Colorado battled through injuries and a difficult opponent Saturday night but ultimately fell short in a 31-28 loss to Kansas State, which left head coach Deion Sanders feeling emotional.

“This s–t hurt,” he told his team (37:45 mark). “Because you know, and you should feel like, you were the better team.”

He also placed the blame on the defense against the run after the contest during his postgame press conference by saying Kansas State “ran the heck out of the football. That was the goal to try to stop the run. We didn’t do that whatsoever. They had 224 yards rushing, which they ultimately dominated the time of possession. Which is not good.”

The Wildcats actually tallied 188 rushing yards during the game, but it doesn’t change the overall narrative.

Running back DJ Giddens averaged 7.3 yards per carry on his way to 182 yards, while running back Dylan Edwards and quarterback Avery Johnson each scored on the ground. That helped the visitors get off to a quick start and take a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter.

However, the Buffaloes fought back with an 11-play, 72-yard touchdown drive that Isaiah Augustave capped off with a score before Colton Hood’s interception and long return set them up inside the red zone.

The offense took advantage on the ensuing possession with a touchdown pass from Shedeur Sanders to LaJohntay Wester to take the lead, but Kansas State answered in the final few minutes with a 34-yard pass to Giddens and 50-yard strike from Johnson to Jayce Brown to ultimately win the game.

Colorado had one more opportunity but turned it over on downs.

Still, Sanders’ team showed impressive fight, especially since star wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter exited the game in the first half with an apparent shoulder injury. Wide receivers Jimmy Horn Jr., Omarion Miller and Terrell Timmons Jr. also exited with injuries.

Had Hunter remained on the field, it might have been a different ending even with the Buffaloes struggling to stop the run on the defensive side.

Despite the loss, this year’s Colorado team feels much different than last year’s.

The Buffaloes went 1-8 in Pac-12 play in 2023 and never recovered from a blowout 42-6 loss to Oregon. Yet this season’s team has shown resilience in a comeback win over Baylor, road victory over UFC and even Saturday’s loss against a nationally ranked Kansas State squad.

It is 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play with the opportunity to remain a factor in the conference race with winnable games against Arizona, Cincinnati and Texas Tech in the immediate future. The run defense will have to be better, but there is more reason for optimism in Colorado than there was a season ago.