Colorado’s first Big 12 test comes with a long injury list
The number jumps off the page: 19 names on the availability report for the Colorado Buffaloes as they head to Houston for their first Big 12 game. That’s nearly a fifth of the roster in some stage of uncertainty heading into a short week. The conference-issued report for Friday’s matchup shows Colorado listing seven players as out and a dozen more sprinkled across doubtful, questionable, and probable. Houston, by comparison, has 10 players listed, including running back Re'Shaun Sanford II, who is out for the season with a knee injury suffered in fall camp.
Context matters here. This is a road game on a tight turnaround, Colorado is an underdog by a touchdown, and the spots hit by injuries are the ones that usually show up on the road: secondary depth, the defensive front, and the offensive line. Coach Deion Sanders has tended to hold players out until they’re fully ready, but the stakes change when league play starts. Managing risk versus reward becomes a game inside the game.
Colorado sits at 1-1 after a frustrating 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech in the opener and a solid 31-7 rebound against Delaware. Houston is 2-0 under coach Willie Fritz, with a 27-0 win over Stephen F. Austin and a 35-9 win over Rice. Both sides want a clean marker for where they stand in the Big 12, and for Colorado, that marker will be shaped by who can actually suit up.
Who’s in, who’s out, and what it means
Seven Buffaloes have been ruled out by the conference report: CB Teon Parks, S Terrance Love, CB Kyle Carpenter, OL Phillip Houston, TE Charlie Williams, DE Samuel Okunlola, and DT Gavriel Lightfoot. That’s a mix of secondary and line depth that narrows Colorado’s rotation on both sides of the ball.
Three more are doubtful: S TJ Branch, OL Kareem Harden, and OL Walker Andersen. Doubtful is often code for limited or unavailable, and two offensive linemen in that bucket could force Colorado to shuffle protections and lean on quick-game calls to keep the quarterback clean.
Four names sit in the questionable group: WR Omarion Miller, RB Dallan Hayden, RB Simeon Price, and long snapper Luke Whiting. Miller missed the Delaware game after playing against Georgia Tech, and Colorado has not disclosed specifics. Hayden and Price are central to the backfield rotation; Whiting’s status bears watching because a long snapper issue can tilt field position in a heartbeat.
Several players are listed as probable, including S Tawfiq Byard, LB Martavius French, DB Makari Vickers, and RB Simeon Price. There has been some back-and-forth on Price’s designation during the week; the final status before kickoff will settle it, but the shift toward probable is a positive sign for Colorado’s run game and pass protection packages that rely on the back to help in blitz pickup.
Here’s how the availability breaks down by category:
- Out: Teon Parks (CB), Terrance Love (S), Kyle Carpenter (CB), Phillip Houston (OL), Charlie Williams (TE), Samuel Okunlola (DE), Gavriel Lightfoot (DT)
- Doubtful: TJ Branch (S), Kareem Harden (OL), Walker Andersen (OL)
- Questionable: Omarion Miller (WR), Dallan Hayden (RB), Simeon Price (RB), Luke Whiting (LS)
- Probable: Tawfiq Byard (S), Martavius French (LB), Makari Vickers (DB), Simeon Price (RB)
The duplication of Price across different labels reflects how availability can move during a short week. Teams submit designations that get updated as practice workloads change. The last updated sheet before kickoff will carry the binding tag for the night.
Quarterback is the other headline. Colorado is expected to start redshirt sophomore Ryan Staub after he handled Delaware with poise. The offense looked cleaner with quicker reads and a steadier pocket, but it’s still a small sample. Against Houston’s speed and disguised pressures, keeping Staub ahead of the sticks with early-down efficiency matters. That starts with protection and a functional run game—both tied to the health of Hayden and Price and the state of the line.
The secondary is thin, and that’s no small thing against a Willie Fritz team that loves to stress spacing and leverage. With Parks and Carpenter out and Branch doubtful, Colorado may need heavier minutes from Vickers if he’s good to go, along with creative safety rotations to keep fresh legs on the field. Expect more zone on early downs and bracket looks against Houston’s top targets if the pass rush can’t get home quickly.
Up front, being without Okunlola and Lightfoot chips away at the defensive line’s ability to rotate. That matters most in the third and fourth quarters, when Houston’s tempo and inside-out run concepts start to lean on tired legs. Colorado’s staff could counter with earlier sub packages, more simulated pressure on passing downs, and selective run blitzes to create backfield chaos without asking the front to win straight up all night.
On offense, the biggest swing factor is whether Miller plays. He changes the geometry of the field. If he’s limited or out, Colorado’s receivers will need to manufacture explosives through yards after the catch and layered route combinations rather than pure vertical shots. Screens and quick perimeter throws can serve as extensions of the run game, especially if the interior line is patchwork and the backs aren’t at full capacity.
Watch the special teams line item too. If Whiting can’t go at long snapper, the Buffaloes are in trial-by-fire territory with timing on punts and field goals. That affects decision-making on fourth down near midfield and in fringe field-goal range. In a game where the spread sits at seven, one bad snap or slow operation time can swing expected points in a hurry.
Houston’s injuries are lighter in number but not trivial. Sanford’s season-ending knee injury removes a change-of-pace threat from its backfield. Fritz has typically spread the carries across multiple backs and used motion to create clean angles in the run game. That approach helps a bit against attrition, but it also puts more on the quarterback to keep the chains moving on third down and in the red zone.
So how does Colorado navigate all this? Expect a pragmatic script early: tempo in spurts, heavy RPO looks to simplify reads, and designed throws to the boundary to keep Staub out of high-risk windows between the hashes. If Price is active and healthy enough for pass pro, you’ll see more five- and six-man protections with him scanning for extra rushers. If Hayden is up, the Buffaloes can toggle between inside zone and counter to test Houston’s linebackers horizontally before cutting vertically.
Defensively, limiting explosives is the priority. With secondary depth stretched, Colorado will likely play top-down coverage and force Houston to stack eight-to-10-play drives. That raises the chance of a penalty or negative play, especially if Martavius French—listed as probable—can be a disruptive second-level presence. Tawfiq Byard’s availability also helps with disguises pre-snap; showing two-high shells and rotating late could bait a rushed throw or two.
There’s also the hidden layer: a short week on the road compresses recovery cycles. Soft-tissue setbacks are more common, and coaches tend to cap snap counts even for players who are technically available. If you notice frequent defensive substitutions in the first half, that’s likely load management, not panic.
Betting markets have Houston favored by seven, which tracks with the availability math and home-field noise. But games with this much uncertainty at the skill spots often hinge on two or three swing plays—turnover luck, a trick look in the red zone, or a special teams moment. If Colorado trims the self-inflicted stuff that popped up against Georgia Tech and gets even modest contributions from its questionable players, this can tighten in the fourth quarter.
Final availability becomes public close to kickoff, and that’s when the picture will be clearest on Miller, Hayden, Price, and Whiting. Until then, all signs point to a Colorado plan built on protecting the ball, leaning on situational defense, and making Houston earn every yard. It’s a measuring-stick night for both programs, and for Colorado, it’s also a real-time stress test of roster depth in their return to Big 12 play.