Kaidon Salter's reaction says all you need to know about Pat Shurmur's play calling

Everything about Colorado's road game at Utah on Saturday night was an outright disaster. Offense, defense, special teams, and the coaching staff. It was all bad.

It was evident from a 2-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that the Colorado defense was going to need a ton of help from the Buffaloes' offense to keep the game competitive. It was immediately evident that they weren't going to get it.

Kaidon Salter was running for his life from the opening snap of the game. He admitted in the postgame that a lot of blitz packages that Colorado saw from Utah weren't on tape before this weekend. Kyle Whittingham and DC Morgan Scalley ate Coach Prime and Pat Shurmur alive.

Shurmur has drawn the disdain of Colorado fans since he joined the staff. His play-calling has been baffling all year, and there's no Shedeur Sanders or Travis Hunter to rescue him this year.

One viral moment during the first quarter showed just how much Salter and Shurmur weren't on the same page. And Salter's reaction to a Shurmur play call is the same reaction Colorado fans have had watching from the couch.

Shurmur made the call through the in-helmet communication to Salter, and the senior QB immediately shook his head and had a dumbfounded look on his face.

Deion Sanders will have to make some major staff changes after the season

There won't be any way around it. After the embarrassing loss to Utah, Colorado has dropped to 3-5 on the season. A step back was expected after last season's 9-4 campaign, but the Buffs have fallen further than anyone expected in 2025.

It looked like Colorado had some momentum after beating Iowa State, with a well-timed bye week giving them a chance to finish the season strong. Instead, they showed just how far away they are from being a legitimate contender in the Big 12 when they ran into one.

Colorado's offense finished the first half with negative yards. Colorado's defense gave up over 400 rushing yards. I'm not sure how Coach Prime could justify bringing back either coordinator for 2026.

It's one thing to have fans who are baffled by play calls. Sitting on the couch, it's hard to see all the nuances of playcalling and the game flow. But when your QB is outwardly showing that he can't believe the play call - in the first quarter of the first game after a bye week - that's a major issue.

Sanders will have a chance to get it fixed. He's not on the hot seat. But another season like this one could change that. The hires he inevitably will have to make this offseason will determine his future in Boulder.