Coach Prime faces a fresh quarterback controversy after pulling his prize recruit for Isaac Wilson.
The Colorado Buffaloes entered another week on the road looking to pick up a win. However, Deion Sanders' team didn't start off on the right foot. After falling behind 10-3 in the first half, starting quarterback Julian Lewis was benched in favor of backup Isaac Wilson.
The brother of New Orleans Saints QB Zach Wilson gave the Buffs a much-needed boost. This is the first time Wilson has entered the game under these conditions. Lewis, a former five-star from Carrollton, Georgia, got off to a rocky start on Saturday in Waco. Obviously, CU offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and Sanders were ready to make the change.
Overall, the offense has failed to produce any real momentum other than scoring drives resulting in field goals. Baylor hasn't looked much better in the game, but DJ Lagway has looked more polished compared to the QB shuffle for the Buffs. This is now the second straight season with Sanders making the decision to pull a starting quarterback in the midst of a subpar game. He decided to juggle all three quarterbacks last year before Lewis ended the season by starting three of the final four games.
Now, there's another quarterback controversy at Colorado with Sanders forced to resort to a backup passer to try and win the game. Wilson threw the Buffs first touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter. The Bears took a 10-point lead with under five minutes to go in the game and didn't look back.
Baylor defeated Colorado 23-13 with Lewis going 11-of-16 for 75 yards. Wilson was 12-of-24 for 156 yards and the late touchdown. This wasn't the way Sanders and his staff wanted to start Big 12 play. Especially with the next two games coming against ranked opponents (No. 11 Texas Tech, No. 15 Utah).
Sanders considered Lewis the future quarterback of CU football in a post-Shedeur Sanders era. Coach Prime's son was heavily involved in flipping Lewis from the USC Trojans prior to last season. All those efforts seemed to be stalled out after throwing Lewis on the bench.
The Colorado coaching staff will have to have a period of reflection and realize Marion's offensive scheme isn't built for a pro-style passer like Lewis. This might be a point where Colorado can't afford a repeat of last season and more personnel decisions are on the horizon.
The Buffs start the season at 2-2 before a two-game home stand, which starts with Texas Tech next Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX).
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