The Colorado Buffaloes’ matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats marks one of their most crucial points in the season. If the Buffaloes lose their sixth-straight game, they’ll be forced to win out if they hope to make a bowl game this season.

Something playing in their favor, though, is the fact that the Wildcats will be without their starting quarterback, Avery Johnson, and his backup, Jacob Knuth, in this game. That leaves Erie, Colorado, native Blake Barnett as their starting quarterback, and the Buffs will need to key in on the run threat he presents.

Blake Barnett’s play style

Barnett’s time at Kansas State has seen him utilized for his rushing ability almost exclusively. He’s recorded 16 carries across the 2025 and 2026 seasons for 43 yards. The majority of his playing time came last season, when he recorded 14 of those aforementioned carries without attempting a pass.

Barnett’s legs have been a key aspect of his game throughout his career, as he was nearly a three-time 1,000-yard rusher from his sophomore year on, per MaxPreps. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in both his sophomore and junior seasons, rushing for 1,049 and 1,077 yards, respectively. 

Through those three seasons, he rushed for a whopping 65 touchdowns, proving the threat he poses in the red zone.

The importance of a quarterback spy for the Colorado Buffaloes

To respond to this threat, the Buffaloes should employ a quarterback spy on the majority of their defensive sets. Colorado’s defensive line has struggled at times to contain the quarterback this season, so planning for the quarterback’s legs with a spy would provide extra security to eliminate that risk.

The Buffaloes’ secondary has struggled this season, but it hasn’t faced cupcake competition. It has battle some of the Big 12’s best quarterbacks, including Devon Dampier of the No. 6 Utah Utes, Drew Mestemaker of the No. 24 Oklahoma State Cowboys and Aidan Chiles of the No. 20 Northwestern Wildcats. But Barnett is far less experienced than those quarterbacks, especially when throwing the ball.

If the Buffaloes can force the Wildcats’ offense to become one-dimensional, their secondary has a major bounceback opportunity on Halloween.

Who the Colorado Buffaloes should use as their quarterback spy

A couple of candidates to play the spy role for the Buffaloes are linebacker Gideon ESPN Lampron and safety Randon Fontenette. They are the team’s top two leading tacklers, with 65 and 62 tackles, respectively. 

But the best option to play the spy role is the Buffaloes’ green-dot linebacker, Liona Lefau. The performance he had against Oklahoma State in Week 8 is proof of that, as he was the most versatile linebacker for the Buffaloes.

He not only filled gaps to stop the run, but he kept up with the Cowboys’ receivers in pass coverage. Lampron and even Colorado’s cornerbacks struggled to do that, and it proved the speed that he possesses. 

If Colorado uses Lefau as the spy, he can close on Barnett quickly and provide the best assistance in containing him on Saturday.