What Deion Sanders said after thrilling OT win vs. Baylor

Coach Prime was excited to escape with a win to open Big 12 play

Jason Jones/BuffsBeat

Colorado's return to the Big 12 Conference couldn’t have been more dramatic, as the Buffaloes secured a thrilling 38-31 overtime victory against Baylor in front of a sold-out crowd of 52,794 at Folsom Field. This win marked the Buffs' first Big 12 game since 2010, after spending 13 seasons in the Pac-12. 

Shedeur Sanders played hero, tossing a 43-yard touchdown to LaJohntay Wester on the final play of regulation to tie the game at 31-31. "It's not just those guys," Sanders said about the connection from Shedeur to Wester. "It's some of the smaller things you don't see." He talked about Travis Hunter being triple-covered on the play to free up Wester for the one-on-one matchup.  

A gritty overtime followed, with freshman running back Micah Welch scoring his second touchdown of the night on a 1-yard run to give Colorado a 38-31 lead. "The line always gets ridiculed, but we score on a run," Sanders said. "You know, we scored on a darn run." He went on to say, "I just love that these guys can just flush it and move on to the next play." 

The game was a rollercoaster from start to finish. Baylor initially took a 3-0 lead, continuing Colorado's trend of slow starts. Sanders responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, capped by his own 2-yard rushing touchdown. Baylor punched back with two more touchdowns, one from a 100-yard kickoff return and another on a 45-yard quarterback sneak from Sawyer Robertson. The special teams blunder opened up Baylor's lead, which Sanders called "Horrible." But the win was earned for the Buffs.  

"We didn't play up to our capabilities whatsoever," Sanders said. "We blew some things." He went on to say, "We've got to do a better job of that. But overall, they were resilient." 

Colorado closed the first half with a huge 58-yard touchdown pass from Shedeur Sanders to Omarion Miller, cutting Baylor's lead to 24-17. The play was upheld with outstanding athleticism and balance.  

In the second half, Colorado's defense held firm, and Sanders orchestrated another drive, with key connections to Travis Hunter setting up Welch’s first career touchdown to tie the game at 24-24. Baylor reclaimed the lead on a 24-yard touchdown, but Colorado refused to give in. With just two seconds left in regulation, Sanders found Wester in the end zone to force overtime.

"We caught the one that we needed to catch," Sanders said. "LaJohntay needed that one as well. It was a great confidence booster for him, but it was tremendous. I kinda threw us back to last year didn't it? Like that nostalgia. That's the way stuff was starting out last year."

Overtime provided more drama. After Welch’s touchdown, Baylor had a chance to tie, but Dominic Richardson fumbled into the end zone, securing Colorado’s victory. The Buffs moved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12, snapping a long drought in conference play.

"It was a tough one," Sanders said about the win. "I'm excited that we got it. Because this press conference could be totally different right now. But I'm excited that we won." 

Colorado goes to Sanders' home state to face UCF next week with game time and TV network TBD.