Wide receiver Ernest Campbell celebrates after a touchdown during the game against Weber State at Folsom Field on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
Colorado (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) and Northwestern (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) have not played each other in 48 years. By the time they meet again Saturday, another piece of Northwestern football history will be ending.
The Buffaloes travel to Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium for the Wildcats’ final game at the temporary lakefront venue before they move into the new Ryan Field in October. It will also be Colorado’s first trip to Evanston, Illinois, since 1951.
Colorado enters 2-0 after following a 14-13 win at Georgia Tech with a 52-21 win over Weber State. Northwestern has played just once, beating South Dakota State 34-18 on Sept. 5 before an open weekend gave the Wildcats two weeks to prepare for the Buffs.
The limited sample makes Saturday difficult to read. Colorado has already shown two different versions of its offense, while Northwestern has given the Buffs only one game of film on a new offense led by coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterback Aidan Chiles.
What Northwestern did show was enough to get Colorado’s attention.
Colorado’s defense faces another test
Northwestern needed only 55 offensive plays to produce 497 yards against South Dakota State, an average of 9 yards per play. The Wildcats ran for 224 yards on 31 attempts and threw for another 273.
Chiles, a Michigan State transfer, completed 14 of 24 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown in his Northwestern debut while adding another score on the ground. Wide receiver Griffin Wilde had 104 yards on three catches, including a 71-yard reception on the Wildcats’ opening possession.
Northwestern was just as productive on the ground. Joseph Himon II ran for 87 yards and a touchdown on four carries, Gavin Sawchuk added 69 yards on eight attempts and Caleb Komolafe finished with 46 yards and a score. Himon’s 80-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter provided Northwestern’s biggest play of the night.
That sets up an interesting matchup with what has been Colorado’s biggest defensive improvement.
The Buffs have allowed 173 rushing yards on 59 carries through two games, an average of 2.9 yards per attempt. Georgia Tech, which ran for 320 yards against Colorado last season, managed only 51 this time. Weber State found more success with 122 yards, but the Buffs have yet to allow a rushing touchdown.
Colorado’s larger concern has come through the air. Georgia Tech completed a 42-yard pass on its final possession, and Weber State followed with a 70-yard completion to Noah Kjar, who finished with 121 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Colorado eventually adjusted by moving defensive back Boo Carter from outside corner into the slot. Kjar continued to catch passes, but none of his receptions after the 70-yarder went for more than 12 yards.
Head coach Deion Sanders said Carter will continue playing both outside corner and in the slot against Northwestern.
That versatility could matter against an offense Colorado has not had much time to study. Kelly’s Northwestern debut featured a balanced rushing attack, an experienced quarterback and enough big plays to average 9 yards every time it snapped the ball.
Colorado proved against Georgia Tech that it could shut down a physical rushing attack. Weber State showed there are still openings behind that front.
Northwestern has the personnel to test both.
Lewis gets a different kind of challenge
Colorado’s offense enters Evanston looking much different from the unit that left Atlanta after Week 1.
Freshman quarterback Julian Lewis threw for only 124 yards against Georgia Tech before leading a 75-yard touchdown drive in the final 1:40. Against Weber State, he needed considerably less patience.
Lewis completed 17 of 23 passes for 366 yards and four touchdowns while adding another touchdown on the ground. His 265.0 passer rating was the highest in Colorado history for a quarterback with at least 20 attempts.
The production was not limited to Lewis. Micah Welch became the first Colorado player of the Sanders era to rush for 100 yards, finishing with 106 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Joseph Williams had four catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while DeAndre Moore Jr. added 107 yards and another score.
Colorado finished with 578 total yards after managing only 307 against Georgia Tech.
Northwestern’s defense presents a different problem than either of the Buffs’ first two opponents.
South Dakota State moved the ball, finishing with 432 yards, 27 first downs and 88 offensive plays. The Jackrabbits converted eight of 20 third downs and all three of their fourth-down attempts. The problem came once they reached scoring territory.
South Dakota State reached the red zone five times but scored only one touchdown, settling for four field goals as Northwestern repeatedly kept long drives from turning into seven points.
The Wildcats also broke up 13 passes, their most in a game since at least 2004. Defensive back Damon Walters added an interception, while Robert Fitzgerald finished with 14 tackles.
That makes finishing drives important again for Colorado.
Against Georgia Tech, the Buffs ran 76 plays and possessed the ball for more than 34 minutes but scored only 14 points. They moved the ball without consistently getting much out of it.
Weber State was almost the opposite. Colorado repeatedly skipped the long-drive part altogether, scoring on passes of 66, 63 and 48 yards in the first quarter alone.
If those explosive plays are harder to find Saturday, Colorado will have to be more efficient once it gets into scoring position.
Two weeks to prepare
Northwestern’s open weekend gave Kelly and the rest of the Wildcats’ staff extra time to study a Colorado team that has already put two very different offensive performances on film. The Buffs, meanwhile, have only one game to study from Kelly’s new Northwestern offense.
Sanders acknowledged the extra preparation Tuesday.
“They had two weeks to prepare for us,” Sanders said. “I like it. I like this task for us. I really do.”
Northwestern coach David Braun pointed specifically to Colorado’s line play when discussing the matchup this week, saying the Buffs’ offseason changes have shown up on both sides of the ball.
“I think where it really shows up is at the line of scrimmage for these guys with their offensive line and defensive line,” Braun said.
That might be where Saturday is decided.
Colorado’s offensive line helped produce 183 rushing yards against Georgia Tech before the offense broke open against Weber State. On defense, the Buffs have six sacks and have made running the ball considerably harder than it was a year ago.
Northwestern showed strength on both sides against South Dakota State, rushing for 224 yards while its defense allowed only one touchdown on five red-zone trips.
Neither team has played enough football to know exactly how much those numbers mean yet. Saturday should provide a better idea.
A rare trip to Evanston
Colorado and Northwestern have met only twice.
Northwestern won the first meeting 35-14 in Evanston in 1951. Colorado responded 27 years later with a 55-7 win at Folsom Field in 1978, leaving the all-time series tied 1-1.
The Buffs also have never won a game in Illinois. Colorado lost at Chicago in 1921, Northwestern in 1951 and Illinois in 1990. The 1990 loss was the only defeat of Colorado’s national championship season.
There are more immediate concerns than ending a 105-year drought in one state.
Colorado needs to find out whether the passing explosion against Weber State carries over against a defense that limited damage in the red zone. The Buffs’ defense has to prove it can contain Northwestern’s rushing attack without giving Chiles the explosive opportunities Weber State found last week.
And after Colorado’s defensive players admitted they took their foot off the pedal at times with a large lead Saturday, a rested Northwestern team should make maintaining focus a little less optional.
Colorado has already won one game by grinding through it and another by scoring almost every time it touched the ball.
Northwestern should require something in between.
Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MDT Saturday at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston. The game will air nationally on FOX.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Shruthi Rajesh at shra3446@colorado.edu
