Kansas State Wildcats will face unique challenge against Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders

It’s fair to say that Chris Klieman is a fan of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

“I think Sanders will be the first quarterback picked off the board (in the 2025 NFL Draft),” Klieman said earlier this week. “He should be, based on the film that I’ve seen of a lot of the top guys.”

Sanders, a 6-foot-2 senior from Dallas, certainly seems like he has a NFL future in front of him. But he also has much to play for at the college level.

The Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) have exceeded all expectations early on this season in large part because of Sanders. He has thrown for 1,630 yards and 14 touchdowns with just three interceptions mixed in. While distributing the ball to playmakers like Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn and LaJohntay Wester, he has topped 244 passing yards in every game with a season high of 445.

“I think he’s an excellent thrower,” Klieman said. “You can’t really confuse him. I’ve seen a lot of different teams try to manipulate coverage and disguise, and he does a really good job, pre-snap to post-snap, and he can make all the throws. And he has a lot of guys to throw the football to.”

That makes Kansas State’s upcoming football game against Colorado, at 9:15 p.m. Saturday at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., a challenge for Klieman and his defense.

The Wildcats are allowing teams to gain 7.7 yards per pass against them this season, a number that ranks 13th in the Big 12.

Other quarterbacks have torched the K-State secondary this season. Darian Mensah threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns for Tulane, Noah Fifita threw for 268 yards and Alan Bowman had 364 yards and a touchdown for Oklahoma State. In fairness, the Wildcats won all three of those games.

But none of those quarterbacks is in the same stratosphere as Sanders.

What makes Sanders unique is his ability to scramble and extend plays with his legs. Unlike many other mobile college quarterbacks he rarely looks to gain first yards with his feet. When he scrambles, he does so to give his receivers more time to get open.

K-State hasn’t tried to defend a quarterback like that this season.

But the Wildcats are up for the challenge.

“The most important thing is guys who are responsible for containing the quarterback need to stay contained,” K-State linebacker Austin Moore said. “If he gets pressure up in his face, he’s going to look to escape outside.

“He will step up every once in a while, but he’s definitely looking to escape outside. So everyone has to know their responsibility and not get too greedy or hungry for sacks.”