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5 ways Deion Sanders’ Colorado team can shock Oregon and move to 4-0

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5 ways Deion Sanders’ Colorado team can shock Oregon and move to 4-0


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Deion Sanders has asked this question before:

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“Do you believe now?”

Some do believe, sort of. But many still don’t, even after he’s led his Colorado football team to a 3-0 start, instantly turning around a program that finished 1-11 in 2022.

So what will it take to convince the nonbelievers that the Buffaloes are more hustle than hype?

Sanders, Colorado’s first-year coach, hopes the answer comes in their toughest two-week stretch of the season this week and next – at No. 11 Oregon Saturday and then home against No. 5 Southern California next week.

Here are five ways the No. 19 Buffaloes can get to 4-0 despite heading to Oregon as 21-point underdogs:

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PRIME EFFECT: Colorado’s ‘Big Noon’ clash vs. USC is fifth straight national TV game under Deion Sanders

If Shedeur Sanders does it again

Sanders’ son and quarterback has become the college version of his mentor, NFL quarterback legend Tom Brady. He’s so accurate, intelligent and steady that he seems to do exactly what is necessary in moments of trouble. Last week, he led his team back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Colorado State in double overtime, 43-35.

His dad even elected to start the first overtime on offense instead of defense, which is the opposite of what many teams choose. Other teams typically want their offense to go second so they know how many points they need based on what the other team’s offense did.

“I wanted to put the darn ball in Shedeur’s hands,” Deion Sanders said. “Why? Because I know what he’s gonna do and it’s going to put pressure on (the opponent).”

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The problem is Shedeur Sanders’ protection. He’s been sacked 15 times this season. Overall, Colorado is tied for second nationally for most sacks given up (16).

The worst-case scenario for the Buffs is if he gets injured on one of those plays. Their No. 2 quarterback is a freshman with only two passing attempts so far.

If DC Charles Kelly can help nix Oregon’s Bo Nix

The Buffs have been survivors on defense, getting by with turnovers and timely stops despite ranking 122th out of 130 teams nationally in yardage allowed per game with 460.3.

But now their next two foes rank No. 2 and No. 1 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging at least 58 points per game.

Both of those opponents also are led by NFL-caliber quarterbacks: Bo Nix of Oregon and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of USC.

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How do the Buffs answer all of that?

Charles Kelly is the man to ask. The Colorado defensive coordinator is a family friend of Nix and has known him since he was born. He also faced him when Nix was quarterback for Auburn and Kelly was a defensive assistant at Alabama. Their record against each other is 1-1, including a 48-45 win by Nix in 2019.

Kelly called Nix a “big challenge” but downplayed the notion that he has special insight that could give him an edge.

“You’ve got to be able to put the fire out when bad things happen,” Kelly said of his players Wednesday. “That’s just part of football. What I do like is they play extremely hard, and they never lose their composure. Even when things started going bad… sometimes it’s like in a basketball game. If somebody gets hot shooting, you’ve got to survive the run and you’ve got to play to win the game. I have not seen our guys lose composure this year.”

If they show depth behind Travis Hunter

Colorado is expected to play the next two games without one of their two best players – Travis Hunter, the receiver-cornerback who played more than 120 snaps in each of his first two games before being knocked out of action with a lacerated liver last week.

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Deion Sanders said Colorado would replace him on defense via “cornerback by committee.”

That includes Carter Stoutmire, a freshman with three tackles this season. It might not include Cormani McClain, another freshman who joined Colorado as the nation’s top cornerback recruit but has yet to play. Asked what is holding McClain back, Sanders gave a blunt response Tuesday:

“He is.”

If they get their running game going

For all the talent the Buffs have at running back, it hasn’t showed up in the statistics. The Buffs rank 127th in rushing yards per game with 61. Last week, when freshman Dylan Edward rushed for 57 yards against Colorado State, it was a season high for an individual CU running back.

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Sanders still downplayed any concern about the team’s run-pass ratio, which is 60-40 pass-run.

“I don’t like us to run the ball just for the sake of running the ball and it’s a 2-yard loss or a 1-yard gain,” he said.

But it won’t hurt to take the load off of his son at quarterback. It also won’t hurt to get some more help in the backfield. Houston transfer Alton McCaskill has been cleared for contact this week after sitting out the 2022 season with a knee injury. Before the injury, he rushed for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns as the rookie of the year in the American Athletic Conference.

If the turnover throne stays busy

Colorado players who snatch turnovers from the other team are treated like kings. As a reward for their takeaways, they get to sit on the team’s “turnover throne” and soak up hosannas from their teammates on the sideline.

This week and next, they’ll want to keep that seat as warm as it’s been the previous three, when they racked up 10 takeaways, tied for best in the nation. Nix has completed 78% of his passes this year with no interceptions.

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“It’s just another offense,” Colorado safety Trevor Woods said Wednesday. “We’re gonna try to get the ball like we always do.”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com





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Oregon

RECAP: Oregon State Wins Double Overtime Thriller 39-31 Over Colorado State

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RECAP: Oregon State Wins Double Overtime Thriller 39-31 Over Colorado State


Trent Bray’s Oregon State Beavers kept the spirit of #Pac12AfterDark alive on Saturday night with a roller coaster of a win over Colorado State that went to double-overtime. The Beavs managed to secure a 39-31 victory behind a career high in rushing yards for Anthony Hankerson (113). In total, the Beavs’ running game was once again the spark for the win, totaling 251 yards and five touchdowns.

While Gevani McCoy showed he still has plenty of room to grow in the passing game (16/28, 147 yards, one interception), his three rushing touchdowns and 91 rushing yards were critical in the win.

The Beavers are now 4-1 to start the season and 3-1 within the confines of Reser Stadium. They’ll try to move to 5-1 on October 12 against Jeff Choate’s Nevada rebounding team.

The Colorado State defense made an interception at the Oregon State 12-yard line on the Beavs’ first possession of the game. The Rams immediately capitalized with a 12-yard rushing touchdown by Justin Marshall. The Beavers tried to get back to business on their second possession, but lost a fumble by Jam Griffin.

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Griffin would leave with an injury in the first quarter and did not return.

Gevani McCoy 29-yard touchdown run on an option to the right side to cap a ten-play, 82-yard drive on their opening drive of the second quarter.

CSU answered with a 25-yard field goal on the ensuing possession.

The Beavers were fortunate on the final possession of the second half, benefitting from two penalties on the Colorado State secondary inside the five-yard line, which gave them enough chances to eventually punch the ball in with Anthony Hankerson from one yard away. That made the score 14-10 heading into the break.

In the second half, the third quarter was a stalemate with the two sides trading punts. However, in the opening moments of the third quarter, McCoy scored his second rushing touchdown of the day: a seven-yard rush on fourth down that saw him run through multiple CSU defenders to make it 21-10.

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For Colorado State, Tory Horton grabbed his first receiving touchdown of the season with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. That came after a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took six minutes and 53 seconds off the clock. The Rams went for two and did not convert.

With two minutes remaining in the game, Avery Morrow was able to give CSU their first lead of the game on a one-yard touchdown rush after a direct snap from a wildcat formation. Horton converted the two-point attempt on a reverse.

OSU kicker Everett Hayes nailed a 44-yard field goal to tie the game at 24-24 with 26 seconds remaining. CSU then mounted a drive into OSU territory, but did not score, bringing on overtime.

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On Colorado State’s first OT possession, the Rams needed six plays and help from a pass interference call on Sailasa Vadrawale to eventually set up a touchdown reception by Caleb Goodie. The Beavs answered with Gevani McCoy’s third touchdown run of the evening, this time from 19 yards away.

Hankerson quickly put the Beavers on top at the start of the second overtime with a 25-yard touchdown rush and McCoy hit Jermaine Terry for the two-point conversion. Then, once again, the Beavers appeared to have Colorado State stopped on fourth down, but OSU committed a blatant pass interference to set CSU up at the two-yard line. However, the Beavs’ defense managed to hold and keep the pass out of Horton’s hands on the final play to wrap things up.

Fans stormed the field in Corvallis in celebration as the Beavers improved to 4-1 on the season.

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5-Star Defensive Lineman Visiting Oregon Ducks for Ohio State Buckeyes Matchup

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5-Star Defensive Lineman Visiting Oregon Ducks for Ohio State Buckeyes Matchup


Consensus five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart is visiting the No. 6 Oregon Ducks on Oct. 12 as the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes come to Autzen Stadium. On Oct. 5, Stewart announced he will be reclassifying from the class of 2026 to the class of 2025.

Consensus five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart is visiting the No. 6 Oregon Ducks on Oct. 12 for the top-10 matchup with the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes On Oct. 5, Stewart announced he will be reclassifying from the class of 2026 to the class of 2025.

One week after revealing his plans to graduate a year early, Stewart will be in Autzen as the Buckeyes take on the Ducks.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Ohio State coach Ryan Day both have undefeated teams with College Football Playoff aspirations, but the recruiting never ends. Stewart projects as a player who can make an immediate impact.

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Jahkeem Stewart under the Friday night lights.

Jahkeem Stewart under the Friday night lights. / Jahkeem Stewart / Instagram

After his visit to Eugene on Oct. 12, Stewart has plans to visit LSU on Nov. 9, USC on No. 16, and Ohio State on Nov. 30. Typically, the team with the last visit

The early signing period begins on Dec. 4, giving Day and the Buckeyes the last chance to make an impression on Stewart. That being said, LSU and USC have both been considered favorites throughout Stewart’s recruitment.

Stewart was already high-profile recruit, and he is now the No. 3 defensive lineman recruit in 2025 according to the 247Sports Composite.

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247Sports Scouting Analyst Gabe Brooks thinks highly of Stewart, writing about the elite defensive lineman’s athleticism.

“Reportedly highly productive sophomore campaign with 85 tackles, 33 TFL, 20 sacks. Still developing pass-rush repertoire but has shown encouraging technical awareness,” said Brooks. “Elite young defensive line prospect given outstanding physical tools and promising movement ability who could become a serious NFL Draft candidate down the road.”

MORE: Oregon Ducks’ Dan Lanning: ‘Tough’ Dillon Gabriel Injury Update After Michigan State

MORE: Will ESPN College GameDay Visit Eugene for Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State?

MORE: Oregon Ducks Secure Recruiting Visit With Son of Former NFL Star

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MORE: Oregon Ducks Recruiting Pushing To Flip USC Trojans Four-Star Commit

MORE: Largest College Football Stadiums: Ranking Oregon Ducks In Big Ten Conference





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Friday’s win allows Oregon football to look ahead to matchup with Ohio State

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Friday’s win allows Oregon football to look ahead to matchup with Ohio State


Oregon is undefeated, coming off its third straight convincing win and despite some unremarkable plays in recent weeks, is starting to look more and more like a team that should to be favored to land a spot in the College Football Playoff in December.

Now comes the most anticipated game of the regular season.

Bring on the Buckeyes.

The No. 6 Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will play No. 3 Ohio State – which is 4-0 heading into its game Saturday against Iowa – at 4:30 p.m. next Saturday in Autzen Stadium, a game between the two highest ranked teams in the conference.

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“I think it’ll be a great challenge and a great opportunity for us in front of our home crowd,” quarterback Dillon Gabriel said after Oregon defeated Michigan State 31-10 Friday in Autzen Stadium. “You dream for moments like these and games like this and I think everyone’s excited for it.”

Despite this mid-October gem on its schedule, coach Dan Lanning said his team hasn’t looked ahead to Ohio State while it opened the season with wins against Idaho, Boise State, Oregon State, UCLA and now the Spartans.

“They’ve done a really good job of not listening to you guys, right?” Lanning said to media members Friday night. “But finally, you guys can talk about it. We’re finally there. We’re going to play them now. A great team. … There’s a reason why they’re one of the best teams in the country. It’s going to be a great challenge for us, and our fans are gonna have to show up.”

Lanning said the team would turn its focus to the Buckeyes at midnight on Friday. That wasn’t soon enough for wide receiver Tez Johnson.

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“Right now,” Johnson said. “We turn the page right now. Obviously, it’s a big game … we’ll got out here and practice physical knowing that they got some really good players. But so do we. It’s going to be a really good matchup.”

Heading into their game against the Hawkeyes, the Buckeyes are the most prolific team in conference. With former Oregon coach Chip Kelly in his first season as offensive coordinator, Ohio State is ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten in scoring (48.8 points) and yards (534.8) per game, and No. 2 in passing yards (307.8) and No. 4 in rushing yards (227.0) per game.

They’ve also allowed the fewest points per game (6.8) for a No. 1 point differential of 42.0.

“I played Ohio State two years,” said defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, a Michigan State transfer. “I know what they bring. We just have to compete that game. That’s a game we’re gonna have to compete. Everybody run to the ball, everybody in the right gaps, everybody playing for each other. That’s what we gotta do.”

In 2021, the Ducks upset the Buckeyes in Columbus, 35-28, the only victory for Oregon in 10 games against Ohio State. The two games prior were a 42-20 loss in the 2015 national championship game and a 26-17 defeat in the 2010 Rose Bowl.

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“We’re two great programs that have been known for playing good football,” Gabriel said. “The things you look to as a young man playing the game is big-time moments and great atmospheres. So, super excited for it.”

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him on X @chansen_RG or by email at chansen@registerguard.com





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