Did Deion’s Colorado show progress in opening win? Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter deliver

BOULDER, Colo. — Minutes earlier, Deion Sanders’ Colorado team had survived a frantic final drive from a proud North Dakota State team. The Buffaloes snapped a six-game losing streak and avoided a disastrous opener with the 31-26 win Thursday night.

Sanders reached for a mic from one of the dozen people surrounding him and checked to make sure it was on.

“Hello?” he said over the Folsom Field speakers before beginning a brief message.

He thanked the crowd for sticking with the double-digit favorite Buffs, who trailed the nine-time FCS champion Bison by 3 at halftime, and told them he appreciated them, stopping many in their tracks as they heard his familiar voice booming from the speakers.

“We’re one step closer to getting you to that bowl game.”

A season ago, Colorado came up short, stumbling to 4-8 after a 3-0 start made it the talk of college football. This season, expectations are higher after Sanders took over a 1-11 team following the 2022 season.

Despite the win, Sanders walked into his postgame news conference and apologized: once for the university turning off the air conditioning in the musty room and again for himself if he failed to control the anger he felt sitting at the microphone.

Sanders said he felt particularly disappointed in his team’s inability to rush the passer as North Dakota State, led by new coach Tim Polasek, rallied in the final minutes and nearly staged a dramatic comeback, a last-second heave coming up a few yards short.

But his team is 1-0 once again — following the unforgettable ecstasy of last season’s debut at TCU — and staring at rival Nebraska in Week 2, this time headed to Lincoln to resume a border rivalry that once thrived at the top of the Big Eight.

“You ever felt like,” Sanders said, pausing 10 seconds as he searched for the right words, “you won, but you didn’t win?”

Sanders has warned his team publicly and privately that much of America is waiting to pounce in the event the magnetic but polarizing Buffaloes stumble. Then Colorado’s transfer-heavy defense stumbled out of the gate Thursday, giving up scores on its first four drives, and the Buffs trotted into the halftime locker room trailing 20-17.

North Dakota State has consistently been a difficult test for FBS opponents, going 9-4 all-time with wins over Iowa, Kansas State, Minnesota and Kansas, among others. It pushed Arizona to the brink two seasons ago.

The Buffs’ first-half performance offered plenty of fodder for detractors, but a strong second half provided enough breathing room to keep the Buffs on track, early as it might be, for a bowl game and maybe more. Colorado struggled with close games last season, with six losses coming in one-possession games.

After the win, Sanders was more than willing to address his detractors.

“Some of you are upset we got the W. Some of you are really mad we didn’t get the L. God bless you all,” Sanders said. “You’ll have to wait till next week.”

Shedeur Sanders wasted no time Thursday after his 2023 season ended a game and a half early with a variety of injuries. His first completion to Travis Hunter went for a 41-yard touchdown, and he found Jimmy Horn Jr. for a 69-yard touchdown pass deep over the middle as defenders bore down on him in the pocket, giving the Buffaloes two touchdowns on the first two drives of the season. He racked up 400 yards in the first three quarters and finished with 445 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on 26-of-34 passing.

His rebuilt offensive line showed some improvement from a season ago against the Bison defensive front, and he showed the poise, accuracy and production that have made him at the very least a likely first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.

Deion Sanders said he had to chide his quarterback for calling his own number and throwing a deep ball to FAU transfer receiver LaJohntay Wester on first down with 1:34 to play and North Dakota State clinging to just one timeout. Shedeur Sanders said he saw no safeties over the top of the defense and liked his odds of connecting with Wester for a big play to put the game away.

“We have the best receiver room in the nation, so it’s kind of disrespectful. It was kind of something I’ll learn from,” Shedeur Sanders said. “There’s not too many mistakes you’re going to see me make twice.”

Hunter hasn’t spoken at a news conference since Colorado’s season opener a year ago, but his play spoke volumes in his junior season debut. He terrorized North Dakota State’s secondary from start to finish, hauling in his first catch of the season and making a defender miss before racing untouched for a 41-yard score. He also showcased otherworldly body control on a key third-down catch to extend a drive in the fourth quarter and capped the drive with an acrobatic touchdown catch on third down with a defender draped all over him.

“He plays defensive back, so he understands body position, he understands a lot of things a lot of receivers don’t understand,” Shedeur Sanders said.

The two-way player also had a 40-yard catch deep down the right sideline, creating space just before the ball arrived to haul in another contested catch. When healthy, Hunter has been a walking highlight reel on offense and defense, and he made plenty of highlights to kick off Colorado’s season. After last season’s opener, Deion Sanders openly campaigned for him as a Heisman contender, alongside Shedeur. His play Thursday made a compelling opening argument. He finished with seven catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns.

Deion Sanders said he was frustrated with the play of his defensive line late but was unbothered by his offensive line’s inability to clear the way for backs Dallan Hayden, Charlie Offerdahl and Drelon Miller. Colorado’s trio of backs ran for just 42 yards on 16 carries and struggled to gain ground with time ticking away and North Dakota State trying to stay alive.

Last year, the Buffaloes ranked last nationally in yards per carry.

“You’d love to run the ball a little more, but you have over 500 yards of total offense, I’ll go home and I’m gonna sleep good tonight. I’m cool with that,” Sanders said. “We would like to see more balance, but what is balance? Balance is wins. Nobody says nothing when you win.”

Colorado gave up 56 sacks a season ago, more than all but one team. Shedeur Sanders was frequently pressured Thursday but managed to elude it and was sacked only once, though he took several big hits, some in the backfield and some downfield when he scrambled.

Deion Sanders was pleased with the offensive line that features four new starters, including two transfers, five-star freshman Jordan Seaton and Tyler Brown, who many believed was the Buffs’ best offensive lineman a year ago but sat out the 2023 season due to an eligibility issue.

“You never want to see your son get hit, let alone your quarterback. But the line played a good game, man,” Sanders said. “We gotta give ‘em love. Guy got sacked one time. He dropped back, what, 34 times? I’m good with that. I’m good with that.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.