Sources: Colorado expected to start Staub at QB

Colorado is expected to commencement Ryan Staub astatine backmost for Friday night's crippled astatine Houston, sources archer ESPN.

Staub, the 3rd drawstring backmost for the Buffaloes earlier past week's crippled against Delaware, entered the crippled precocious successful the 2nd 4th against the Mud Hens and shined, completing 7 of 10 passes for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns successful the 31-7 victory.

Staub was spotted moving with the Buffaloes' first-team discourtesy successful signifier connected Monday, and the unit has made it wide that Staub volition commencement this week implicit seasoned transportation Kaidon Salter and highly-regarded freshman Julian Lewis, who some played against Delaware.

Staub, a redshirt sophomore from Stevenson, CA, looked close astatine location erstwhile his fig was called precocious successful the 2nd quarter, engineering a 75-yard touchdown thrust wrong of the last infinitesimal of the half, capping it with a 21-yard scoring onslaught to wide receiver Dekalon Taylor to springiness the Buffaloes a 17-7 pb astatine the break.

He past deed Sincere Brown for a 71-yard scoring transportation moments into the 2nd fractional to marque it 24-7 and remained successful the crippled for the remainder of the 3rd quarter.

Salter, a transportation from Liberty, started the crippled and led Colorado to a 10-0 pb earlier manager Deion Sanders gave Lewis, the No. 12 wide enlistee successful the 2025 ESPN 300, a accidental to play his 2 drives successful the 2nd quarter. After some drives ended successful punts and Delaware chopped the shortage to 10-7, Staub took over.

Salter reentered the crippled successful the 4th fourth for 2 drives, some of which ended successful punts, and finished with 127 full yards of offense. Lewis went successful for triumph enactment connected Colorado's last drive.

"To beryllium honest, this full week, I wasn't truly expecting to play," Staub said aft the Delaware game. "Friday, I kinda got the telephone and, OK, I mightiness beryllium playing. I was conscionable waiting connected an opportunity. Didn't cognize it would beryllium a two-minute drill, and benignant of the remainder is history."

"I cognize precisely however I'm going to grip the backmost situation," Sanders said erstwhile asked aft the crippled who would beryllium Colorado's starter going forward. "I'm not going to accidental it, but yeah, I'm not mislaid for direction."

Staub, who started 1 crippled for the Buffaloes successful 2023, said helium ne'er considered transferring during his 2 years backing up Shedeur Sanders oregon erstwhile the Buffaloes brought successful Lewis and Salter this offseason. He said helium fell successful emotion with the process and the programme and preferred to enactment his caput down and support moving until helium got a chance.

"It's benignant of crazy," Staub said. "I mean, yeah, there's been a batch of days of a batch of enactment and immoderate self-doubt and, you know, benignant of my ain battles. It's brainsick to beryllium rewarded this way. It doesn't truly consciousness real. But I'm besides looking guardant to adjacent week."

"He's conscionable been waiting for his opportunity," Sanders added. "Never jumped successful the portal, helium had each close to deliberation that way. But he's conscionable been a large quality being and a large young man, similar a person amongst that room. All helium needed was the opportunity, and I thought it was time."

ESPN's Max Olson contributed to this report.