FORT WORTH, Texas — After working over the Horned Frogs like Joe Lewis, Coach Prime worked the scribes like Muhammad Ali.
Deion Sanders, 1-0, leaned into the microphone, his best friend for decades, and read the receipts he’d been keeping for months. Loud and proud.
“You said this. You said that,” Sanders chuckled after his Buffs stunned No. 17 TCU, and the free world, with a 45-42 win at Amon G. Carter Stadium. “Now what? Everybody’s quiet now. Now what? Now what?”
Another face. Another receipt.
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“What’s up boss? Do you believe now?”
“Believe in what?”
“Oh, no, no. I read through that bull junk you wrote. I read through that. I sifted through it. No, no. Come on. Do you believe? Do you believe? Didn’t answer me. You don’t believe. Next question.”
Beat Nebraska, Prime.
They’ll believe.
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Small sample size, granted. But what a sample. CU, 20.5-point underdogs, hit 2023 in white jerseys with gold numerals, looking like carbon copies of the New Orleans Saints circa 1968. Then quarterback Shedeur Sanders went out played like he was Drew Brees circa 2011.
Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) celebrates after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs 45-42 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Ft. Worth September 02, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
“People fear names,” the younger Sanders said after throwing for a school-record 510 yards, completing a PlayStation-like 38 of 47 passes, and tossing four touchdowns. “I don’t really fear names, because I don’t care.”
Shedeur? Coming. Tailback Dylan Edwards, who only piled up 159 yards from scrimmage as the first freshman to start at tailback for CU since 1991? Coming. Xavier Weaver (118 receiving yards)? Coming. Jimmy Horn Jr. (117 receiving yards)? Coming. Shilo Sanders (10 tackles)? Coming.
Travis Hunter? Ohhhhh, baby. Coming. Humming.
“I really think we’ve got a couple guys that could be front-runner for the Heisman (Trophy),” Coach Prime continued. “That’s how I feel. We got a couple of them.”
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It’s one thing for social media and NIL money to create the hype. It’s another to go out and exceed that bar from the jump.
Hunter, the No. 1 prep recruit in the country three years ago, planted his flag in Game 1 for the title of best cornerback in Buffs history with a Heismanesque FBS debut: More than 100 snaps, 119 receiving yards, a pass break-up, and an interception on a wheel route that neither TCU QB Chandler Morris or Major Everhart saw coming until it was too late.
Of the two-way star’s 11 receptions, six went for first downs. Sanders the younger and Hunter were telepathic the way Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are telepathic, the way Cale Makar and Devon Toews are telepathic.
“It was like practice,” Shedeur shrugged. “A lot of y’all (didn’t) believe in us. You just gotta understand our coach. Everywhere he (has gone), he’s a winner.”
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders talks with his team on the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Ft. Worth September 02, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
He’s got some things to clean up, too, mind you. CU had one 49-yard field goal try blocked, and nearly got another swatted back in Ralphie’s face. The tackling was all over the yard. TCU averaged seven yards per play and scored three touchdowns from 19 yards out or more.
The defending national runners-up aren’t the Froggies of a year ago. But TCU coach Sonny Dykes and his system are going to make a lot of other defenses look bad in the weeks to come.
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On the flip side, the superlatives were so superlative, given the context, that there aren’t enough game balls to go around. But here’s the takeaway that should garner the most hope in Buffs Country, and represents one of the biggest differences from September 2022: The second half. The adjustments.
With so many new faces from so many places, CU was always likely to surprise early on. Sure enough, these Buffs took a 17-14 lead into halftime. Old CU would’ve fallen to pieces after that. Old CU would’ve withered and gone away.
First play of the third quarter: Delay of game.
Second play: Illegal touch by Weaver.
Third play: a 75-yard touchdown by Edwards.
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New CU scored 28 in the second half alone. The Buffs averaged nine points following halftime a year ago.
The most unwatchable team in college football in 2022 started 2023 by committing only six penalties, throwing for 510 yards, and averaging a first down every two minutes. Prime was 2-for-2 on fourth down conversions. The second one, from the TCU 46 with 4:25 left in the game, turned into Edwards’ fourth touchdown of the tilt.
Take a bathroom break on these Buffs, you’re likely to miss something insane. Something special.
“How good was that?” Buffs athletic director Rick George asked as he joined the cramped, standing-room-only throng outside the visitors’ locker room at Amon G. Carter.
A few minutes later, his wrist buzzed. A celebratory text from golfer David Duval.
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What’s it like to be king of the world?
“I’m not king of the world,” the athletic director countered with a grin. “I’m happy to be 1-0.”
Pat Shurmur, offensive analyst and ex-Broncos whipping post, sat on metal trunk in the hallway and grinned into the phone.
“How about that?” he laughed.
Deion 1, Doubters 0.
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How about it.
“Guess what? I’m here. I ain’t going nowhere,” Prime said, leaning forward again, loving that microphone. “I’m about to get more comfortable in a minute.”
TCU now isn’t TCU then. CU now isn’t CU then, either.
They ain’t coming.
They’re here.
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Biggest upsets in CU history
The Buffs entered Saturday’s game at TCU as three-touchdown underdogs, but came out victorious. Here’s a look at CU’s biggest upsets, listed by the final game day spreads:
On Sunday, fans will be treated to a head-to-head contest between two rapidly emerging offensive powerhouses, both of whom are bonafide Rookie of the Year contenders. Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers found new homes with consecutive picks during last April’s NFL draft, and since then, they’ve performed exceptionally well in the pro ranks.
Nix is firmly on the radar of Raiders head coach Antonio Piece, but that’s even more true after yet another award-winning performance last week.
“He was a winner as a freshman. He was a winner as a six-year player,” Pierce noted of Nix. “All he does is win, come in the league. Won the quarterback battle there in Denver. Maybe they were keeping them tight on the leash early on, and now they’re not. He has full control that offense. You can see that Sean Payton gives him opportunities to audible and make some adjustments. He’s making throws, he’s running with his legs, he’s taking care of the football, and he’s winning. That’s all you can ask for from a rookie.”
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Nix presents a clear and present danger to the Raiders’ chances of squeezing out what would be only their third win of their massively disappointing season. Stopping the impressive rookie is proving to be another matter entirely for NFL defenses, especially one with a badly beaten-up roster like the Raiders.
“This is crazy,” Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo said via ESPN‘s Paul Gutierrez. “I’ve never seen this amount of injuries on any team I’ve been on.”
This week, Broncos head coach Sean Payton has pumped the brakes a little on the burgeoning hype exploding around Nix. That being said, you get the distinct feeling that Payton is more than comfortable unleashing Nix’s full array of talents at his disposal. Confidence is growing in Nix, and that’s been reflected in how Payton has opened up the playbook for his first-year signal-caller.
The juices are flowing, and Payton may have found an answer in dynamic second-year receiver Marvin Mims Jr. The mystical “joker” role within the Broncos offense seems to have been filled.
“I think we always gotta be saying, ‘Hey, are we doing everything we can to highlight his strengths?’ And so, yeah, I don’t know if he’s got the ‘joker’ tattoo, but he might be invited to the club,” Payton said via Andrew Mason.
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When push comes to shove, if Nix plays lights out again, an easy win might come Denver’s way, but stopping Bowers would also ensure the victory and help in the race for Rookie of the Year honors. Payton is already on high alert, but it was also tinged with a bit of football envy when he illustrated Bowers’ “joker” abilities.
“Someone had a really good vision for him and you see all the ‘Joker’ traits, means and change of direction,” Payton said of Bowers. “It can’t be a little. It’s a high-end receiving trait and he can move, he can be outside and he can run a route tree maybe different than most tight ends.”
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New York Knicks (9-7, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (9-6, fifth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Monday, 9 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets host the New York Knicks in a non-conference matchup.
The Nuggets have gone 5-3 at home. Denver ranks sixth in the Western Conference with 12.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Jokic averaging 4.4.
The Knicks are 4-5 in road games. New York ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference allowing only 112.4 points while holding opponents to 47.3% shooting.
The Nuggets are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.5 percentage points higher than the 47.3% the Knicks allow to opponents. The Knicks average 14.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.2 more made shots on average than the 13.1 per game the Nuggets allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Nuggets.
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Jalen Brunson is averaging 25.1 points and 7.4 assists for the Knicks.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 118.4 points, 45.5 rebounds, 31.6 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.7 points per game.
Knicks: 6-4, averaging 120.3 points, 42.9 rebounds, 29.9 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.5 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: out (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
Knicks: Precious Achiuwa: out (hamstring), Miles McBride: day to day (knee), Mitchell Robinson: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Could the Brooklyn Nets’ No. 1 scoring option team up with a two-time league MVP?
According to Paul Pierce, it’s possible.
On a recent episode of “Ticket & The Truth,” the former Boston Celtics star suggested a move from Brooklyn to the Denver Nuggets for Cam Thomas to provide the 2023 NBA Champions with a depth boost.
“Alright, let me put my GM hat on,” Pierce said. “I think right now, for Cam, I’d like to see him off the bench for Denver. …Because they need that spark plug off the bench.”
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He may want to take that hat off.
The Nuggets do not have an asset they’d be willing to part ways with that would entice the Nets enough to move off of a 23-year-old who’s turning in over 24 points per game. And even if Denver were to offer a king’s ransom of draft capital, as long as Nikola Jokic is healthy a Nuggets’ choice will never hold much value.
Oct 29, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets small guard Cam Thomas (24) shoots the ball against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
When reports suggested Thomas could be available in negotiations, they didn’t mean Brooklyn was looking to give him away. The return would have to warrant the transaction, and a hypothetical package consisting of Christian Braun and two first-round picks (no offense Christian) won’t be enough to entice Sean Marks.
The Nets shouldn’t look to move Thomas until a can’t-say-no deal emerges. Until then, let him continue to drop nearly 25 a night on the opposition and revisit any potential thoughts of trading the electrifying scorer at February’s deadline.
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