Prime day: Colorado opens with victory over TCU

FORT WORTH, Texas — Deion Sanders spent the past nine moths flipping Colorado‘s roster and the vibe around a once-elite program, telling everyone who would listen: “We comin’.”

Sanders finally got a chance to change the results on the field Saturday, and his revamped roster delivered with a significant statement. The Buffaloes, who came to No. 17 TCU as 21-point underdogs following a 1-11 season, stunned the defending national runner-up, rallying for a 45-42 win before a stunned crowd at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Colorado won its first road game since 2021 and snapped a streak of 24 consecutive losses as an underdog of 21 points or more.

Although the attention leading into Saturday’s game focused on Deion Sanders, his son Shedeur Sanders, two-way star Travis Hunter and other Colorado newcomers stole the spotlight with their performances. Shedeur Sanders, the team’s starting quarterback, set a single-game team passing record with 510 yards, becoming the first Buffaloes quarterback ever to eclipse the 500-yard mark. He completed 38 of 47 passes with four touchdowns and no interceptions, as four Colorado players eclipsed 100 receiving yards.

The Buffaloes led for most of the first three quarters but erased three deficits down the stretch. They took the lead for good on a fourth-and-2 play, as Sanders found Dylan Edwards in the flat for a 46-yard touchdown.

Hunter, ESPN’s No. 2 recruit in the 2022 class who spurned Florida State to play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State, shined on both sides of the ball in his Colorado debut. He stepped in front of a Chandler Morris pass on third-and-1 from the Colorado 4-yard line for an interception. Hunter had 11 receptions for 119 yards and nearly had more on two acrobatic dives where he couldn’t hold onto the ball.

He became the first FBS player in at least 20 seasons to record more than 100 receiving yards and an interception in the same game.

Other offensive standouts included Edwards, a running back who had a team-high 135 receiving yards and three touchdowns to go along with a rushing touchdown; and wide receivers Jimmy Horn Jr. and Xavier Weaver, who combined for 235 receiving yards on 17 catches.

After three strong seasons at Jackson State, Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback, made his Colorado debut with a team that featured 86 new players, including his sons Shedeur and Shilo, and Hunter.

Before Saturday, Colorado had been held to fewer than 400 yards in 26 straight games, the longest active streak in FBS, according to ESPN Stats and Information research. The Buffaloes had been one of three FBS teams without a 300-yard passer in the past two seasons.

Even after TCU took its first lead with 2:32 left in the third quarter, Colorado immediately responded behind Sanders, who found Weaver for a 44-yard gain down the sideline, setting up Edwards’ second touchdown run.

TCU, which lost a number of stars to the NFL draft, had no answers for Colorado’s productive offense and received erratic play from Morris at quarterback and others.