Last Saturday in Waco, former blue-chip recruit quarterback Julian Lewis was benched in favor of backup Isaac Wilson after a disappointing two week stretch as Colorado’s signal caller. In one half of play, Lewis went 11/16 for 75 yards and zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. 

On paper, this stat line isn’t all that ugly, but that’s not what the eye test said. Juju looked timid in the first half against Baylor, appearing to be viably hesitant to even try to push the ball downfield.  

Where did the guy CU fans fell in love with against Weber State go? 

Granted, it was against an FCS program, and that he can’t always have the video game-like numbers he put up against the Wildcats, but after watching his performance against Baylor, the quarterback that was coordinated as the heir to Shedeur Sanders didn’t look like himself. The throws Lewis made against Weber State and the arm talent he showcased still must be in there somewhere, so why hasn’t it shown up since then?

To pile on to his struggles throwing, Juju struggled to escape the pocket and pick up chunk yardage with his legs—a crucial part of the success of the “go go” offense. He finished with four recorded rushes for -17 yards against Baylor. 

In Lewis’ absence, Isaac Wilson, the Utah transfer and brother to former first-round pick Zach Wilson, started the second half. 

Wilson’s statistics did not jump off the screen either, but he did appear to play with more aggressiveness and was willing to push the ball down the field. He finished 12/25 with 156 yards and one touchdown. He also orchestrated one of the best drives of the entire season, leading a 12-play, 95-yard touchdown drive to start the fourth quarter. 

All this leads us to the burning question: Who will get the nod at quarterback for the Buffs as they take on the 12th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders at home this Saturday? 

Despite national media like Matt Zenitz of CBS and Pete Nakos of On3 reporting that Isaac Wilson will start at QB in place of Lewis, Coach Prime has played it coy at his presser on Tuesday and didn’t named a starter. 

“I don’t know [who will start],” Sanders said. “I know some people are running with the narrative that it’s already decided. We’re going to see how practice goes this week.”

As for what Sanders is looking for in practice this week to decide a starter, “there’s a lot.”

“Flow, rhythm, confidence, having a grasp of the offense, making it work, those guys responding to you—meaning the receivers, the line, the team, how they embrace you. What do they want as well? Oftentimes you gotta give them what they want because they’re gonna work harder when you do that.”

As for star receivers Joseph Williams and DeAndre Moore Jr., they believe either quarterback will be ready regardless of who gets the nod. 

“They both can make every throw on the field,” Williams said. “They both throw with a lot of velocity, and they both put a lot of touch on the ball. They’re both really good leaders.”

Moore Jr. agreed that both are up for the challenge. 

“We’ve got a ton of reps since we’ve all gotten together in January and until now,” Moore said. “So, whether that be [Lewis], [Wilson], or [Kaneal Sweetwyne], we’ve all been getting those one reps, those throws, those certain little timing things to where, if any quarterback needs to go in—we’re good to go.”

With all that said, I think the national media’s belief that Isaac Wilson will get the start is likely correct. I also believe that starting Wilson is the right call. 

To this point, 19-year-old Julian Lewis, despite his immense upside, has yet to show enough consistent development to suggest he can get CU’s season back on track. Whether that is a product of his own development or the program’s ability to put him in the best position to succeed, there is still plenty of room for growth at this stage of his career.

Prime offered the biggest clue about the starter in Tuesday’s press conference.

“I haven’t talked to Juju. I’ve talked to Isaac; the kid is excited about the possibilities.”

Wednesday’s Colorado Football Coaches Show gave us an even bigger clue as to who the staff is rolling with, as Coach Prime went into depth on how fearless Wilson is when it comes to throwing the football—a juxtaposition of Lewis’ timid play thus far. 

“Isaac’s not scary,” he said. “Isaac’s gonna go out and try it. When I saw Isaac—we threw a seam down the middle, and he missed widely. It was a miss. But he took a shot at it. He didn’t look at it and say, ‘Oh, I’m not gonna do that.”

At the end of the day, it may take something drastic to turn around the season for the Buffs. I am of the belief that Wilson’s willingness to push the ball downfield to a talented receiver corps may just be exactly what the squad needs to right the ship.

Who do you think should get the start vs. #12 Texas Tech?