Falcons Legend Deion Sanders Pulls Off Upset vs. TCU in Colorado Coaching Debut

Former Atlanta Falcons cornerback Deion Sanders took the field for the first time on Saturday as head coach of the Colorado Boulders, and chaos ensued.

Atlanta Falcons legend Deion Sanders took two sports by storm in the 1990s. Now, as a coach, he’s at it again.

Sanders has drawn the attention of Falcons fans and college football diehards alike in his inaugural year as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. He brings his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and two-way player Travis Hunter, the top recruit from his high school class.

The Buffaloes won in Sanders’ debut, going into TCU and beating the Horned Frogs in their own building, 45-42. TCU is coming off of a trip to the national championship game.

Colorado was tagged as a team destined for the cellar in the Pac-12, sporting an undersized roster full of transfers. Generally, new administrations take time to build the foundation of a program, and turnover can turn into a season or two of mediocrity before new coaches and players get their feet wet.

Subsequently, the Buffaloes were 21-point underdogs.

As with seemingly everything Sanders does, the fireworks followed. Colorado kept it close all game, jumping out to a 17-14 halftime lead. Each time TCU took the lead in the second half, at 28-24, then 35-31, and finally 42-38, the Buffaloes bounced back.

Sanders went 38-of-47 through the air for a school record 510 passing yards. He was everything for Colorado in Week 1—they were out-rushed by over 200 yards.

Hunter caught 11 passes for 119 yards, living up to the early Heisman hype. On the other side of the ball, he caught a crucial interception.

Sanders, the coach, was justifiably unapologetic after leading his new team to such a monumental victory.

“We told we’re coming,” he said. “You thought we was joking, but guess what? We keep receipts.”

Simply put, Sanders’ debut could not have gone any better. He’ll continue to check for receipts when they host the Nebraska Cornhuskers next week.