Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Deion Sanders spent the past nine months flipping Colorado's roster and the vibe around a once-elite program, telling everyone who would listen: "We comin'."
Sanders finally got a chance to change the results on the field Saturday, and his revamped roster delivered with a significant statement. The Buffaloes, who came to No. 17 TCU as 21-point underdogs after a 1-11 season, stunned the defending national runner-up, rallying for a 45-42 win before a stunned crowd at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Colorado got its first road win since 2021 and snapped a streak of 24 consecutive losses as an underdog of 21 points or more. The Buffaloes also notched their first win over a ranked team since 2019 and hadn't beaten a team ranked this high since 2009.
Although the attention leading into Saturday's game focused on Deion Sanders, his son Shedeur Sanders, two-way star Travis Hunter and other Colorado newcomers stole the spotlight with their performances. Shedeur Sanders, the team's starting quarterback, set a single-game team passing record with 510 yards, becoming the first Buffaloes QB to eclipse the 500-yard mark. He completed 38 of 47 passes with four touchdowns and no interceptions, and four Colorado players eclipsed 100 receiving yards.
The Buffaloes led for most of the first three quarters, then erased three deficits down the stretch. They took the lead for good on a fourth-and-2 play, as Sanders found Dylan Edwards in the flat for a 46-yard touchdown.
Hunter, who was ESPN's No. 2 recruit in the 2022 class and spurned Florida State to play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State, shined on both sides of the ball in his Colorado debut. He stepped in front of a Chandler Morris pass on third-and-1 from the Colorado 4-yard line for an interception. Hunter had 11 receptions for 119 yards and nearly had more on two acrobatic dives but couldn't hold on to the ball.
He became the first FBS player in at least 20 seasons to record more than 100 receiving yards and an interception in the same game.
Other offensive standouts included Edwards, a running back who had a team-high 135 receiving yards and three touchdown catches as well as a rushing touchdown, and wide receivers Jimmy Horn Jr. and Xavier Weaver, who combined for 235 receiving yards on 17 catches. Saturday was the first time in program history that four Colorado players had 100-yard receiving days in the same game.
After three strong seasons at Jackson State, Deion Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback, made his Colorado debut with a team that featured 86 new players, including his sons Shedeur and Shilo as well as Hunter.
Before Saturday, Colorado had been held to fewer than 400 yards in 26 straight games, the longest active streak in the FBS, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The Buffaloes had been one of three FBS teams without a 300-yard passer in the past two seasons.
Even after TCU took its first lead with 2 minutes, 32 seconds left in the third quarter, Colorado immediately responded behind Shedeur Sanders, who found Weaver for a 44-yard gain down the sideline, setting up Edwards' touchdown run.
TCU, which lost a number of stars to the NFL draft, had no answers for Colorado's productive offense and received erratic play from Morris at quarterback and others.
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