FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Travis Hunter ran off the field after Saturday night’s game against Colorado State and stopped to sign autographs for fans.
One of them threw him a Colorado helmet to sign from the front row in the end zone. Others threw him jerseys and gear, each hoping to get a piece of what happened here at Canvas Stadium – another great football game from a generational star with a win 28-9 for the Colorado Buffaloes.
After the game, his coach, Deion Sanders, called Hunter “phenomenal,” as always. His son, Shedeur Sanders, said there is “no ceiling” to Hunter’s abilities.
But even Hunter himself acknowledged his limitations after catching 13 passes for 100 yards, scoring two touchdowns, and making five tackles. and hold one break. At one point in the fourth quarter, the Buffs’ two-way star left the game to catch his breath after taking down a Colorado State player from behind.
“It’s probably the first time I’ve done that,” said Hunter, who was rarely on the field Saturday on offense or defense. “Maybe that’s the first time. Because normally, when I ran down to him, I could breathe and get up, but at that time I was just, I don’t know what happened.”
Deion Sanders was looking for a playoff win against Colorado State
Despite the exhaustion, Hunter said, “I feel good.” He said he plans to ice bath again in Boulder next.
“And go home to a delicious meal,” Shedeur Sanders said.
It was that kind of night for Linares (2-1). Coach Deion Sanders was a little relieved and had no problem hanging it up against the rival Rams (1-2) in front of a sellout crowd of 40,099.
“We really wanted it to be a decision,” Deion Sanders said.
Why was Deion Sanders booed at Colorado State after the game?
He gave several reasons, including some provocative comments made by Colorado State receiver Tory Horton and quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. The comments were made public this week a few days before the game but were actually reported in pre-season interviews in Aug. 14.
It didn’t matter to Sanders, who called the game “personal.”
“We just want to play football,” he said. Disrespect was unnecessary all week. Several of their players shot throughout the show. ”
In an interview from Aug. 14, Colorado State players both scoffed at the hype surrounding Deion Sanders and the Buffs.
“We’ll see how far the Instagram followers reach them,” Fowler-Nicolosi said at the time.
Deion Sanders asks, ‘How stupid is that?’
On Saturday, Fowler-Nicolosi had a lot more to say. After going out of bounds with his team down 14-3, the Rams quarterback had some words with Hunter and made a sign with his hand that showed Hunter was young a lot.
“How stupid is that?” Deion Sanders asked afterward. “This is Travis Hunter. Man, this is Travis Hunter. This is Travis Hunter! Who does that? I wouldn’t let my kids do that, and you’ll know that. And that needs to be said.” .”
Sanders also cited an incident before the game during warmups when he said Colorado receivers coach Jason Phillips was apparently bumped or tackled by a Colorado State recruit.
Deion Sanders called it “unwanted,” too.
“I just pray that our kids never do that because I know there will be a day of action if they do,” Sanders told reporters.
Is that why Deion Sanders kept the starters in the game until the end?
Sanders and Colorado would pull their offensive linemen out of the game in the final minutes and run the ball on every play to end the period with a 28-9 lead. But they didn’t. Instead, Shedeur Sanders threw deep balls in Colorado’s final series and attempted a pass in five of his last seven games.
Deion Sanders said afterward that the point was not to retaliate against CSU’s behavior. He said he just wanted to score points.
The game is all about scoring, isn’t it? Sanders said. “I don’t know the protocol… As long as the other team is trying to score, we are trying to score. That is my law.”
Shedeur Sanders completed 36 of 49 passes for 310 yards with four touchdowns – two to LaJohntay Western in the first half and two to Hunter in the second half. The Buffs led 14-3 at halftime and gave up just one turnover after giving up six last week in a 28-10 loss to Nebraska.
What happened to Colorado’s offensive line?
Six of CU’s offensive linemen appeared in the postgame press conference, lined up like a wall behind Hunter and Shedeur Sanders at the microphones.
This was its best performance in a long time. Last year, Colorado surrendered the second-most sacks in the nation (56) when Shedeur Sanders ended the season with a broken back.
“I’m really proud,” Deion Sanders said. “I mean walking down the street from when we came out of the locker room (last week), I heard how much we suck. And I hate to use that word and that phrase, but it’s been said…. These guys stood up. C’mon man, we got two of them for real, and (how) we can leave it at a loss. one darn one. Do you know how many people have lost one game in college football?”
Colorado changed its lineup in Saturday’s lineup, adding a new starter: Phillip Houston, a transfer from Florida International. He replaced Tyler Brown, who moved from guard.
“Our front controlled both sides of the ball and that’s how we came away with (the win),” Hunter said.
Why this win was important to Deion Sanders
A loss against Colorado State would have been devastating for him after being dominated last week at Nebraska. It would have raised questions about progress under Sanders in his second year as coach, especially after the Buffs beat Nebraska and Colorado State in 2023.
“It was the whole topic of the week – how do you answer?” Deion Sanders said about the Nebraska loss.
The Buffs now enter Big 12 Conference play strong and return home next Saturday to play Baylor (2-1). It will be their fourth preseason game on national television, this time on Fox after their previous three games on ESPN, NBC and CBS.
‘First time in modern college football history’
It helps that their defense finds a groove, too. Colorado has given up just nine points in its last six games. The Buffs also had two fumbles and two fumble recoveries Saturday in their seventh straight win against the Rams.
“You see this arrow is headed in the right direction, especially defensively,” Deion Sanders said. “And you know, everybody knows this method: You protect 2 (Shedeur), you go. It’s easy.”
Then there’s Hunter. He set a school record with his fourth straight 100-yard receiving game. He also accomplished something that will not be found in the history books with 13 receptions for 100 yards, five tackles, an interception and a 38-yard return and pass breakup while playing 123 of 138 snaps from scrimmage, according to Colorado. .
“It is believed to be the first time in the modern era of college football history that such a tally has occurred,” Colorado’s communications staff said in an email after the game.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
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