\u201cBelieve in what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, no, no. I read through that bull junk you wrote. \u00a0I read through that. I sifted through it. No, no. Come on. Do you believe? Do you believe? Didn\u2019t answer me. You don\u2019t believe. Next question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beat Nebraska, Prime.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll believe.<\/p>\n
Small sample size, granted. But what a sample. CU, 20.5-point underdogs, hit 2023 in white jerseys with gold numerals, looking like carbon copies of the New Orleans Saints circa 1968. Then quarterback Shedeur Sanders went out played like he was Drew Brees circa 2011.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople fear names,\u201d the younger Sanders said after throwing for a school-record 510 yards, completing a PlayStation-like 38 of 47 passes, and tossing four touchdowns. \u201cI don\u2019t really fear names, because I don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shedeur? Coming. Tailback Dylan Edwards, who only piled up 159 yards from scrimmage as the first freshman to start at tailback for CU since 1991? Coming. Xavier Weaver (118 receiving yards)? Coming. Jimmy Horn Jr. (117 receiving yards)? Coming. Shilo Sanders (10 tackles)? Coming.<\/p>\n
Travis Hunter? Ohhhhh, baby. Coming. Humming.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really think we\u2019ve got a couple guys that could be front-runner for the Heisman (Trophy),\u201d Coach Prime continued. \u201cThat\u2019s how I feel. We got a couple of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one thing for social media and NIL money to create the hype. It\u2019s another to go out and exceed that bar from the jump.<\/p>\n
Hunter, the No. 1 prep recruit in the country three years ago, planted his flag in Game 1 for the title of best cornerback in Buffs history with a Heismanesque FBS debut: More than 100 snaps, 119 receiving yards, a pass break-up, and an interception on a wheel route that neither TCU QB Chandler Morris or Major Everhart saw coming until it was too late.<\/p>\n
Of the two-way star\u2019s 11 receptions, six went for first downs. Sanders the younger and Hunter were telepathic the way Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are telepathic, the way Cale Makar and Devon Toews are telepathic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like practice,\u201d Shedeur shrugged. \u201cA lot of y\u2019all (didn\u2019t) believe in us. You just gotta understand our coach. Everywhere he (has gone), he\u2019s a winner.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
He\u2019s got some things to clean up, too, mind you. CU had one 49-yard field goal try blocked, and nearly got another swatted back in Ralphie\u2019s face. The tackling was all over the yard. TCU averaged seven yards per play and scored three touchdowns from 19 yards out or more.<\/p>\n
The defending national runners-up aren\u2019t the Froggies of a year ago. But TCU coach Sonny Dykes and his system are going to make a lot of other defenses look bad in the weeks to come.<\/p>\n
On the flip side, the superlatives were so superlative, given the context, that there aren\u2019t enough game balls to go around. But here\u2019s the takeaway that should garner the most hope in Buffs Country, and represents one of the biggest differences from September 2022: The second half. The adjustments.<\/p>\n
With so many new faces from so many places, CU was always likely to surprise early on. Sure enough, these Buffs took a 17-14 lead into halftime. Old CU would\u2019ve fallen to pieces after that. Old CU would\u2019ve withered and gone away.<\/p>\n
First play of the third quarter: Delay of game.<\/p>\n
Second play: Illegal touch by Weaver.<\/p>\n
Third play: a 75-yard touchdown by Edwards.<\/p>\n
New CU scored 28 in the second half alone. The Buffs averaged nine points following halftime a year ago.<\/p>\n
The most unwatchable team in college football in 2022 started 2023 by committing only six penalties, throwing for 510 yards, and averaging a first down every two minutes. Prime was 2-for-2 on fourth down conversions. The second one, from the TCU 46 with 4:25 left in the game, turned into Edwards\u2019 fourth touchdown of the tilt.<\/p>\n
Take a bathroom break on these Buffs, you\u2019re likely to miss something insane. Something special.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow good was that?\u201d Buffs athletic director Rick George asked as he joined the cramped, standing-room-only throng outside the visitors\u2019 locker room at Amon G. Carter.<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, his wrist buzzed. A celebratory text from golfer David Duval.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s it like to be king of the world?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not king of the world,\u201d the athletic director countered with a grin. \u201cI\u2019m happy to be 1-0.\u201d<\/p>\n Pat Shurmur, offensive analyst and ex-Broncos whipping post, sat on metal trunk in the hallway and grinned into the phone.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about that?\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n Deion 1, Doubters 0.<\/p>\n How about it.<\/p>\n \u201cGuess what? I\u2019m here. I ain\u2019t going nowhere,\u201d Prime said, leaning forward again, savoring the stage and the throne. \u201cI\u2019m about to get more comfortable in a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n TCU now isn\u2019t TCU then. CU now isn\u2019t CU then, either.<\/p>\n They ain\u2019t coming.<\/p>\n They here.<\/p>\n The Buffs entered Saturday’s game at TCU as three-touchdown underdogs, but came out victorious. Here’s a look at CU’s biggest upsets, listed by the final game day spreads:<\/p>\n Source: CU athletics<\/em><\/p>\n Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Biggest upsets in CU history<\/h3>\n
\n\n
\n Date<\/strong><\/th>\n Opponent<\/strong><\/th>\n Line<\/strong><\/th>\n Score<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sept. 29, 2007<\/td>\n Oklahoma<\/td>\n 22<\/td>\n W, 27-24<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Nov. 25, 2011<\/td>\n at Utah<\/td>\n 22<\/td>\n W, 17-14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sept. 22, 2012<\/td>\n at Washington St.<\/td>\n 21<\/td>\n W, 35-34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sept. 2, 2023<\/strong><\/td>\n at TCU<\/strong><\/td>\n 20\u00bd<\/strong><\/td>\n W, 45-42<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Oct. 25, 1986<\/td>\n Nebraska<\/td>\n 17\u00bd<\/td>\n W, 20-10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Oct. 21, 1972<\/td>\n Oklahoma<\/td>\n 16<\/td>\n W, 20-14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Oct. 15, 2022<\/td>\n Cal<\/td>\n 15\u00bd<\/td>\n W, 20-13 (OT)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Nov. 16, 1974<\/td>\n at Oklahoma State<\/td>\n 14<\/td>\n W, 37-20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Nov. 1, 1980<\/td>\n Iowa State<\/td>\n 14<\/td>\n W, 17-9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sept. 28, 1985<\/td>\n at Arizona<\/td>\n 14<\/td>\n W, 14-13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Nov. 23, 2019<\/td>\n Washington<\/td>\n 14<\/td>\n W, 20-14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n