JuJu Lewis didn't play at all in Colorado's 29-7 loss to No. 12 Texas Tech. But coach Deion Sanders says that Lewis was not demoted to third string.

After replacing Lewis during Colorado's loss to Baylor, Isaac Wilson got the start against the Red Raiders and threw three second-half interceptions. Kaneal Sweetwyne also saw the field. The backup attempted two passes. He completed one for seven yards.

When a reporter noted after the game that the share of playing time made it clear that Lewis was the team's No. 3 QB, Sanders said that wasn't the case.

"I would love JuJu to come in here and he tell you what happens," Sanders said when the scenario was presented. "So don't, 'You bench JuJu first to third string?' No, that's not what went down."

So, what did go down? Sanders wasn't specific. And Lewis wasn't made available to reporters after the game.

"It didn't happen like that."

Lewis committed to the Buffaloes at the end of the 2024 season as Colorado was at the peak of its success and popularity. The Buffaloes went 9-4 that year as Shedeur Sanders was one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football and Travis Hunter was a two-way phenom and won the Heisman Trophy.

A five-star recruit and the No. 3 QB in his high school class, Lewis was on the sideline for the Buffaloes' Alamo Bowl loss to BYU before enrolling early.

He saw playing time during Colorado's lost 2025 season, but with the NCAA's five-in-five rule not yet in effect, Colorado sat him at the end of the season to preserve a potential redshirt and protect him from playing in a fifth game. That's how important Lewis was to Colorado.

But now he's on the bench, and Sanders did not want to discuss it.

"JuJu didn't play today, my man. So I'm not doing that. I'm not going to badger the kid, I'm not going to say nothing derogatory for the kid, he didn't play today, Brian, like, come on."

Sanders, of course, was the coach who made the decision for Lewis not to play. While he may be correct in that it's unfair to single out Lewis in Colorado's overall struggles, he's also the one that invited the questions about his prized recruit by making a quarterback change before the game and then also not bringing him into the game as the second quarterback.

"Hey man, I'm worried about our team and winning, man," Sanders said to a follow-up from the same reporter. "You're trying to single out one kid and you can't do that man. These kids are pretty darn comfortable and they're alright."

Lewis was 11-of-16 passing for 75 yards before he was taken out of the Baylor game in Week 4. In the Buffs' Week 3 loss to Northwestern, he was 19-of-29 passing for 168 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Deion Sanders and Colorado have been searching for adequate quarterback play ever since Shedeur played his final game with the Buffaloes. And there hasn't been much patience to find it, either.

Lewis was one of three quarterbacks who started games for Colorado last season and Sanders made his first quarterback change of the season in Week 3 after a win over Delaware where all three of those QBs got snaps. This season, he waited just two weeks longer to make a change.

The quarterback uncertainty has also been coupled with changing offensive systems. Pat Shurmur was relieved of his duties as the team's offensive coordinator midway through the 2025 season, and former Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion was hired as the team's offensive play-caller ahead of 2026.

So far, the Buffaloes are averaging just 21.5 points per game. And after a bye week in Week 6, the Buffs have games against No. 13 Utah and No. 19 Oklahoma State.

Source: Yahoo Sports