Kaidon Salter shows promise following solid debut with Colorado

BOULDER, Colo. — Despite coming out on the losing side against Georgia Tech Friday night, the veteran quarterback put together a great performance in his Colorado debut.

All eyes were on Kaidon Salter when he lined up behind center, and no matter what the scoreboard displayed, he thought he gave his all on every play. Salter fed off the energy from the sold out crowd at Folsom Field, and didn’t view it as pressure. Instead the signal-caller made plays with his arm and legs, which he felt gave the Yellow Jackets problems on defense throughout the evening.

Now Salter is making it a priority to build on his solid outing, and put together something the fans can appreciate, knowing he’s capable of executing every play in the playbook.

“Really my first big time game out here at Folsom Field, but felt like I went out there and I tried to do the best that I can do,” Salter said. “I went out there and I executed the plays that coach wanted me to execute, but it’s still room for improvement out there with just the way the offense connects and runs things on game days.”

Colorado drew first blood in the first three minutes of the game after Salter connected with running back DeKalon Taylor for an eight-yard touchdown. He later led the Buffaloes on an eight-play, scoring drive in the second and third quarter. However, Salter’s heroics didn’t take place until midway through the fourth quarter.

That’s when Salter led the Buffaloes on a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, which ended with him in the endzone. Not only did his rushing score tie the game up at 20, but the drive also took nearly seven minutes off the clock. Coach Prime was pleased with the way Salter commanded the offense. After all, he was responsible for Colorado’s only two touchdowns on the evening. Regardless, Coach Prime knows that Salter is capable of more, and wants him to utilize all of his talents moving forward.

“I don’t want him to prove to us that he could throw the ball, we know he could throw the ball,” Coach Prime said. “He’s a dual threat, and we want him to be a dual threat.”

Salter completed 17 of his 28 passes for 159 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. The former Liberty Flame also had 43 yards on the ground. The Dallas native was very smart with the football, only got sacked once and didn’t commit any turnovers. Being able to hold your own against a defense that could potentially help Georgia Tech contend for an ACC Title this fall is nothing to be ashamed of.

Coach Prime will need more out of Salter’s supporting cast before Big 12 play starts though. Regardless, great quarterbacks make other around them better, and Salter’s experience, leadership and production is going to be beneficial to the Buffaloes down the stretch. Coming off a loss means practice is going to be intense next week, but Salter is taking accountability, and plans on pushing his teammates.

“We just got to go out there and we just got to be better, and practice,” the 22-year old said. “Practice how we play, it starts at practice, so we got to start practicing better, execute and bring it all to the game.”

Coach Prime is going to find out how Salter responds to adversity, and wants him to understand that the Buffaloes win as a team, and loses as a team. The Yellow Jackets were a great measuring stick for the Buffaloes, and they took them down to the wire. So Salter has a lot to feel positive about in his coach’s eyes. Which is why Coach Prime is confident Colorado’s offense is in good hands with Salter.

“I don’t think we lost the game because of Kaidon Salter, by any means, he put us in a situation to win.”