The Deion Sanders era at Colorado started with a massive upset.
The Buffaloes got a late fourth-down stop with 55 seconds left to hang on for a 45-42 win over No. 17 TCU on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
QB Shedeur Sanders — the son of the Pro Football Hall of Famer and head coach — set the Colorado single-game record for passing yards,
while two-way star Travis Hunter had 11 catches as a wide receiver and an interception as a defensive back.
“I’m so thankful right now … man, I’m loving these kids," Deion Sanders told Fox after the game. "Great joy for me to have this opportunity.”
Shedeur Sanders became the first player in Colorado history to throw for more than 500 yards, as he was 38-of-47 passing for 510 yards and four TDs.
A lot of those yards came after the catch, but that doesn’t discount how well he threw the ball in his first game with the Buffaloes.
Hunter played more than 100 snaps in his first game for Colorado. He started at both receiver and defensive back and led the team with 119 yards, while Jimmy Horn Jr. had 11 catches for 117 yards.
Hunter’s interception was also massive. He made a great read on a throw from TCU’s Chandler Morris in the red zone and made a diving catch.
While Colorado went three-and-out and gave the ball right back to TCU after Hunter’s pick, it was the second time Morris had thrown an interception near the goal line.
Both Hunter and Sanders came with Deion Sanders when the former NFL defensive back was hired by Colorado from Jackson State.
One of the first players to commit to Colorado after it hired Sanders was four-star running back Dylan Edwards, and he had a massive game, too,
with five catches for 135 yards and three touchdowns while rushing six times for 24 yards and a TD.
Edwards been committed to Notre Dame before he signed with Colorado in December.
A Kansas native, he was the No. 1 player in the state and the No. 3 all-purpose back in the class of 2023, according to Rivals.
Edwards’ fourth TD turned out to be the difference. He caught a pass in the flat from Sanders on fourth down and ran down the sideline for a 46-yard TD with 4:25 to go.
That TD was the eighth of the second half, as each team scored 14 points in the third and fourth quarters.