Deion Sanders is “excited” about Colorado football’s complete 4-1 win in the opener

ORLANDO, Fla. – Travis Hunter wore custom cleats in Saturday night’s game against Central Florida – a pair of gold-colored shoes with a graphic on them depicting the mountains and trees of Boulder, Colorado.

They had quite a night. First, he scored a 23-yard touchdown there in the first quarter. He then made an interception and flashed it in a Heisman Trophy pose in the third quarter. After his Colorado team won the game 48-21, Colorado’s two-way superstar even took those cleats off his feet and gave them to someone in the stands here at FBC Mortgage Stadium.

“That’s him, man,” Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said of Hunter’s big night.

When it was over, Hunter had caught nine passes for 89 yards and a touchdown, snagged an interception, blocked another pass attempt and recorded two tackles before walking back to the locker room in his socks.

Mr. Everywhere had done it again.

But this time it was different.

Why was this win different for Travis Hunter and Deion Sanders?

Hunter’s team also took advantage of the opportunity around him and played perhaps the best all-around game in Sanders’ two seasons as head coach.

It was also a homecoming of sorts for Sanders and Hunter, as both Florida natives led the Buffaloes (4-1) to their third win in a row.

“I can’t tell you how emotional I am about these young men and seeing what they can accomplish when they put it all together and seeing what we are capable of when we put it all together,” Sanders said afterward.

The win effectively puts the Big 12 Conference on the map. The Buffs are hot, moving and could even crack the national top 25. At halftime, the Buffs led 27-14 and held the nation’s No. 1 rushing offense to 177 rushing yards, nearly 200 below UCF’s season average before Saturday.

Here’s how they did it on Saturday and what it means:

What did Deion Sanders say about the win?

He was in the mood to play after a warm, humid game that started about 50 minutes late because of lightning in the area. He made fun of Hunter, who is known for wearing one-piece pajamas and doesn’t always like to talk to the news media after games.

“Knowing Travis, he’s not coming,” Sanders said at the postgame press conference. “He’s probably on the bus wearing a onesie.”

Sanders also poked fun at his quarterback son Shedeur, who threw an interception on the game’s first drive before leading the Buffs with scoring drives on six of their next seven possessions before an announced sellout crowd of 45,702 at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Shedeur Sanders completed 28 of 35 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. He added three carries for 28 yards and was sacked just twice this week despite the loss of a starting guard due to injury.

“Come on, Grown, they want to question you about the interception,” Deion Sanders said to his son as the quarterback entered the postgame press conference.

This is what Sanders calls Shedeur: “adult” – that is, mature beyond his years.

Shedeur Sanders showed it by calming down after the first turnover and letting his running game take some of the pressure off of him for a change. The Buffs gained 128 rushing yards on 29 carries, led by 39 runs by running back Isaiah Augustave, a Naples, Fla., native.

“We were outcoached,” UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said. “We were outplayed.”

UCF surrendered two interceptions and two fumbles to Colorado, including one returned 95 yards by safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig for the final touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter.

What did Shedeur Sanders say afterward?

He was asked how he stays focused despite the hype and all the football legends who come to see him and his father at games. On Saturday, Cam Newton, the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner, greeted him before the game. Hall of Fame receivers Michael Irvin and Terrell Owens also watched from the Colorado sidelines.

How does he do that? Shedeur Sanders responded that he remembered personal insults, real or imagined. He said he remembered being described as “just an HBCU kid who couldn’t make it to the Power 5 level,” referring to Jackson State, a historically black college where he played in 2022 , before transferring to Colorado last year.

“I don’t forget anything,” Sanders said. “I don’t forget anything anyone has ever said, and personally I’m not the type to make friends or feel like just because success continues, I’ll forgive everyone now.” No, whatever you said at any point “I’m not really the type of person to forgive.”

That attitude led him to dominate a team favored by two touchdowns on Saturday. He distributed the ball to eight different receivers and pushed the Knights (3-1) out of their comfort zone by forcing them to pass the ball more often to keep up.

“To keep up with the way we score goals, they get out of their comfort zone and provoke them to throw the ball a little more often than they would like,” Deion Sanders said.

His team is now resting a bit and heading towards a bye weekend in Boulder. The Buffs continue play at home against Kansas State on October 12th.

Deion Sanders talks about his record

Sanders then used a ploy on the news media to make his point. With four wins, his team has now matched the win total from last year, when the Buffs finished 4-8 in his first season in Boulder.

“I’m so damn proud of where we are,” Sanders said. “We could be in a completely different place right now, but look… We’re going on break. What’s the record?”

“Four and one,” the news media responded.

“Say it again,” Sanders said, pretending he couldn’t hear.

“Four-and-one,” the room said again.

“I just wanted to hear you guys say it together, and you all fell for it,” Sanders said with a laugh.

“We’re going into halftime 4-1 and I’m so excited, you have no idea,” Sanders said. “It’s going to be a really good plane ride tonight.”

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

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