QB Shedeur Sanders leads Colorado upset in return to DFW, where he went to high school
Shedeur Sanders is well acquainted with Dallas-Fort Worth.
Sanders, Colorado’s starting quarterback and son of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, is a graduate of Addison Trinity Christian. In his return to Texas, Sanders had a phenomenal game in 45-42 upset win against the TCU Horned Frogs, the winners of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.
Sanders passed for Colorado record 510 yards and four touchdowns, completing 38 of 47 passes.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said Sanders “played outstanding.”
“He made all the throws,” Dykes said. “He gave them chances on 50-50 balls. He really threw the ball well. I thought he played as good as he could’ve possibly played under the circumstances.”
Deion Sanders said a player from an HBCU was doubted, referring to his son.
“Shadeur Sanders?” Deion Sanders asked rhetorically. “From an HBCU? The one that played at Jackson last year?”
Deion Sanders said he was tremendously proud of his son’s performance.
“He had 510 yards passing in a Power 5 football game,” Deion Sanders said.
Shedeur Sanders said he was confident his team would win heading into the game. He added that he doesn’t fear names.
“They didn’t believe in us,” Shadeur Sanders said on the field after the win. “God did.”
Facing the Horned Frogs
Sanders looked comfortable in the pocket against TCU’s defense, accurately making passes and finding ways to score. To open the offensive onslaught, Sanders connected with running back Dylan Edwards for a 4-yard touchdown.
Sanders’ took a break from tossing touchdowns until the third quarter, when he found wide receiver Xavier Weaver for a 17-yard touchdown. On the next play, he completed a short pass to Edwards, who took it 75-yards to the house.
His third and fourth passing touchdowns came in the fourth quarter. He notched a 26-yard touchdown, throwing to wide receiver Jimmy Horn, and he capped off the Buffaloes’ scoring with a 46-yard, go ahead touchdown to Edwards.
Four Colorado players had more than 100 receiving yards with Sanders leading the offense. Edwards led the way with 135 yards.
Horn, Weaver and Travis Hunter gained 117, 118 and 119 yards, respectively. Weaver averaged 19.6 yards per catch on six receptions. Horn and Hunter each hauled in a team high 11 receptions.
“We threw the heck out of the football,” Deion Sanders said of the passing game.
Sanders finished with a 200.1 passer rating.
Sanders’ journey to Colorado
While playing for the Trinity Christian Trojans, he was rated as 247 Sports’ No. 37 quarterback in the nation in the class of 2021. Sanders and Trinity Christian won three consecutive TAPPS D2 State Championships.
In his senior year, Trinity Christian won the 2020 TCAL National Championship.
As a Trojan, Sanders completed 805 of 1,238 passes, posting a 65% completion rate in four seasons. He accumulated 12,627 passing yards and a whopping 166 touchdowns on his way to winning 47 of 52 games.
As a quarterback at Jackson State, Sanders tallied 23 wins in two seasons while going undefeated in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Jackson State won the conference championship in both seasons.
Sanders, rated as the No. 4 transfer QB by 247 Sports, took his talents to Colorado, following his father. On Saturday, he made his long awaited debut as a Buffalo, leading his team to victory.
This story was originally published September 2, 2023 at 3:27 PM.
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