Sanders, Colorado shock the world with 45-42 upset over No. 17 TCU

Shedeur Sanders with a heck of performance in the Buffs opener

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Buffaloes opened the 2023 football season with a bang by taking down 17th-ranked TCU 45-42 in Fort Worth. 

Colorado came out firing early in the highly-amplified match-up. All the pregame hype with Deion Sanders and best believe he showed off his Louis luggage to the masses.

Shedeur Sanders played outstanding in the early going. He went 22-of-28 for 182 yards and a touchdown going into halftime. However, that was just the beginning for the Buffs QB, who put up over 300 yards in the second half for a CU record 510 yards and four touchdowns. 

The Jackson State transfer broke out into his own with 75-yard catch and run touchdown to Dylan Edwards on CU's first play from scrimmage in the second half. It was the second time last year's Deacon Jones Award winner connected with CU's true freshman, who finished with 159 total yards and four scores. 

Colorado and TCU traded the lead six times after halftime. Trey Sanders' 3-yard TD run and gave the Horned Frog their first lead of the game at 28-24 with 4:33 left in the third quarter. From that point on, it turned into a wild west shootout, with a combined 35 points in the final 15:27 of the game.    

Edwards ran in a 3-yard score with under a minute to go the third quarter, giving the Buffaloes a 31-28 advantage. But Chandler Morris and TCU weren't done. He took the Frogs down the field and called his own number for a 19- yard touchdown run, putting TCU back up by four with 10:49 left. 

Sanders came back with magic of his own. A 6-play, 75-yard drive with a 26-yard touchdown to Jimmy Horn, Jr., who was wide open in the end zone on blown coverage. Colorado went back up 38-35 at that point. TCU returner Major Everhart rambled down the sideline for 86 yards and set the Frogs up with great field position. Trey Sanders punched it in from a yard out two plays later, putting TCU back up by a score of 42-38 with seven minutes remaining. 

The duo of Shedeur Sanders and Dylan Edwards couldn't be denied. A 46-yard touchdown with 4:25 left was the difference maker for the Buffaloes' 45-42 win in Deion Sanders' FBS debut. 

Colorado was noted as a 20.5-point underdog by a majority of sportsbooks before the game. The Buffs were left standing in the back-and-forth dog fight. We got a nice preview of what Coach Prime and the Buffs might look like in the Big 12 next year. 

UP NEXT

Colorado (1-0, Pac-12) returns home for a renewal of an old Big Eight rivalry with Nebraska on Sept. 9. The back end of FOX Big Noon Saturday coverage for the Buffaloes and Sanders. 

TCU (0-1, Big 12) stays home to welcome Nicholls State next week.