Omarion Miller’s breakout game last week against Wyoming came at a good time, for the Colorado Buffaloes and for Miller.
A junior receiver whose star potential has never been in question during his time at Colorado, Miller had a slow start to the season, including an injury that caused him to miss a game against Delaware.
Last Saturday, however, he caught six passes for 88 yards and a touchdown — his first in nearly a full year, since Sept. 21, 2024.
A 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior from Vivian, La., Miller’s career has been filled with flashes of brilliance and some injury issues.
“Get healthy and stay ready,” receivers coach Jason Phillips said of his message to Miller. “Any time he’s on the field, he’s a threat, so we just gotta make sure that he does the right things off the field, as far as taking care of himself, which he’s done a good job of that.
“He’s went outside of what we provide here to get physical therapy and those types of things, so he can stay healthy and stay on the field.”
Miller, who missed the final seven games of the 2024 season due to injury, said he had some internal struggles when injuries hit but has been able to overcome those.
“It’s definitely difficult,” he said. “I was in a bad mental state at first, but I had the right people around me, telling me good things in my ear. I kind of overcame those things, and now I feel good about myself.”
As the Buffs prepare to face No. 25 BYU on Saturday at Folsom Field (8:15 p.m., ESPN), Miller is tied for the team lead with 10 catches and is second with 181 yards.
“Once we know he’s out there, we know what he’s capable of, so we want him to stay healthy and just continue to stay ready,” Phillips said.
Injury update
Late Wednesday night, the first availability report of the week was released by the Big 12, with 21 Buffs listed.
Eight CU players are listed as being out for this week’s game, including defensive linemen Gavriel Lightfoot and Tawfiq Thomas; defensive end Samuel Okunlola; cornerback RJ Johnson; and running backs Simeon Price and DeKalon Taylor.
Cornerback Makari Vickers is “doubtful,” while defensive end Keaten Wade is listed as “questionable.”
Defensive lineman Anquin Barnes Jr. is also out for the first half against BYU because of the targeting penalty he was hit with during last week’s game.
Left tackle Jordan Seaton, who missed the second half of last week’s game against Wyoming, is not listed on the report and is expected to play.
For BYU, receiver Jojo Phillips and running back Sione Moa are both listed as out for this week.
Stopping Martin
Every week, the CU defense goes into a game intent on trying to stop the run game. It’s certainly a top priority this week against BYU running back LJ Martin.
In the Alamo Bowl in December, Martin ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns against the Buffs. He also led the Cougars with two catches for 33 yards.
Martin, who has 1,578 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground in his three seasons at BYU, is off to a great start this year. He’s rushed for 342 yards and a touchdown, while averaging 8.6 yards per carry.
“We’ll focus on him, just trying to start off fast and just trying to just show them our tempo,” CU defensive lineman Amari McNeill said.
