BOULDER — The reason Deion Sanders put Julian Lewis in the game last Saturday night is the same reason the five-star freshman quarterback will make his first career start this week.

“Common sense,” Coach Prime said Tuesday when he confirmed the Buffaloes will turn to “JuJu” Lewis at West Virginia on Saturday (10 a.m. TNT).

Lewis will become the first true freshman Buffs quarterback to start a game since Ryan Staub started the 2023 season finale at Utah.

After starter Kaidon Salter and Staub struggled during a 52-17 blowout loss to Arizona at Folsom Field, Lewis got his first extended run of the season, completing nine of 17 passes for 121 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown pass, the first of his career, after previously only playing two drives, in a Week 2 win over Delaware.

“He got the ball out. In certain situations, he saw what was coming, what was happening. He received information and tried to apply what he was receiving through the headset, which he did a good job (of) that,” Sanders said. “He was more talkative to his teammates. What I mean by that is, you gotta communicate with your linemen, your backs, your receivers and let them know that you’re there, you’re in command, you’re in control because they’re looking for leadership.”

That’s what the Buffs will be looking for as they try to snap a two-game losing streak in which they’ve been outscored 105-24. CU is 3-6 and Coach Prime may already be thinking about what comes next with his team unlikely to rattle off the necessary three straight wins to secure a bowl game.

After Coach Prime and the Buffs secured his commitment, Lewis has been viewed as the program’s future at quarterback. On one of his visits to Boulder, he even took a picture with then-starter Shedeur Sanders in which Lewis was having keys handed to him by Sanders in a metaphorical torch passing.

But the Carrollton, Ga., native arrived at CU having graduated high school a year and a half early. He began the season as a 17-year-old, a big reason the Buffs got Salter from the portal. Salter, a veteran transfer from Liberty who had won a lot of games the last two seasons, was viewed as the bridge between Shedeur and Lewis. That hasn’t panned out.

Salter began the season as the starter against Georgia Tech before Coach Prime opened the quarterback competition the following week against Delaware with Staub emerging as the top choice heading into the Big 12 opener at Houston. But even that was a short-lived experiment as Salter was given the starting job back he’s held it ever since.

The Buffs offense has never found a rhythm, regardless of the quarterback. 

CU ranks second-to-last in the Big 12 in both scoring and total offense and third-worst in both rushing and passing yards per game.

The Buffs are seeking a spark, and maybe their 18-year-old freshman can provide it.

“He’s a young kid, going to make young kid mistakes, but it’s up to the staff to get him prepared and get him ready so he can be precise and concise,” Sanders said. “He has to make quick reads and get the ball out of there, run when he feels pressure and just be himself. Just do what you’ve been doing your whole life.”