Last season, the Rocky Mountain Showdown was a close contest, but not this year. The Colorado Buffaloes physically outplayed Colorado State on both sides of the ball on Saturday night, sending the Rams home early in a 28-9 victory. CU needed this comeback win after the Buffs were similarly trounced by the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Week 2.

CU also extended its winning streak against the Rams to seven in a row, with the series set to resume in 2029. Heading into the Big 12, the Buffs are 2-1 and the team appears to be coming together more and more.

Here are five lessons we learned from the Buffs’ convincing win over CSU:

Travis Hunter remains unreal

Travis Hunter had another lackluster night, throwing 13 catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns on offense with five tackles, one pass defensed, and an interception on defense. Hunter is a legitimate Heisman threat and is easily the most talented player in college football.

Take a bow, attacking line

CU shook up its starting offensive line unit and the results were huge. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was rarely bothered and was able to make throws in a clean pocket en route to 310 yards passing on 36-of-49 and four touchdowns. The Buffs also got a boost in the rushing game, with 109 yards on 19 carries.

Welcome to college football, Micah Welch

True freshman running back Micah Welch got the first carries of his collegiate career and made the most of them, gaining 65 yards on nine rushes. Welch showed incredible vision and is a load to bring down at 5-foot-9, 205 pounds. He should be a big part of the rotation going forward.

Colorado’s defense was incredible all night

This was the best defensive performance we’ve seen during the Deion Sanders era. CU held the Rams to just nine points and 340 yards of offense. CSU struggled on third down all night, converting just 4 of 15 chances and couldn’t get consistent production from the run or pass. While the Rams ran for 131 yards, they passed the ball 31 times, with 62 yards on one run. QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi was under constant pressure, completing just 22 of 39 attempts for 209 yards.

Just one turn was enough to open the floodgates

CU’s defense suffered its first turnover of the season, a Preston Hodge interception on the Rams’ opening drive of the second half, and forced turnovers on three straight possessions. That night, the Buffs committed four turnovers — two interceptions and two fumbles — to cap off their impressive defensive performance.

This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: What We Learned From Colorado’s Loss to CSU in Fort Collins