off the bench to lead the Cougars in a 20-17 win over Eric Bieniemy and the Buffaloes in the 1988 Freedom Bowl.

Bieniemy finished third in the 1990 Heisman Trophy voting, behind Detmer.

Detmer completed 11-of-17 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown to WR Chuck Cutler. QB Sean Covey completed 4-of-10 passes and threw a TD to fullback Mike Salido.

Matt Bellini, Salido, and Fred Whittingham combined for 201 rushing yards in the win.

The Cougars ended the 1988 season with a 9-4 record.

No. 11 BYU blows out the Buffaloes at Folsom in 1981

A quarterback duo of Jim McMahon and Steve Young led the Cougars to a three-touchdown win at Folsom Field.

McMahon, a senior, staked BYU to a 24-0 second-half lead before being replaced by a 20-year-old Young in the second half.

Young completed four passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns, complementing McMahon’s 263 passing yards and three TDs.

The future Super Bowl MVP also led the Cougars with 75 rushing yards on four carries. Vai Sikahema carried the football five times for 31 yards.

BYU finished the year No. 13 in the country with an 11-2 record after beating Washington State 38-36 in the Holiday Bowl.

Colorado dominates the series pre-1950

The Cougars and Buffaloes played each other ten times between 1923 and 1947, with BYU going 1-8-1 in those games.

BYU’s only win during that stretch came in 1946. Head coach Eddie Kimball led his team to a 10-7 victory in Provo.

Colorado shut BYU out four times and held them to seven points or less in seven of the ten meetings.

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Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.

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