When the Colorado Buffaloes got the ball back with less than 2 minutes left in regulation and trailing Colorado State 28-20 with 98 yards to the end zone late Saturday night, most people watching felt the Buffs had finally been delivered a reality check.
But despite the 94 percent probability the Rams were on their way to victory at Folsom Field, Colorado first-year coach Deion Sanders insists he knew otherwise. That’s because Sanders intimately understands the makeup of his quarterback who not only bares of last name and bloodline but shares his flare for rising up in the big moments.
Shedeur Sanders certainly didn’t disappoint. He led the Buffaloes on the improbable 98-yard drive that ended with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Horn Jr. and a subsequent 2-point conversion pass to Michael Harrison with 36 seconds left to force overtime. Fittingly, Sanders led the 18th-ranked Buffaloes to the 43-35 double overtime win after a couple of touchdown throws to Mikey Harrison in the overtime periods to remain undefeated.
Coach/Dad Deion Sanders has seen Shedeur in moments similar at Jackson State, so he knew what to expect Saturday – albeit against tougher competition.
“That’s who he is. I never doubted for a moment that if the ball is in his hands what he is going to do,” Deion said about Shedeur. “No one on offense, no one in the darn stadium … we don’t doubt him. That’s who he is. We just have to make sure the ball is in his hands. In the key plays, fourth down plays, the third and short plays, we love the ball to stay in his hands and allow him to make the decision.
“Now if we don’t succeed and he made a decision, I can live with that. But it’s hard to live with something when the ball is not in his hands.”
Not surprisingly, Shedeur had the same feeling and expressed it in a similar fashion.
“It’s just like I already knew what is required. I’ve already been there before,” said Shedeur, who is in the early Heisman Trophy conversation. “So I’m not going to be able to live with myself on a loss like that … I just wouldn’t be able to sleep. I just didn’t want to go through that.”
Shedeur Sanders is driving Colorado’s 3-0 start
Shedeur, in his first season at Colorado, is quickly transforming doubters and naysayers into believers during the first three games of this season. The Buffaloes have quickly become the best feel-good story in college football season after languishing in mediocrity for the last couple of decades.
The elder and more accomplished Sanders, of course, is the face of this seemingly miraculous turnaround. Shedeur’s talented arm and poise in big moments, however, have been drivers behind the Buffaloes 3-0 start.
So, Shedeur didn’t think twice with the ball in his hands and being without his top weapon Travis Hunter while staring at a 98-yard trek downfield.
“We do it in practice all of the time, so it’s not shocking or a surprise to it,” said Shedeur. “It’s just like we like those high-pressure moments, I guess.
“I wish the whole game was just straight that, honestly.”
Shedeur made a habit of winning those moments during his freshman and sophomore seasons at Jackson State. It’s one thing to put up big numbers and blowout wins versus HBCU competition, but it’s another to see him put up even more impressive numbers against the likes FBS national runner-up TCU, Nebraska and now Colorado.
‘You guys are taking this stuff for granted’
Shedeur leads the nation in completions per game with nearly 36 per game, is second in passing yards (1,251 yards) and is fourth in the country in completion percentage (.787) after completing 107 of 136 pass attempts so far.
“You guys are taking this stuff for granted. This is not normal,” Deion said. “This kid can flat out play. Forget the name Sanders. The kid can play this game.”
But that isn’t to suggest there isn’t room for growth or a need for improvement as Shadeur and the Buffaloes head into Pac-12 play at Oregon this week. For the second straight game, the Buffaloes offense had trouble getting going early on. They even trailed Colorado State by 11 points in the fourth quarter before Shadeur and the offense perked up.
“It just felt different. It felt like man, we have no choice,” said Shadeur, who has thrown 10 touchdowns and just one touchdown and has a 178.7 passing efficiency rating. “I feel like that all the time, but this was the first time it felt like just lock in no matter what. Just go out there and handle your business. That’s it. Be accountable for your side of the ball and the defense did what they were supposed to do.
“We just started slow honestly and we just can’t afford to keep doing that. We just have to look at the film and figure out what we keep doing wrong, what’s the solution and just be proactive with the calls.”
Rivalry game gets personal
Saturday was probably a little different because of the personal tone that was set earlier in the week when Colorado State coach Jay Norvell seemed to take a shot at Deion Sanders for his signature sunglasses and baseball cap attire. And it continued in the game with a lot of late hits and talking back and forth among the players.
Hunter, the Buffaloes’ two-way star, was knocked out of the game on a vicious hit by Rams safety Henry Blackburn in the first quarter. Hunter was eventually sent to a local hospital and will likely be out of action for the next few weeks.
Shedeur, who showed up to the post-game press conference donning sunglasses and a baseball cap with a gold $ sign on the front, admitted that Saturday’s matchup was about more than the outcome.
“At the end of the day it was just about winning the game,” he said. “Of course, it’s personal but when you get in between those lines it’s football. That’s just what it is.
“We show everybody respect and dignity but when they did that Travis stuff, it really clicked for me that they are really out there tripping for real.”
But Shedeur also showed respect for his opponent which is a sign of a good leader.
“Shout out to them,” he said. “They had a good way of disguising a couple of things. They really did. Their corners played really good. It was a good defense we were playing against. They weren’t no pushovers. Once we figured out who they are and they weren’t going to blitz, we were able to call them up.”
Terrnce Harris covers college sports for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.