BOULDER — Colorado’s Folsom Field magic has disappeared, it seems.

Despite taking an early 14-0 lead less than 10 minutes in, Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes allowed 17 unanswered points in a 24-21 loss to No. 25 BYU on Saturday night.

In a rematch of last year’s Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, CU was much more competitive but came up short on a last-minute drive to try and win the game.

Here are three takeaways from the loss that drops Coach Prime’s team to 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in Big 12 play.

Freshman QB carries BYU

He may look silly wearing No. 47, but the Cougars have themselves a quarterback of the future in Bear Bachmeier. The true freshman didn’t look like someone making just his fourth career start in the toughest environment he’s ever played in in his life.

Bachmeier was BYU’s engine offensively, leading the way with both his arms and his legs. He finished 19-for-21 passing for 179 yards and two touchdowns, also adding a game-high 98 yards with his legs.

This probably wasn’t a game where Coach Prime expected to get out-played at quarterback, but that’s just what happened. 

Buffs’ fast start

If you blinked, you may have missed it, but offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was in his bag, as the kids say, to start Saturday night’s game.

Whether it was pre-snap movement or run-pass-option plays that allowed quarterback Kaidon Salter to make quick decisions, the Buffs were able to go down the field and score touchdowns on their first two possessions. They needed just 15 plays and less than seven minutes to do it, too.

But after that, it was much of the same from CU. They managed just one touchdown drive the rest of the game as the offense sputtered against a BYU defense that found a way to contain the Buffs’ rushing attack.

Penalties haunt CU

The CU secondary just isn’t the same without Travis Hunter.

It turns out the Heisman Trophy winner was covering up a lot of warts deep downfield, as the Buffs haven’t been the same in coverage through four games. Typically reliable starters DJ McKinney and Preston Hodge struggled again, each picking up penalties in coverage that extended BYU drives.

In total, Coach Prime’s team finished with six penalties for 67 yards, and it felt like every one of them came at the absolute worst time.