FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado Buffaloes reconfigured their offensive line, held steady on defense and got another brilliant performance from two-way star Travis Hunter.
Then they celebrated the results – a 28-9 win against rival Colorado State in front of announced crowd of 40,099 at Canvas Stadium.
Hunter did it all, finishing with 13 catches for 100 yards with two touchdowns, along with an interception and five tackles on defense. After giving up six sacks last week in a loss at Nebraska, the offensive line surrendered only one sack Saturday against the Rams.
By the time the night was over, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders had completed 36-of-49 passes for 310 yards with four touchdowns.
The overall performance serves as a bit of a relief for the Buffs. After last week’s 28-10 loss at rival Nebraska, a loss against Colorado State would have raised serious questions about the team’s progress in Deion Sanders’ second year as Colorado’s coach.
But look at what happened instead: The Buffs (2-1) took a 14-3 lead at halftime and got the kind of performance they needed on the road.
The win gives CU seven straight victories against CSU and puts the Buffs on the right track heading into their Big 12 Conference opener next Saturday at home against Baylor.
The Buffs now lead the all-time series against the Rams 69-22-2.
Colorado vs. Colorado State highlights
Final score: Colorado 28, Colorado State 9
Travis Hunter injury scare
Hunter was getting checked out on the bench after he appeared to be shaken up a bit after making a chasedown tackle. His arm appeared to be the area of concern.
He did not appear to see the field on Colorado’s ensuing offensive possession after Colorado State scored to make the score 28-9, but was back out there on defense the next series.
Colorado 28, Colorado State 3: Travis Hunter scores again
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Travis Hunter took advantage of his interception to end the third quarter with a 21-yard touchdown catch to open the fourth. The Colorado Buffaloes are now up 28-3 with 13:20 left in the game.
Hunter’s catch came against zone coverage by Colorado State in the corner of the end zone, where his quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, found him to cap a 5-play, 55-yard touchdown drive that started after Hunter’s intercepted pass on defense.
Hunter has 12 catches for 90 yards with two touchdowns.
Colorado 21, Colorado State 3: Third quarter ends with Travis Hunter interception
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Travis Hunter has struck again. After a big touchdown catch on offense, the Colorado two-way star now has an interception on defense as the Buffaloes lead Colorado State at the end of the third quarter, 21-3.
Hunter reached up to grab the deep fourth-down pass from Colorado State, then returned it 38 yards before getting flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his celebration.
“He’s unbelievable,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders told CBS after the interception.
The turnover was the third for Colorado State in the game and marked three combined turnovers for both teams in the final minutes of the third quarter.
In the Rams’ series before Hunter’s interception, Colorado State had marched the ball all the way down to the Colorado 4-yard line. They had a first down and a chance to narrow the gap on CU. They also had converted two fourth downs to keep the drive alive. But then disaster struck. Running back Keegan Holles fumbled on a tackle by Colorado linebacker LaVonta Bentley, who recovered it to give his team possession at its own 7-yard line.
The Buffs didn’t capitalize on it, however. CU running back Isaiah Augustave fumbled the ball back four players later.
Colorado 21, Colorado State 3: Buffaloes turn interception into Travis Hunter TD
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Shedeur Sanders-Travis Hunter show is revving up again for Colorado.
The Buffaloes now lead Colorado State 21-3 with 10:11 left in the third quarter after a 2-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to Hunter, their sensational two-way star.
The score was set up by an interception by Colorado safety Preston Hodge, who picked off a pass fired into coverage by Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. The turnover gave the Buffs a first down at CSU’s 12-yard line after the Buffs offense sputtered on its opening possession after halftime.
Sanders is 25-for-34 passing for 199 yards and three touchdowns. Hunter has 10 catches for 68 yards with one score.
Halftime: Colorado 14, Colorado State 3
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders seems to be finding a groove after a slow start and has led the Buffaloes to a 14-3 lead here against Colorado State.
This time he marched the Buffs downfield on another touchdown drive culminating with another touchdown catch by receiver LaJohntay Wester – a 34 yarder over the middle of the field with 58 seconds left in the first half.
It was the second straight touchdown drive for Colorado after it failed to score in its first three possessions. Both drives went at least 84 yards, and both ended with touchdown catches to Wester, a transfer from Florida Atlantic. He has three catches for 55 yards and two touchdowns.
Sanders finished the first half 20-for-27 passing for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, the Colorado defense held Colorado State to 1-of-6 on third down conversions until the Rams’ final possession of the first half, when they missed a 52-yard field goal as time expired.
Rams quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi is 6-for-10 passing for 52 yards.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders praised his linemen on both sides of the ball in an interview with CBS at halftime. The Buffs have not given up any quarterback sacks after giving up six last week in a loss against Nebraska.
Colorado gets the ball to start the second half.
Colorado 7, Colorado State 3: Buffaloes take first lead
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado finally put together a sustained scoring driving on its fourth possession of the game, going 85 yards in 12 plays, capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Shedeur Sanders to receiver LaJohntay Wester.
The score came on a first-down slant pattern in the middle of the end zone and helped put the Buffaloes up 7-3 with 5:51 left before halftime.
Sanders is now 16-for-20 passing for 91 yards and a touchdown. Six receivers have caught balls so far from Sanders, led by Travis Hunter with six catches for 31 yards.
Justin Marshall injury
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State running back Justin Marshall had to be helped off the field with 12:25 left in the second quarter after getting hit on the head on a tackle by Colorado linebacker LaVonta Bentley. It’s not clear if Marshall suffered a concussion, but he was flat on his back on the field during a break in play.
He had 45 yards on eight carries before the injury.
Who is Colorado State kicker?
Colorado State kicker Jordan Noyes is one of the oldest players in college football — the second-oldest in the game, in fact, per his university bio. The 32-year-old Englishman is a father of three and is in his fifth season of college football (he previously kicked at Utah). The Rams’ website says Noyes played football, soccer, rugby and did gymnastics back in the U.K.
Colorado State 3, Colorado 0: End of first quarter
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — At the end of the first quarter, Colorado State leads Colorado, 3-0. Colorado has missed a field goal and also hasn’t gotten much going on offense. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is 6-for-9 passing for 25 yards behind a reconfigured offensive line. Freshman running back Micah Welch has 36 rushing yards on three carries.
Colorado also already has three penalties for 20 yards.
Colorado misses field goal
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata missed a 44-yard field goal wide right with 2:52 left in the first quarter, leaving the Buffs in a 3-0 hole against Colorado State.
On the bright side for Colorado, it has more rushing yards already (36) than it did last week at Nebraska (16). Freshman running back Micah Welch has all of them on three carries, running behind a new lineup on the offensive line for the Buffs.
One big change for the Buffs is a new starting right tackle — Phillip Houston, a transfer from Florida International. He replaces Tyler Brown, who moved to left guard in place of previous starting left guard Justin Mayers, a transfer from Texas-El Paso. Coach Deion Sanders hinted at changes on the offensive line after the Buffs gave up six sacks last week against Nebraska.
Colorado State scores first
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State has struck first against Colorado, taking a 3-0 lead on a 25-yard field goal with 7:23 left in the first quarter.
Colorado State running back Justin Marshall had two big runs on the 48-yard drive. One was an inside-zone scamper to the right for a gain of 27 yards to the Colorado 28-yard line. Then he evaded defenders on another run toward the left on third-and-1 for a gain of 11. That put the Rams on the 8-yard-line before quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi bobbled a snap and fell on it at the 14.
Colorado State so far has outgained Colorado 54 yards to 2 yards, but Colorado only has had the ball once.
Deion Sanders makes grand entrance
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — One of Deion Sanders’ pregame rituals is to do a lap around the perimeter of the field more than an hour before the game. On Saturday, about 70 minutes before game time, he came out of the stadium tunnel dressed in gray sweats before heading straight across the end zone into a corner where Colorado State students jeered him loudly. One held a sign that said, “Coach past his Prime.” As Sanders made his way down the sideline, they also belted out a profane chant: “(Expletive) CU,” much like they did last week at Nebraska.
College football schedule Week 3, Top 25
Friday
No. 15 Kansas State 31, No. 18 Arizona 7
Saturday
No. 1 Georgia at Kentucky, 7:30 p.m., ABC
No. 3 Texas 56, UTSA 7
No. 4 Alabama 42, Wisconsin 10
No. 5 Ole Miss 40, Wake Forest 6
No. 8 Missouri 27, Boston College 21
No. 9 Tennessee vs. Kent State, 7:45 p.m., SEC Network
No. 6 Oregon 49, Oregon State 14
No. 12 Miami (Fla.) 62, Ball State 0
No. 10 Utah 38, Utah State 21
No. 14 Oklahoma State 45, Tulsa 10
No. 13 Oklahoma 34, Tulane 19
No. 17 LSU 36, South Carolina 33
No. 16 Michigan 28, Arkansas State 18
No. 18 Notre Dame 66, Purdue 7
No. 23 Nebraska vs. Northern Iowa, 7:30 p.m., BTN
What time is Colorado-Colorado State game?
Colorado-Colorado State kicks off at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night.
How to watch Colorado-Colorado State
Colorado-Colorado State will be broadcast on CBS.
Colorado injury updates: Shilo Sanders out
The Buffs will be without their leading tackler from last year, safety Shilo Sanders, as well as their leading rusher this year, Dallan Hayden. Sanders underwent surgery on his forearm after suffering an injury against Nebraska. His father, coach Deion Sanders, said he might be out two to three weeks. Hayden leads the team with 52 yards rushing but is likely out Saturday with an unspecified injury, Deion Sanders said this week.
Sophomore safety Carter Stoutmire is expected to start in place of Shilo Sanders after starting one game as a freshman in 2023. At running back, the Buffs have several options, including freshman Micah Welch, former walk-on Charlie Offerdahl and Arkansas transfer Isaiah Augustave.
Future series between Colorado and Colorado State?
These two teams won’t meet again until 2029 but will play six games from then through 2038, according to Colorado’s future schedule listings. Three of those future games are scheduled for Boulder, with the other three in Fort Collins – a departure from the recent practice of playing games only in Denver or Boulder.
Colorado leads the all-time series 68-22-2. Since the series resumed after a long hiatus in 1983, the game has been played in Fort Collins only three times in 33 games – in 1987, 1988 and 1996. Colorado won each of those road games. The Buffaloes have not lost in Fort Collins since 1955.
Colorado vs. Colorado State is ‘personal again’
Deion Sanders made sure to show his team video this week that shows two Colorado State players making provocative comments in an interview that circulated a few days before the game. Though many assumed the interview happened during the week of the game, including Sanders, it actually was filmed before the season on Aug. 14, as confirmed by CSU to USA TODAY Sports.
In the interview, CSU quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi spoke about the hype that follows the Buffaloes with Sanders and how CSU came close to beating CU last year before losing in overtime, 43-35. The Rams had led by 11 points in the fourth quarter.
“It goes to show that the hype, the media train, it only gets you so far,” Fowler-Nicolosi said Aug. 14.
He also said, “We’ll see how far Instagram followers gets them.”
CSU receiver Tory Horton said Aug. 14 the Rams are coming for revenge.
He said, “We owe them one” and “We should have murdered them guys.”
When asked about these comments on the Colorado Football Coaches Show on Thursday, Sanders said, ‘it makes it personal again.”
Sanders said “of course” he showed the comments to his team. Last year’s game was “personal,” too, because CSU coach Jay Norvell had taken a verbal shot at Sanders’s habit of wearing sunglasses and hats in the presence of “grown-ups.”
College football bold predictions, Week 3
Check out USA TODAY Sports’ full predictions for Week 3
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