Colorado 45, No. 17 TCU 42

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September 2nd – at TCU          Colorado 45, No. 17 TCU 42

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Colorado shocked the college football world with a 45-42 upset victory on the road against No. 17 TCU. Head coach Deion Sanders silenced his critics by leading the Buffs to a win over a Horned Frog team which was coming off of a national championship game appearance. The Buffs, a 20.5-point underdog, led throughout much of the game, and withstood comeback after comeback by the Horned Frogs, with a stop on fourth down with under a minute to play sealing the win.

“We were just preaching one stop,” Coach Prime said. “Just one dern stop. I always had confidence because I knew as long as we had the ball, Shedeur was gonna get us down there. But we just needed to stop.”

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was impressive in leading the Buffs to victory. In his first start at CU, Sanders had a school-record 510 yards passing, completing 38-of-47 attempts for four touchdowns and no interceptions. Freshman running back Dylan Edwards scored four touchdowns, with one on the ground and three through the air, including a 75-yard score to open the third quarter, and a 46-yarder in the fourth quarter for the game winner. Edwards finished with 135 yards receiving on only five receptions – the highest receiving total by a running back in school history. Three other CU receivers topped the 100-yard mark, with Travis Hunter going for 119 on 11 receptions, Xavier Weaver going for 118 yards on six receptions, with Jimmy Horn collecting 11 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.

“I knew we was gonna do this,” Shedeur Sanders said. “The scoreboard is just telling y’all that’s what’s going on, but you didn’t believe. Nobody believed that we was gonna do that.”

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Game Story … With a game-time temperature in the high 80s, the record crowd of 53,294 at Amon G. Carter Stadium, together with a national television audience, watched the three-touchdown underdog Buffs get off to the best start possible. CU won the toss and deferred, with the CU defense forcing a three-and-out from the TCU offense to start the game.

Taking over at the CU 27-yard line, the Buff offense put together a drive rarely seen by the Buff Nation in the recent years. Aided by a facemask penalty, the Buffs were quickly out near midfield. Facing a third-and-eight at TCU 43-yard line, quarterback Shedeur Sanders hit walk-on tight end Michael Harrison for eight yards and a new set of downs. A nine-yard completion from Sanders to Travis Hunter put the Buffs in the red zone, with a eight-yard run by Anthony Hankerson on third-and-one giving the Buffs a first-and-goal at six. Two plays later, Sanders hit running back Dylan Edwards for a four-yard touchdown to complete a 13-play drive.

TCU marched smartly down the field on its ensuing drive. A tie score looked inevitable, but, with the Horned Frogs at the 14-yard line, TCU quarterback Chandler Morris was intercepted in the end zone by Buff safety Trevor Woods.

The Buffs put together a second long drive, aided by an 11-yard completion from Sanders to Jimmy Horn Jr. and a 12-yard completion to Xavier Weaver. The drive stalled, however, at the TCU 31-yard line. A 49-yard field goal attempt by Jace Feely was easily blocked, leaving the score at 7-0 late in the first quarter.

A 21-yard completion from Chandler Morris to Dylan Wright on the first play of the second quarter gave TCU a redzone 0pportunity, with the Horned Frogs cashing in with a seven-yard touchdown run by Trey Sanders to tie the score with 13:57 to play in the half.

The Buff offense was not deterred, though, putting together its third straight drive of double digit plays in the first half. A nine-yard completion from Sanders to Hunter on third-and-two at the CU 44 kept the drive alive, with a 32-yard completion from Sanders to Xavier Weaver giving CU another chance to score. An apparent touchdown pass to Travis Hunter was waived off three plays later, but the pass interference penalty on the play gave CU a first-and-goal at the TCU two-yard line. On the next play, Sy’veon Wilkerson walked in untouched, giving CU at 14-7 lead.

The action finally slowed down a bit as the second quarter clocked ticked away. The teams exchanged punts before TCU put together a drive which made it as far as the CU 25-yard line. There, however, Horned Frogs kicker Griffin Kell made it 0-for-2 for kickers in the game, missing a 43-yard attempt.

The Buff had the ball and the lead with just over three minutes to play in the half, but the momentum quickly shifted back to the purple side of the field, with Dylan Edwards fumbling the ball back to the Horned Frogs at the CU 22-yard line on the Buffs’ second play from scrimmage. Taking quick advantage, TCU scored in four plays, with Trey Sanders scoring on a four-yard run to make it a 14-14 game with less than two minutes before the break.

Rather than sit on the ball, the Buffs quickly rallied. A 20-yard completion from Sanders to Jimmy Horn Jr. put the ball on the TCU side of the field, with an 11-yard completion to Travis Hunter putting the Buffs into field goal range. Given a shot at redemption, Jace Feely hit a 49-yard field goal on the final play of the quarter.

Halftime score: Colorado 17, No. 17 TCU 14

The sunbaked record crowd of 53,294 had already been treated to a display of quality offense … but they hadn’t seen anything yet.

The Buffs took their first two-score lead of the game on the second snap of the third quarter, with Shedeur Sanders connecting with running back Dylan Edwards for a short completion … which Edwards turned into a 75-yard touchdown.

TCU was not the least bit phased, scoring less than a minute of play clock later. A kickoff return of 55 yards set the Horned Frogs up at the CU 35-yard line to start the drive. Three plays later, quarterback Chandler Morris hit Jared Wiley for a 21-yard touchdown. Less than 90 seconds into the third quarter, the new score was Colorado 24, TCU 21.

The Buffs then drove as far as the Horned Frogs 32-yard line before a sack of Shedeur Sanders pushed the Buffs out of field goal range. Punter Mark Vassett then did his part, pinning the TCU offense back at its one-yard line after a 43-yard punt.

Once again, though, the Horned Frogs quickly turned matters back to their advantage. A 73-yard run by Emani Bailey turned the field, but the eight-play, 95-yard drive still came up empty. A highlight reel interception by Travis Hunter ended the drive, with CU taking over at its five-yard line.

CU’s offense second three-and-out of the game gave TCU good field position, though, and the Horned Frogs capitalized. A seven-play, 63-yard drive was finished off by 23-yard touchdown pass from Chandler Morris pass complete to Dylan Wright. With 2:32 remaining in the third quarter, TCU had its first lead of the afternoon, 28-24.

Rather than wilt under the heat or the pressure, the Buffs responded. Four straight completions by Shedeur Sanders, including a 44-yard pass to Xavier Weaver, set up a seven-yard touchdown run by Dylan Edwards. Two minutes after TCU had taken its first lead, CU had it back, at 31-28.

The Buff defense had its chances on TCU’s ensuing drive, forcing four third downs and a fourth down, but in the end, the Horned Frogs scored again. A methodical, 14-play, 79-yard drive was capped by a 19-yard run by quarterback Chandler Morris. TCU, 35, Colorado 31 … with 10:49 to play.

It was again CU’s turn with the ball, and Shedeur Sanders did not disappoint. A 43-yard completion from Sanders to Travis Hunter on third-and-16 may have been the play of the game, not only preventing a three-and-out, but giving the Buffs momentum. Three plays later, Sanders found Jimmy Horn, Jr. alone in the end zone for a 26-yard score. Colorado 38, TCU 35 … midway through the fourth quarter.

The Horned Frogs, though, quickly held serve. An 86-yard kickoff return set up the TCU offense at the CU eight-yard line. Two plays later, Trey Sanders scored from a yard out. The TCU crowd, expecting a blowout, started breathing with some sense of relief. TCU 42, Colorado 38 … with 7:00 minutes left.

With the game on the line, the Buffs drove to midfield as the game clock ticked away. An incompletion on third-and-two left the Buffs with a fourth down at the TCU 46-yard line. Rather than turn the ball over on downs, the Buffs flipped the script, with Shedeur Sanders connecting with Dylan Edwards for a short gain and a first down … which turned into a 46-yard touchdown pass. Colorado 45, TCU 42.

There was still 4:25 on the fourth quarter clock, however. Plenty of time for a TCU offense which had already scored 42 points and had over 500 yards of total offense. Destiny seemed to be on the Horned Frogs’ side, as Chandler hit receivers for first downs on third-and-ten and third-and-nine. The Horned Frogs went to the well one time too often, though, as a subsequent third-and-nine pass fell incomplete at the CU 43-yard line.

With only a little over a minute to play, and still out of field goal range, TCU had to go for it on four-and-nine. Morris hit Jared Wiley in the flat, but Wiley was stopped two yards shy of a first down by CU nickel back Myles Slusher.

Turnover on downs!

The string of six touchdowns on six straight possession by the two teams was over. Three runs by Sy’veon Wilkerson netted a first down, allowing Shedeur Sanders to take a knee and run out the final seconds.

Final score: Colorado 45, No. 17 TCU 42

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The final stats sheet from the game showed the game as close as the scoreboard might indicate. Colorado rolled to 565 yards of total offense, but the Buff defense surrendered 541. Shedeur Sanders had a career game in his debut, setting a school record with 510 yards passing, completing 38-of-47 passes for four touchdowns and no interceptions.

While CU’s rushing attack was – with sack yardage included – anemic at 55 total yards, there were other categories which aided the victory. The Buffs went 9-for-15 on third down, and were 2-for-2 on fourth down, with one of those fourth down conversions being Dylan Edwards’ 46-yard game-winning touchdown. The Buffs gave up one turnover while gaining two, and led the time of possession on a hot day by almost ten full minutes, 34:33 to 25:27. Also … despite having a complete overhaul of the roster, the Buffs had half as many penalty yards (6 for 35) as did the Horned Frogs (10 for 78).

“I am so proud of these young men, the training staff, the equipment staff, the strength and conditioning, all the staff that we brought on that beautiful plane,” Coach Prime said. “I’m so proud of everybody because it was a collective effort. It truly was.”

It was also a significant win because not only did it quiet some naysayers, but it fortified the belief in the locker room and among Buff Nation.

“These young men in there right now, they believe,” Coach Prime said. “Not all of them believed before, but right now, they came up, one by one, twos by twos, ‘Coach, we believe.’ Now they believe. Now Boulder believes. People in the front office, people in the building, the fans, the students, now everybody wants to believe. I’m good with that. We got room.”

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Game Notes … 

— The victory ties the series with TCU at 1-1. With the series with the Horned Frogs tied, CU’s record against the other 13 teams which will make up the Big 12 in 2024 includes just two teams (Utah and Arizona State) against whom CU has a losing record;

— The victory was the first road win to open a season since 1995, when Rick Neuheisel won his first game as CU’s head coach with a 43-7 win over No. 21 Wisconsin;

— The win was CU’s first road win against a ranked team since 2019 (No. 24 Arizona State), and the first road win against a Top 20 team since 2002 (over UCLA). TCU came into the game ranked 17th, the highest-ranked victim for CU since the Buffs beat No. 17 Kansas in 2009;

— The 45 points were the most scored on the road by the Buffs since posting 49 against Arizona in 2016;

— CU had four players with over 100 yards receiving (Dylan Edwards – 135; Travis Hunter – 119; Xavier Weaver – 118; Jimmy Horn, Jr. – 117). In 18 previous games in school history, CU had two players with over 100 yards. The Buffs had never before in school history had three receivers with over 100 yards in the same game, but, against TCU, the Buffs had four;

— List of single games records set by Shedeur Sanders … First player in CU history with 500+ passing yards (510; previous record: 474 by Tyler Hansen in an overtime game v. Cal in 2011) … Sanders four touchdown passes in his debut matched the school record set by Joel Klatt v. CSU in 2003 … Best completion % 40+ attempts (80.9%) … Best completion % 30+ attempts … Best passer rating 40+ attempts (200.1) … Most completions by a junior (38) … Most touchdown passes by a junior (tied w/ 4) … Most total offensive yards by a junior … Most yards total offense in a season opener … Most yards total offense first game of CU career;

— Other records set by Sanders: highest completion percentage when throwing over 40 passes (38-of-47; 80%) … Most attempts and most completions in a debut;

— Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn both tied the school record of 11 receptions in a debut;

— Travis Hunter also became the first FBS player in two decades to have both 100 yards receiving and an interception in the same game;

— Dylan Edwards also set multiple records, becoming the first FBS freshman in decades to score four touchdowns in a game. His 135 yards rushing were the most ever by a CU running back in a single game.

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Tags: Anthony Hankerson, Dylan Edwards, Jace Feely, Jimmy Horn, Jimmy Horn Jr., Mark Vassett, Michael Harrison, Myles Slusher, Shedeur Sanders, Sy’veon Wilkerson, Travis Hunter, Trevor Woods, Xavier Weaver
This post, about the TCU game, from the 2023 Season, is filed under Article.
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