Colorado

No. 22 Colorado off to flying start by following lead of unconventional coach Deion Sanders

Published

1 year ago

September 5, 2023

No. 22 Colorado off to flying start by following lead of unconventional coach Deion Sanders

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders wants his players reading all those stories about how good they are. He wants them soaking up every bit of the spotlight, too.

The Colorado coach isn’t one to keep his players grounded. He prefers them flying high, which they are after upsetting heavily favored TCU last weekend and jumping into the AP Top 25 poll at No. 22.

The unconventional Sanders is proving to be a master motivator. He is all about not running from publicity, good or bad, but basking in it and taking “receipts” — his term for those who don’t believe — if necessary.

“They (players) have seen that, ‘Hey, man, all we have to do is win. You see all the attention that we’re getting?’ That has registered now,” Sanders said Tuesday as he prepares for his home debut at Colorado this weekend against Nebraska. “These young men, they know now that if we just ball out, we’re going to get the love that we desire. And that’s all they want. They want attention, focus, a little love and light. Ain’t nothing wrong with that as long as they use it in the right way.”

Sanders has the Buffaloes smack dab in the center of the college football universe this week courtesy a 45-42 win at then-No. 17 TCU. Really, though, they were already there when he made waves by overhauling his roster — nearly 90 new players — and ruffling some feathers around the nation.

His revamped roster has certainly bought in. So, too, have some big names around the sports world, with the likes of Magic Johnson, Patrick Mahomes II and J.J. Watt taking notice on social media.

And so, too, have the oddsmakers, who adjusted the line on Colorado’s win total from 3 1/2 at the beginning of the season, according FanDuel Sportsbook, to 5 1/2 — a half-win shy from bowl eligibility.

The early success in Boulder is hardly a surprise to Sanders, a two-time Super Bowl winner during his Hall of Fame football career who turned things around at Jackson State before arriving in Boulder.

“I’m a winner,” said Sanders, who took over a team that went 1-11 last season. “We’re going to end up winning.”

Colorado’s quick turnaround also is hardly a surprise to new Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, whose team is a 2 1/2-point underdog after losing its opener at Minnesota.

“Everything he’s ever done in football he’s been successful at, so he’s being successful here already,” Rhule said. “They’ve got elite players.”

The Buffaloes march to the upbeat drum of Sanders, who frequently zigs when other coaches might zag. Like this summer, when he admonished his team for not jumping into a skirmish during camp. He wanted to see them support each other.

The Buffaloes will be united this week in not wearing any shade of red. He wants them only seeing red on the football field come Saturday when they face a former conference rival (they were in the same conference for more than 60 years before Nebraska moved to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac-12 in 2011).

“We don’t like Nebraska. Simple,” Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders said. “But that’s not going to change the preparation or anything like that, because we prepare like nobody likes us, because we know we’re going to get everybody’s best game.”

TCU certainly saw Colorado at its best. No one more than Shedeur Sanders, who threw for a school-record 510 yards on his way to being named the Pac-12 offensive player of the week. After the game, he received a text from none other than Tom Brady, the QB great who’s worked with the younger Sanders in the past.

Brady’s message: Don’t be satisfied.

“It was cool hearing for him, knowing he’s still watching and stuff like that,” Sanders said. “Just working with him, it really helped me just to understand — don’t focus on the good things. … Focus on the bad things, focus on the things that we weren’t able to do at a high level. So improve that.”

Sounds like something his dad might say.

Deion Sanders rattled off a long list of accomplishments against the Horned Frogs, a team that was favored by three touchdowns. Among the accolades he highlighted:

— Cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter rarely leaving the field on his way to becoming the first player in at least 20 years nationally to have a 100-yard receiving and interception in the same game.

— Dylan Edwards catching five passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns.

— His QB son setting nine school records (“Kordell Stewart called me not happy about it,” Sanders joked of the former Colorado standout).

“What that means is we had some gentlemen that can play this game,” Sanders said. “But that doesn’t mean anything going into this week. A whole new focus, a whole new understanding on what’s at stake.”

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AP College Football Writer Eric Olson contributed.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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Law enforcement investigate possible

Published

5 hours ago

November 22, 2024

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Law enforcement investigate possible “crime tourism” in Colorado – CBS Colorado

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A recent attempted burglary of an Aspen jewelry store has now drawn the attention of the FBI, as it appears to be a case of “crime tourism” or “burglary tourism.”

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Colorado

Colorado star and Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter says he will enter the NFL Draft

Published

15 hours ago

November 21, 2024

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Colorado star and Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter says he will enter the NFL Draft

Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter said Thursday he plans to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.

“That’s definitely for sure,” Hunter, 21, told reporters when asked if he intended to declare.

A favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, Hunter plays both cornerback and receiver for the Buffaloes. He is projected by many to be selected first overall next April.

When asked about playing both offense and defense as a professional, Hunter acknowledged the rarity of doing both, saying, “It’s never been done.”

He added: “I understand that it will be a high risk, [teams] don’t want their top pick to go down too early and I know they’re going to want me to be in a couple packages. But I believe I can do it. Nobody has stopped me from doing it thus far.”

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In 10 games for Colorado this season, Hunter has 74 receptions for 911 yards and nine touchdowns — all career bests. Defensively, Hunter has three interceptions, eight passes defended and 23 tackles.

Hunter was a highly recruited player coming out of high school. A consensus five-star prospect, he originally committed to Florida State before flipping his commitment to Jackson State — becoming the first five-star recruit to commit to an HBCU.

Hunter played for one season at Jackson State under head coach Deion Sanders, then transferred to Colorado before the 2023 season when Sanders took the head coaching job there.

Last season, Hunter averaged close to 115 plays per game, participating in offense, defense and special teams.

Sanders’s son Shedeur, who plays quarterback for Colorado, is projected to be among the first signal-callers selected in next year’s draft. Another player who could be a Heisman finalist, Sanders said Thursday that Hunter is the more deserving of the two to win the award.

“If it’s between me and him, I would want him to get it,” Shedeur Sanders said. “He does a lot of amazing things and things that haven’t been done before. I’m not a selfish guy. I know what he’s capable of, so I would rather him win.”

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Seeking Revenge Against the Capitals | Colorado Avalanche

Published

22 hours ago

November 21, 2024

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Seeking Revenge Against the Capitals | Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche (10-9-0) @ Washington Capitals (13-4-1)

5 p.m. MT | Capital One Arena | Watch: Altitude, 9News, My20, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

For the second time in six days the Colorado Avalanche will faceoff against the Washington Capitals. Colorado will battle to split the season series after a 5-2 loss at Ball Arena on November 15.

Soaring Past the Flyers

The Avalanche beat the Flyers 3-2 at Wells Fargo Center on Monday. Cale Makar posted his 10th-career multi-goal game and Casey Mittlestadt added a goal. Additionally, Mikko Rantanen recorded two assists and Justus Annunen made 24 saves. Following a scoreless first period, Makar opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the slot at 8:30 of the second period after receiving Nathan MacKinnon’s set-up feed. Makar thought he had his second of the game at 10:44 of the middle frame, but the goal was taken off the board due to a successful Flyers challenge for goaltender interference. However, Makar would eventually double Colorado’s lead on the power play with his eighth tally of the season at 15:08 of the middle frame with a shot from the point that deflected off a Flyers player on its way in. The Burgundy and Blue took a 3-0 lead at 8:34 of the third period when Mittelstadt dispatched the rebound created by Rantanen’s shot into the net for his seventh goal of the season. The Flyers answered with goals from Owen Tippett at 11:48 and Tyson Foerster at 13:32 to cut their deficit to one, but the Avs held on to secure their 10th victory of the season.

Leading the Way

MacKinnon leads the NHL in points (34) and assists (27).

Makar leads NHL blueliners in goals (8), assists (19), and points (27). He’s tied for seventh among NHL skaters in points and tied for fifth in assists.

Rantanen is tied for sixth in the league in goals (12) and tied for seventh in points (27).

History

The Avalanche are 18-20-4 in 42 previous regular-season games against the Capitals. Colorado is 4-1-0 in its last five matchups against Washington dating back to the 2022-23 season.

Winning Out West

The Capitals beat the Utah Hockey Club 6-2 at the Delta Center on Monday. Alex Ovechkin scored twice, and Charlie Lindgren made 24 saves. Utah opened the scoring with a goal by Jack McBain at 3:05 of the first period but the Capitals responded with tallies from Dylan Strome at 7:46, Nic Dowd at 7:56, and Ovechkin at 11:05. Ovechkin extended Washington’s lead to three with a goal at 5:38 of the second period before Nick Bjugstad scored for Utah at 11:44 to make it 4-2 in favor of Washington entering the third period. Ovechkin did leave the game midway through the third period with a lower-body injury and has been placed on injured reserve and ruled week-to-week. The Caps added two more goals in the third period from Brandon Duhaime at 7:30 and Aliaksei Protas at 9:56 to win 6-2.

Putting Up Numbers on the Potomac

MacKinnon has posted 28 points (11g/17a) in 20-career matchups against the Capitals including 11 points (5g/6a) in 10 road matchups against them.

In eight previous meetings with Washington, Makar has recorded six points (2g/4a).

Rantanen has registered 19 points (8g/11a) in 14 previous games against Washington including eight points (4g/4a) on the road.

Capitals’ Contributors

Strome leads the Capitals in points (28) and assists (22).

Connor McMichael is second on the team in goals (12) and third in points (19).

Aliaksei Protas is fourth on the team in points (18), third in goals (7), and tied for third in assists (11).

A Numbers Game

10

Makar became the first defenseman in franchise history to record 10 multi-goal games.

3

The Avalanche have three players (MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen) in the top 10 in points. No other team has more than one.

165

The Avs have registered 165 high-danger shots on goal, which ranks sixth in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Juice is great. I think he’s been great all year. [He made] some big saves, especially at the beginning there…So [it was a] heck of a job from Juice for sure.”

— Casey Mittelstadt on Justus Annunen’s performance on Monday

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