Wild win for Colorado over No. 17 TCU in coach Deion Sanders’ debut
Shedeur Sanders passed for a school-record 510 yards and threw four touchdowns, Dylan Edwards accounted for four scores and Colorado started the Deion Sanders coaching era with a 45-42 shootout victory over No. 17 TCU on Saturday afternoon at Fort Worth, Texas.
Edwards caught three scoring passes, including turning a short pass from Sanders into the winning 46-yard touchdown with 4:25 remaining in the season opener for both schools.
The victory was stunning as Deion Sanders took over a 1-11 team and orchestrated an offseason roster shakeup. Only 10 of last season’s 84 scholarship players remain with the program.
Furthermore, TCU reached the College Football Playoff title game last season before being crushed 65-7 by Georgia.
“We told you we were coming,” Deion Sanders told FOX in a postgame interview. “You thought we were joking. And guess what, we keep receipts. God bless you, America.”
Shedeur Sanders completed 38 of 47 passes and Edwards had 135 yards on five receptions as one of four Colorado players to top 100 receiving yards. Two-way standout Travis Hunter caught 11 passes for 119 yards and also recorded an interception for the Buffaloes.
Jimmy Horn Jr. had 11 receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown and Xavier Weaver caught six passes for 118 yards.
TCU’s Chandler Morris passed for 279 touchdowns, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for a score.
Trey Sanders rushed for three touchdowns and Jared Wiley and Dylan Wright each caught a touchdown pass for the Horned Frogs. Emani Bailey rushed for 164 yards on 14 carries.
TCU took a 35-31 lead when Morris scored on a 19-yard keeper with 10:49 remaining in the game. But Colorado moved back ahead three-plus minutes later when Shedeur Sanders tossed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Horn.
Major Everhart took the ensuing kickoff 86 yards to the Buffaloes’ 8-yard line. Two plays later, Trey Sanders scored from the 1 to give the Horned Frogs a 42-38 lead with seven minutes remaining.
After Colorado took the lead on Edwards’ final score, the defense stopped the Horned Frogs with 55 seconds left.
The Buffaloes outgained TCU 565 to 541.
Colorado increased its three-point halftime lead to 24-14 after Edwards caught a short pass in the right flat from Shedeur Sanders and finished off a 75-yard catch-and-run just 36 seconds into the third quarter.
But 55 seconds later, the Horned Frogs were back within three when Morris tossed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Wiley. TCU went ahead for the first time when Morris threw a 23-yard scoring pass to Wright for a 28-24 lead with 2:32 left in the period.
Edwards scored from the 7 to give Colorado a 31-28 lead with 27 seconds left in the third quarter.
Jace Feely booted a 49-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to give Colorado a 17-14 halftime lead.
The “Coach Prime” era began well as the Buffaloes forced a three-and-out to start the game and then drove 73 yards on 13 plays for a touchdown. The score came on Shedeur Sanders’ 4-yard pass to Edwards with 8:58 left in the quarter.
TCU knotted the score on a 7-yard run by Trey Sanders 63 seconds into the second quarter. Colorado moved back ahead 4 1/2 minutes later on a 2-yard run by Sy’veon Wilkerson.
TCU tied the game at 14 on Trey Sanders’ 4-yard run with 1:53 left in the half.
–Field Level Media
