5 Colorado football players to know on Saturday against No. 22 Iowa State

AMES — Fifteen years.

That’s how long its been since Iowa State played Colorado in football because the Buffaloes bolted from the Big 12 to roam mostly fruitlessly in the Pac-12 — and notched just one winning season before returning to the Big 12 in 2024.

So what’s old has become new again as the No. 22 Cyclones (5-1, 2-1) aim to bounce back from their first loss of the season against struggling Colorado (2-4, 0-3) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Boulder.

Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders led the program to nine wins and an Alamo Bowl appearance last season, so it just seems right that Colorado is back in their “old” league — along with a few other Pac-12 castaways, as well.

Fun fact: The Cyclones and Buffaloes played every single season from 1946 to 2010. That, of course, will never happen again in this era of 16-team-or-more conferences and unbalanced schedules, but expect several thousand ISU fans to descend on Boulder this weekend to enjoy the mountainous scenery and hope for a win against the struggling, but dangerous hosts.

With that in mind, here are five Buffaloes to know in advance of Saturday's matchup at venerable Folsom Field:

QB Kaidon Salter

It’s been a tumultuous debut season as a Buffalo for the former Liberty star.

Salter was benched after struggling in Colorado’s first two games, but bounced back to throw for more than 300 yards in a win over Wyoming and played well in his team’s narrow, 24-21, loss to No. 18 BYU at home.

Salter threw three first-half interceptions in last week’s 35-21 loss at TCU, which could prompt Sanders to make a change again — presumably to backup Ryan Staub, who threw two picks in a 36-20 loss at Houston.

But Salter’s pedigree is impressive. He amassed 77 total touchdowns (56 passing, 21 rushing) and 8,500 yards (5,887 passing, 2,633 rushing) in four seasons with the Flames. He’s completing a career-best 65.8 percent of his passes with the Buffaloes, but his four interceptions through five starts is a mere two shy of his previous single-season career high. Regardless of his recent struggles, he’s another explosive dual-threat quarterback who could confound ISU’s suddenly struggling defense.

S Tawfiq Byard

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound redshirt sophomore from Hyattsville, Md., has become a top tackler in the past two seasons.

Byard totaled 56 stops for South Florida last season and leads Colorado with 28 tackles through six games this season. He’s also emerged as a team leader in his relatively brief time in Boulder, while continuing to be valuable against the run and the pass. Byard’s compiled 2.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery in the past two seasons.

WR Omarion Miller

The 6-2, 210-pound junior from Vivian, La., turned heads immediately as a true freshman by torching USC for a Buffaloes class-record 196 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Miller joins transfer Sincere Brown to form an imposing deep-threat tandem. Miller leads Colorado with three touchdowns this season and is averaging 18.9 yards per catch in his career. He’s also coming off his best game of the season — a six catch, 89-yard, two-touchdown performance in the loss at TCU.

CB DJ McKinney

Sanders called out all of Colorado’s corners two weeks ago, telling reporters they all have to play better — including McKinney, a preseason all-Big 12 selection by coaches.

McKinney ranked fourth on the team in tackles last season with 43 and his three interceptions in 2024 trailed only two-way star Travis Hunter, who snared four in his senior season. The 6-2, 180-pound junior from Colleyville, Texas, apparently heeded Sanders message because he notched a season-high seven tackles last Saturday.

RB Micah Welch

The stout 5-9, 215-pound sophomore from Milledgeville, Ga., leads Colorado in rushing yards (250) and is averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

But Welch also hasn’t scored a touchdown since Sept. 6, and the Buffaloes rank 12th in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game at 143.8. Expect Welch to split carries with former Ohio State transfer Dallan Hayden, who’s averaging 6.5 yards per tote and is now healthy after dealing with injuries early in the season.

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com