Kaidon Salter throws 2 TD passes, Colorado's defense shines in 24-17 win over No. 22 Iowa State

BOULDER, Colo. — Kaidon Salter tossed two touchdown passes and Colorado's defense came up big in the fourth quarter with an interception and a fourth-down stop to help the Buffaloes beat No. 22 Iowa State 24-17 on Saturday.

Salter threw for 255 yards, including a 70-yard TD strike to Omarion Miller, as the Buffaloes (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) snapped a two-game skid. Salter took a knee to close out the game and threw the ball high into the air. The students rushed the field despite warnings from the public address announcer.

“I love it,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said about the crowd storming the field. “I want to see the kids rush the field.”

Informed it's a fine for rushing the field, though, Sanders responded: “Who made that rule? Come on, man. That ain't right.”

It was the second win over an AP Top 25 team since Sanders took over the program. The Buffaloes beat No. 17 TCU on the road in 2023 to kick off the Sanders era at Colorado.

"The locker room had a different vibe today," said Sanders, who was on the sideline after undergoing surgery related to his blood clots on Tuesday. “We're better than what our record says.

“We shouldn't be sitting up here with a plethora of losses. We should be sitting up here with a steering wheel and in the driver's seat.”

The momentum flipped early in the fourth quarter with the Cyclones (5-2, 2-2) facing third-and-goal at the 7. Rocco Becht was intercepted by Tawfiq Byard — with a cast on his left hand — but a flag was thrown for an apparent pass interference behind the play. The officials huddled for a moment before waiving off the flag.

Iowa State coach Matt Campbell was livid on the sideline. He was still yelling at the officials after the Cyclones forced a Buffaloes punt.

After the game, Campbell was more subdued while addressing the play.

“It sounded like they thought that the ball ... it had no impact, that the (defensive pass interference) didn’t happen until after the ball was thrown, which is not true,” Campbell explained.

Soon after, Iowa State faced a fourth-and-1 at their 18 only to be stuffed by Colorado.

It led to a 29-yard field goal by Alejandro Mata to make it 24-17.

Salter's short TD pass to Joseph Williams in the third quarter gave the Buffaloes the lead for good. Salter also hit Williams for a 38-yard gain late in the fourth that sealed the victory. Williams had eight catches for 128 yards.

“We have a team full of dawgs that just don't quit,” said Salter, who bounced back from a three-interception performance a week ago. “We don't give up.”

Abu Sama III ran for 177 yards and a pair of short touchdowns for the Cyclones, who have dropped two in a row. Becht finished 18 of 33 for 205 yards.

"I’ve got to be better for my team," Becht said.

For Coach

Linebacker Jeremiah Brown said seeing Sanders return to practice a day after his surgery set the tone for the game.

“He's giving us all the energy we needed,” said Brown, who had a team-high 10 tackles.

The takeaway

Iowa State: The Cyclones committed seven penalties against Colorado. This after being called for eight the week before in a loss at Cincinnati. It’s an uncharacteristic trend for the Cyclones, who over the past two seasons have been one of the least penalized teams in the nation. “We've got to go back to the fundamentals of what we do," Campbell said.

Colorado: The banged-up Buffaloes had 17 players ruled out for the game. They were outgained by a 441-395 margin, including allowing 236 yards rushing.

Up next

Iowa State: Hosts No. 18 BYU on Oct. 25.

Colorado: At Utah on Oct. 25.