Colorado running back Richard Young had never carried the ball 10 times in a college game before Saturday. But against Kansas State, he got 24 carries, ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns, and helped the Colorado Buffaloes snap a five-game losing streak with a 27-24 overtime win at Folsom Field.

“Richard Young, he’s waited patiently. He hasn’t complained, bickered, murmured,” coach Deion Sanders said in his postgame press conference. “His hometown, I call him Fort Myers because he’s from the crib. And I wanted him to have a chance. Everybody else has received the chance and I wanted him to have a chance to run the ball today.”

Richard Young’s patience finally pays off

Young arrived in Boulder with a big name and very little tape. He was a four-star recruit out of Lehigh Senior High School in Lehigh Acres, Florida, ranked No. 22 nationally by ESPN, then sat behind a crowded Alabama depth chart for three seasons.

His entire 2025 season at Alabama added up to 23 carries for 64 yards. He topped that carry total in one Halloween afternoon, and his two touchdowns, a 2-yard plunge in the first quarter and a 22-yard run that put Colorado ahead early in the fourth, were his first in a Buffaloes uniform.

Young stayed ready through all of it, and his coach clearly noticed.

JaQuail Smith wastes no time

Not to be outdone, JaQuail Smith delivered the run that changed the afternoon. His 47-yard touchdown dash in the third quarter broke a 7-7 tie, and he finished with 63 rushing yards.

“And [JaQuail Smith] proved that no matter what, he could come in and get his off the rip as well, and he did just that,” Sanders said.

Isaac Wilson no longer had to carry everything

More importantly, the ground game changed what Colorado asked of its quarterback. Isaac Wilson completed 14 passes for 185 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, and he never had to force anything.

“So the running attack was truly vital, and I like that because ... it took a lot of pressure off Isaac, that he didn’t have to play hero ball,” Sanders said. “And he was able to be calm and focus and make some great throws, especially the last one.”

The last one came on third-and-9 in overtime, when Wilson found tight end Charlie Williams over the middle for an 11-yard touchdown, the only catch Williams made all day.

Deion Sanders Did Not Even Know the Number

Interestingly, the coach admitted he lost track of the total. Colorado ran for 222 yards and three touchdowns, outrushing Kansas State by 101 yards behind a simple, run-first plan from offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.

“So I’m happy that we focused and locked in on the running game. The running game was phenomenal,” Sanders said. “I didn’t know we had that many yards, but it was hard.”

For a team searching for an identity all season, a back who never complained might have handed it one. Sanders summed it up the same way he started. 

“Richard Young, he’s waited patiently, he has,” Sanders said.