BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Kaidon Salter tossed two touchdown passes and Colorado's defense came up big in the fourth quarter with an interception and a fourth-down stop to help the Buffaloes beat No. 22 Iowa State 24-17 on Saturday.

Salter threw for 255 yards, including a 70-yard TD strike to Omarion Miller, as the Buffaloes (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) snapped a two-game skid. Salter took a knee to close out the game and threw the ball high into the air. The students rushed the field despite warnings from the public address announcer.

“I love it,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said about the crowd storming the field. “I want to see the kids rush the field.”

Informed it's a fine for rushing the field, though, Sanders responded: “Who made that rule? Come on, man. That ain't right.”

It was the second win over an AP Top 25 team since Sanders took over the program. The Buffaloes beat No. 17 TCU on the road in 2023 to kick off the Sanders era at Colorado.

"The locker room had a different vibe today," said Sanders, who was on the sideline after undergoing surgery related to his blood clots on Tuesday. “We're better than what our record says.

“We shouldn't be sitting up here with a plethora of losses. We should be sitting up here with a steering wheel and in the driver's seat.”

The momentum flipped early in the fourth quarter with the Cyclones (5-2, 2-2) facing third-and-goal at the 7. Rocco Becht was intercepted by Tawfiq Byard — with a cast on his left hand — but a flag was thrown for an apparent pass interference behind the play. The officials huddled for a moment before waiving off the flag.

Iowa State coach Matt Campbell was livid on the sideline. He was still yelling at the officials after the Cyclones forced a Buffaloes punt.

After the game, Campbell was more subdued while addressing the play.

“It sounded like they thought that the ball ... it had no impact, that the (defensive pass interference) didn’t happen until after the ball was thrown, which is not true,” Campbell explained.

Soon after, Iowa State faced a fourth-and-1 at their 18 only to be stuffed by Colorado.

It led to a 29-yard field goal by Alejandro Mata to make it 24-17.

Salter's short TD pass to Joseph Williams in the third quarter gave the Buffaloes the lead for good. Salter also hit Williams for a 38-yard gain late in the fourth that sealed the victory. Williams had eight catches for 128 yards.

“We have a team full of dawgs that just don't quit,” said Salter, who bounced back from a three-interception performance a week ago. “We don't give up.”

Abu Sama III ran for 177 yards and a pair of short touchdowns for the Cyclones, who have dropped two in a row. Becht finished 18 of 33 for 205 yards.

"I’ve got to be better for my team," Becht said.

For Coach

Linebacker Jeremiah Brown said seeing Sanders return to practice a day after his surgery set the tone for the game.

“He's giving us all the energy we needed,” said Brown, who had a team-high 10 tackles.

The takeaway

Iowa State: The Cyclones committed seven penalties against Colorado. This after being called for eight the week before in a loss at Cincinnati. It’s an uncharacteristic trend for the Cyclones, who over the past two seasons have been one of the least penalized teams in the nation. “We've got to go back to the fundamentals of what we do," Campbell said.

Colorado: The banged-up Buffaloes had 17 players ruled out for the game. They were outgained by a 441-395 margin, including allowing 236 yards rushing.

Up next

Iowa State: Hosts No. 18 BYU on Oct. 25.

Colorado: At Utah on Oct. 25.

Colorado fans storm field after win over No. 22 Iowa State, Deion Sanders loves it but fine may loom

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The mass of Colorado fans spilled out of their seats and onto the field after a 24-17 victory over No. 22 Iowa State on Saturday.

It was a sight that Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders loved to see. It may very lead to a reprimand, fine or both. Either way, it's the second straight home game with an incident involving the crowd at Folsom Field.

The school drew a $50,000 fine and a rebuke by the Big 12 for derogatory chants toward the BYU crowd on Sept. 27. The Big 12 may take a hard look at this episode, too, given that conferences are cracking down on students rushing the field.

“Is it a fine?” Sanders asked after the game. "Come on, man. That ain’t right. ... I want to see the kids rush the field. I absolutely love it."

A crowd began gathering near the railing of the end zone with “Colorado” printed along the sloped bank as the clocked approached zero. The public-address announcer warned the fans that entering the field could result in a fine for the school and possibly arrests for them.

But when quarterback Kaidon Salter took a final knee to end the game, the crowd headed toward the midfield logo.

“I mean, hats off to our security team. They do a good job ushering me in (to the locker room)," said Sanders, who notched his second win over an AP Top 25 team since taking over in Boulder. "But I love to see it. I really do.”

Sanders noted the school lowered the goalpost so it didn't go home as a souvenir.

“What are you going to do with the field goal if you take it down anyway? What are you going to do with it?” Sanders said. “Put it in your front yard? Your frat house? Then you’re telling on yourself. I don’t understand that, but I love it.”

Two weeks ago at Folsom Field, fans directed expletives and religious slurs toward Mormons as BYU beat Colorado 24-21. The school was issued a $50,000 fine, along with Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark condemning the chants.

Sanders apologized, too, saying at the time: “Our student body, our kids are phenomenal, so don’t indict us just based on a group of young kids that probably was intoxicated and high simultaneously.”

Last November, the Big 12 fined Arizona State $25,000 and issued a reprimand following a premature field storming by ASU's fans that took roughly 15 minutes to clear before BYU heaved a final Hail Mary that fell incomplete.

Colorado received a $25,000 fine last season when the crowd rushed the field during an overtime win over Baylor in a game where the Buffaloes tied it up on a Hail Mary.

Sanders seemed shocked when told Saturday the fine for storming the field could be $50,000.

“How is it $50,000 for rushing the field?” Sanders said. "Wow. Shoot. I’m sorry. Wow, fifty grand.”

Colandrea scores on 19-yard TD run with 36 seconds left, lifts undefeated UNLV past Air Force 51-48

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Anthony Colandrea threw for 361 yards, and ran for a 19-yard touchdown with 36 seconds left to give undefeated UNLV a 51-48 victory over Air Force on Saturday for the Rebels' sixth straight win.

Liam Szarka's 9-yard touchdown run with 1:13 left gave Air Force a 48-44 lead with 1:13 remaining. On the ensuing series, Colandrea scrambled to his left and then ran untouched before knocking an Air Force defender into the end zone with him for the go-ahead score. Szarka led the Falcons to the UNLV 23 on their final drive, but Jacob Medina missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt to end it.

Colandrea was 20-of-32 passing that included an 86-yard touchdown throw to Daejon Reynolds early in the third quarter. Colandrea also had a short touchdown run in the first and finished with 62 yards rushing on seven carries.

Reynolds made four catches for 139 yards. Jai’Den Thomas and Keyvone Lee combined for 147 yards rushing on 13 carries with two touchdowns for UNLV (6-0, 2-0 Mountain West Conference).

Szarka completed 10 of 17 passes for 175 yards with a touchdown and added 136 yards rushing on 27 carries and two scores. Owen Allen ran the ball 17 times for 192 yards with two touchdowns for Air Force (1-5, 0-4). Cade Harris also had two touchdown runs for the Falcons.

The teams combined for six lead changes and 42 points in the fourth quarter.

Anderson throws for 304 yards, Kellman's rushing score lifts Wyoming over San Jose State 35-28

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Terron Kellman's 28-yard scoring rush with 40 seconds remaining completed Wyoming's fourth-quarter comeback and the Cowboys defeated San Jose State 35-28 on Saturday night.

Brayden Johnson returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown to begin the rally for the Cowboys (3-3, 1-1 Mountain West Conference), and a 45-yard touchdown catch by Charlie Coenen on a throw from Kaden Anderson tied the game at 28-28.

Anderson was 23-for-39 passing for 304 yards and two touchdowns, topping 300 yards for the second time in his career. Eleven different receivers caught passes for the Cowboys.

Danny Scudero set a program record with four touchdown receptions for the Spartans (2-4, 1-1), breaking the previous record of three that had stood since 1978 and was shared by 16 players.

Scudero caught 10 passes for 180 yards, his fifth time this season with 130 or more receiving yards.

Walker Eget threw for 295 yards on 23-for-36 passing, but was removed from the game early in the third after a big hit. He re-entered for the Spartans' final drive that ended at the Wyoming 45-yard line.

Eric Gibson Jr. throws for 350 yards, 2 TDs and Northern Colorado tops Idaho 49-33

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Eric Gibson Jr. threw for 350 yards with two touchdowns and Northern Colorado outlasted Idaho 49-33 on Saturday.

The Bears (3-3, 1-1 Bog Sky) scored 35 points in the first half and added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Gibson completed 22 of 34 passes and threw TD passes of 7 yards to Mathias Price and 22 yards to Brayden Munroe, both in the second quarter. Munroe gained 151 yards on five receptions and Carver Cheeks had 120 yards on nine catches.

Jack Wagner passed for 237 yards and Rocco Koch had two touchdowns among his 81 yards rushing for Idaho (2-4, 0-2).

Koch's 16-yard touchdown run had the Vandals within 35-25 in the third, but Cheeks recovered his own fumble for a touchdown that put the Bears up 42-25.

Nate Thomas scored to get Idaho within 42-33 midway through the fourth, but Northern Colorado responded again with an 18-yard touchdown run by Brandon Johnson for the game's final points.