Colorado bounced back from a loss in the rivalry to deliver a loss. The Buffaloes played at Colorado State for the first time since 1996 and steamrolled the Rams 28-9 on Saturday.
A rematch of last year’s heated double-overtime thriller in Boulder lacked scoring and drama, but Colorado showed improvement over the Buffaloes’ poor performance a week ago, when Colorado trailed 28-0 at halftime of a 28-10 loss at Nebraska.
Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and receiver Tory Horton ramped up the rivalry this week with pregame trash talk. Horton argued the Rams should have “murdered” Colorado last season, and Fowler-Nicolosi said he wanted to “see how far they can get with Instagram followers.” Fowler-Nicolosi and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders appeared to have a war of words after the game. Sanders said before the game, a Colorado State player bumped into Colorado receivers coach Jason Phillips and elbowed him.
“The disrespect was uncalled for during the week,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “We knew before the game that it was going to get a little personal. … I just pray that our kids would never act like that because you all would have a blast.”
Colorado’s play on Saturday was particularly convincing, as the Buffaloes improved their record to 2-1 and claimed their seventh consecutive win in the in-state rivalry, keeping the Centennial Cup in Boulder.
“These Instagram followers got us a long way today, you hear?” Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter said in a live video posted on social media.
They also spoiled Colorado State’s first sold-out game at Canvas Stadium, which opened in 2017.
“Oh! That was the first time they sold out here? Why was that? You know damn well why that was,” Sanders said.
Colorado led 14-3 at halftime after trailing 3-0 in the first quarter. They scored early in the third to extend the lead to 18 points and it was a brisk ride from there. Last week’s blowout loss in Lincoln raised many questions about how the Buffaloes’ transfer-heavy squad would respond. Sanders couldn’t have been happier with what he saw.
“I’m just so proud,” he said.
Hunter strengthens his Heisman position
Fowler-Nicolosi taunted Hunter with a “too small” gesture after a two-yard run in the first half, but Hunter intercepted the quarterback in the second half and returned his first interception of the season 38 yards. Hunter missed most of last year’s comeback victory after suffering a liver injury on a late hit by Rams safety Henry Blackburn.
“How stupid is that?” Sanders said. “That’s Travis Hunter. Dude, that’s Travis Hunter. That’s Travis Hunter. Who does that? I don’t let my kids do that.”
Hunter caught 13 passes, tying his career high, for 100 yards and two scores. It was his fourth consecutive game with triple-digit receiving yards. He also had a pass breakup and five tackles on defense.
“Travis is phenomenal,” Sanders said. “Week in and week out.”
Colorado’s change in the offensive line is paying off
Deion and Shedeur Sanders criticized the offensive line’s play against Nebraska’s defensive front last week, both in terms of protecting Colorado’s quarterback and the difficulty in establishing a running game.
Deion Sanders warned there could be a shakeup, and it was. The Buffaloes benched UTEP transfer Justin Mayers and moved Florida International transfer Phillip Houston to the starting right tackle position. They also moved Tyler Brown from the right tackle position to the left guard position. Five-star freshman Jordan Seaton stayed at the left tackle position and Hank Zilinskas (center) and Khalil Benson (right guard) remained in their spots.
The result? Sanders had more time and was better protected than he has all season, albeit against a Colorado State defense that ranks 85th nationally in tackles for loss and 118th in sacks, with just one in two games this season. Sanders was sacked just once for a loss of six yards.
All five offensive linemen came to the postgame press conference with Shedeur Sanders and Hunter.
“I’m so damn proud of these men, I don’t know what to do,” Deion Sanders said during an interview during the game on CBS. “I want to line them up and kiss them all. I love them more than anything.”
For the second time under Sanders, a Buffalo runner rushed for more than 60 yards in a single game despite the absence of running back Dallan Hayden. Colorado rushed for 112 yards on 17 carries. Freshman Micah Welch, one of Colorado’s 11 high school recruits in the class of 2024, carried the ball nine times for 65 yards.
“It was very personal. It meant everything to us to prove the world wrong,” Brown said.
(Photo: Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
