Seven Names on the Out List: Micah Welch Joins Colorado's Injury Pile as Isaac Wilson Gets His Second Straight Start in Stillwater

By Cam Sutton, RF Sports Radio Colorado voice

Buffs fans, Coach Prime wants his team to score the football. The injury report just made that a lot harder. Colorado goes into a sold-out homecoming in Stillwater without its leading rusher and two of its receivers.

The facts

Colorado's first Big 12 availability report for Saturday's game at Oklahoma State lists seven players out, per Sports Illustrated's Buffs Beat and Pokes Report: wide receivers Kam Perry and Danny Scudero, defensive back Braylon Edwards, running back Micah Welch, offensive lineman Jayven Richardson, tight end Zach Atkins and defensive end Sam Gadie. Defensive end Lamont Lester Jr. and defensive back Preston Ashley are questionable. Welch, Colorado's leading rusher, and Richardson were hurt against Utah.

Sanders was unsure about Welch's injury on Tuesday. "He's hurting. He didn't practice today," he said, per SI. "I think he may have broken it. I don't know if he broke it." On Scudero, who was at the Utah game in a boot and on crutches: "We don't want to push Danny out there, and he does something and sets himself back." And on Lester, who played only a few snaps against Utah: "You don't want half of Lamont. You want the whole."

Isaac Wilson is expected to make his second straight start, per Yahoo Sports' Roundtable. Over his last two games, Wilson has 699 passing yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions, and he led the comeback from 13-0 down at halftime in last week's 27-24 loss to Utah. Yahoo notes 2-4 is Coach Prime's worst start at Colorado. Oklahoma State has its own loss: safety Mose Phillips III is out for the season with a shoulder injury, per Pokes Report, and defensive tackle Landon Dean is out. Kickoff is Saturday at 6 p.m. Central on FS1 at Boone Pickens Stadium.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: I respect how Sanders is handling Scudero and Lester. Not rushing a kid back for a 2-4 season is the right call, and he said it plainly. But it leaves Wilson with a short-handed group against an offense that can put up 30 in its sleep.

Without Welch, Colorado's run game becomes a question mark, and that matters for the time-of-possession problem Sanders talked about after Utah. If you cannot run, you cannot keep Drew Mestemaker on the sideline.

The one opening: Oklahoma State's secondary just lost a starting safety. Wilson should take shots early and test the replacement before the crowd gets loud.

My call: I said Oklahoma State 31-24 on Monday. With these injuries, I am moving it to 34-21 Cowboys. That is a prediction, not a report.

What to watch next

Watch Thursday's updated availability report for Welch and Lester, then Colorado's first-half points Saturday at 6 p.m. Central on FS1. For Coach Prime's 'score the football' message, read our Oct. 21 Colorado column on scoring the football, and follow the Colorado Football page.

Radio question: with Welch out, who has to step up for Colorado in Stillwater — the run game or Isaac Wilson's arm?

Sources: Sports Illustrated (Buffs Beat) — Colorado injury report reveals long list expected to miss Oklahoma State game; Pokes Report — Big 12 availability report for homecoming Colorado game; Yahoo Sports / Roundtable — Deion Sanders still riding with Isaac Wilson at quarterback.