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    • ‘Scary’ how good Buffaloes could be
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    ‘Scary’ how good Buffaloes could be

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    Colorado football coach Deion Sanders again issued a warning of sorts after his team crushed Utah 49-24 at home on Saturday.

    His team is two wins away from landing in the Big 12 Conference championship game, but still not quite performing the way he would like.

    Remember what he told the world after he was hired in Boulder two years ago?

    “We’re coming.”

    The Buffaloes (8-2) are still on the road.

    “We haven’t even put it all together yet,” Sanders said at his post-game press conference in Boulder. “As if we haven’t even played our best game yet. That in itself should be scary. Just like man, when I said, ‘We’re coming,’ we’re still coming. We never stopped coming. We are getting there, and we are still a long way from there.”

    ‘The Buffs are back’

    They’ll get close to that if they win their final two regular-season games at Kansas next week and at home against Oklahoma State on Nov. 29. If they win both, they will be in the Big 12 championship game in Arlington, Texas, on December. 7. If they win that too, they’ll earn a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff and maybe even get a first-round bye as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions.

    But there are issues to be resolved and a Heisman trophy to be won in the meantime. Sanders discussed that and more after bringing Colorado back from the dead in 2022, when the Buffaloes finished 1-11 the season before his arrival.

    “It’s pretty special,” running back Charlie Offerdahl said afterward. “That 1-11 season was very tough. All I can say is the Buffs are back.”

    Deion Sanders discusses Travis Hunter’s Heisman candidacy

    Colorado cornerback receiver Travis Hunter is the leading candidate to win the Heisman Trophy and turned in another boffo performance to boost his case with a rushing touchdown, an interception, three tackles and five catches for 55 yards while nearly played every snap. On the other hand, he also allowed his first touchdown pass of the season – a 40-yard pass that was thrown perfectly, just a step out of his range in the third quarter.

    Sanders was then asked what his message would be to undecided Heisman voters. He responded with concern that some voters might not vote for Hunter because they don’t like his flamboyant coach.

    “It should go to the best college football player,” Sanders said of the Heisman. “I think that’s a turning point since what? Week 2? So we don’t beg for anyone. We don’t do that. We have a wonderful display of cameras here, and I think we’re on national television every week. If they can’t see us, there’s a problem. Don’t let their hatred of me hinder the success of our children. They have to stop that. Y’all gotta stop… Y’all gotta stop that, man. Give the kids what they deserve, man. It was my turn… You had 14 years to hate me. Let it go now.”

    Why wasn’t Deion Sanders completely satisfied?

    The Buffs had three turnovers: two fumbles and an interception on the first play of the game. Two of those goals were committed by his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders – each leading to field goals for the Utes (4-6).

    Offensively, Colorado also converted just three of 11 third downs after converting just two of 13 in a win over Texas Tech last week.

    OPINION: Memo to the College Football Playoff Rankings Committee: Ole Miss is everything Texas is not

    “Things like this can’t happen,” Shedeur Sanders said. “I’m going to talk to the entire offense and apologize for my performance at the start because I can’t put the team in those types of situations. I’m grateful for the defense. Maybe I should take them out to dinner this week because they saved me and the team.”

    Shedeur completed 30 of 41 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns in front of another sold-out crowd at Folsom Field (54,646). His team led 21-9 at halftime and controlled throughout largely thanks to Colorado’s defense, which intercepted three passes, recovered one fumble, recorded nine tackles for losses and sacked the quarterback four times.

    The Heisman Game

    Two plays stood out for different reasons. One was a four-yard touchdown run by Offerdahl, a former walk-on who was offered a scholarship by Deion Sanders before the season. Sanders has praised Offerdahl’s work ethic in practice and making sure he got a chance to score his first career touchdown for the Buffs with 4:32 left in the fourth quarter.

    The other play came later in the fourth quarter, after the Buffs recovered a fumble at the Utah 19-yard line. On the first goal and the goal of the 5, Shedeur handed the ball to Offerdahl, who then reversed the ball to Hunter.

    “That part is pretty cool,” Offerdahl said. “We call it Heisman.”

    Hunter scrambled and scored on the play for a 5-yard rushing touchdown up the middle. But that’s not what needed to happen. Shedeur then told Hunter to throw the ball back to Shedeur, but Shedeur tripped, forcing Hunter to improvise.

    “I tried to be open, and I see how hard it is to be a receiver,” Shedeur Sanders said.

    Seven receivers caught passes from Shedeur on Saturday, led by freshman Drelon Miller, who had six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.

    “We feel like we have the best receiving corps in the country,” Deion Sanders said.

    They will come to Kansas next Saturday for another nationally televised game on Fox. The Buffs are No. 17 in the current playoff rankings and are off to their best start since 2016, when they finished in the Alamo Bowl with a 10-4 record.

    Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: [email protected]

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