As the Colorado football team was routed by BYU in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28 in San Antonio, all Amari McNeill and Omarion Miller could do was watch.
The two CU standouts were injured and couldn’t play in the bowl game, which ratchets up their level of eagerness this week, as the Buffs host No. 25 on BYU on Saturday at Folsom Field (8:15 p.m., ESPN).
“Yeah, it’s a big, big game for me because, of course, I missed last year,” said McNeill, a senior defensive lineman. “So, I want to face these guys, and they’re a good group that I’m ready to face. So I’m very excited to face them.”
So is Miller, who missed the second half of the 2024 season with a leg injury.
“Oh, yeah, most definitely,” Miller said. “All I’ve been saying this week is get-back. That’s all I’m worried about this week. I’m definitely ready.”
McNeill and Miller are two of many players on both teams who weren’t on the field for BYU’s 36-14 win in San Antonio, yet the recent matchup has given both programs a sense of familiarity as the Buffs (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) and Cougars (3-0) prepare for the Alamo Bowl rematch.
For starters, the head coaches have a friendship and mutual respect that developed because of the Alamo Bowl prep nine months ago.
“(BYU head coach Kalani) Sitake, I consider him a friend,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said. “They’ve been playing superbly this season, even with a young quarterback. Defensively, they’ve been shutting things down and doing the doggone thing.”
Sitake told local media this week, “I have tons of respect and admiration for (Sanders) and what he’s done as a coach and as a father and a disciple of Christ.”
Sanders said he’s not into the idea of revenge, but through his respect for Sitake, he knows the Buffs need to be ready.
“(The Cougars) played their butts off, kicked our butts in the bowl game,” Sanders said. “Now we have a whole new team. They have a similar team as well, under (a new quarterback) and it’s a good team, well-coached team, disciplined team. We’ve got to be a lot more disciplined.”
When the teams met in December, CU was led by Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who are now both in the NFL. Of CU’s 22 starters on offense and defense that day, 15 are no longer with the team and two others are now backups who may not play on Saturday.
BYU has 11 of 22 starters back from the bowl game (although receiver Jojo Phillips is out with an injury), but has a new quarterback and several new faces on the defensive front.
“Where I don’t think the schemes or the programs have changed that much, I do think the players have drastically,” BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill said.
With a host of new players, especially at quarterback, things will be different. CU senior Kaidon Salter is different from Shedeur Sanders, while BYU true freshman Bear Bachmeier isn’t the same as his predecessor, Jake Retzlaff.
As Hill pointed out, however, the schemes are similar, because both teams have their coordinators back. Hill and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick are back for BYU, while CU’s Robert Livingston (defense) and Pat Shurmur (offense) are back.
Also similar to December, BYU coaches and players praised the amount of talent on CU’s roster, while CU players touted the physicality and discipline of the Cougars.
Ultimately, however, what happened in December in San Antonio won’t matter much on Saturday night. But, both teams are eager for the rematch.
“Every year is different and every week is different,” Sitake said. “We’re a different team than back in the Alamo Bowl and they’re a different team, as well. I see on film that they have tons of talent. We’re at their place now, so it’s going to be a difficult environment.
“It’s not going to be an easy game to go in there and play. I’m sure they remember the bowl game last year, they want some payback. It’s a different year, different mindset.”