Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter help Colorado beat Cincinnati 34-23 to become bowl eligible

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders threw a pair of touchdown passes to Travis Hunter and ran for a score to help Colorado become bowl-eligible with a 34-23 win over Cincinnati on Saturday night.

Sanders put on quite an efficient aerial show, completing 25 of 30 passes for 323 yards. He completed his first 15 passes, which was the most to start a game in program history. Not bad considering he's getting over the flu.

Hunter had nine catches for 153 yards, including a 34-yard TD grab with three seconds left before halftime. On defense, the two-way star and Heisman hopeful broke up four passes.

“Travis is the best football player in the country,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “We all know that. Why are we even deliberating over that?”

The Buffaloes (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) are eligible for a bowl game over a full season for the first time since 2016. They also went to a bowl game in 2020 during the COVID-shortened year. It's been quite a turnaround for Colorado in Year 2 under Sanders. The team finished 4-8 a year ago after a fast start.

“We’re on a wonderful journey,” the Buffaloes coach said. “We know the direction we’re going."

The first call Sanders made after the win was to Peggy Coppom, the Buffaloes super-fan who turns 100 next month. She's been a rallying point for Sanders — to get her to a bowl game.

“Now we want to make sure she goes to the best possible bowl that she could possibly go to,” Sanders said.

Colorado took a 31-14 lead with 5:41 left in the third quarter on a 7-yard run by Isaiah Augustave. Shedeur Sanders, though, appeared to be walking gingerly along the sideline shortly after the drive. He spent time on the stationary bike when the defense was on the field.

The Bearcats (5-3, 3-2) trimmed the deficit to 31-23 with 3:51 remaining when Brendan Sorsby connected with tight end Joe Royer for a 6-yard TD. They tried for two points and couldn't convert.

Pinned deep after the kickoff, Sanders went for broke and completed a 34-yard pass to Hunter. The drive led to Alejandro Mata's game-sealing 47-yard field goal with 1:39 remaining.

“Each win,” Shedeur Sanders said, “definitely gives us a confidence boost.”

Now, the Buffaloes could be looking at an appearance in the polls. Deion Sanders would rather not see that happen.

“Don't rank us, please,” Sanders said. “We don't like that. We'd rather be in the back in the dark, just chillin'.”

Sorsby finished with 180 yards passing and two touchdowns.

“I don’t think any guy on the sideline ever lost hope,” Sorsby said. “That's a credit to this team and this staff.”

The game changed complexion just before halftime when Colorado's defense stuffed Sorsby on fourth-and-1 at the 46 with 33 seconds left. It led to Sanders finding a wide-open Hunter to give Colorado a 24-14 lead at the break.

“That momentum swing right before halftime was huge, obviously, in their favor,” Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said. “Just obviously disappointed in the loss, not playing great.”

The Buffaloes committed three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, including one on safety Shilo Sanders in the fourth quarter that briefly landed him on the bench. There was another on Jimmy Horn Jr. early in the game. He hauled in a pass from Sanders and raced 57 yards for what would've been a first-quarter touchdown, but as he passed by a Cincinnati defensive back he flashed a "peace" sign. It drew a flag and negated the score.

Hunter bailed out his fellow receiver with a 3-yard TD catch.

At one point, Deion Sanders implored the fans over the public address system to not throw anything on the field. He reiterated that point after the game.

“The people doing that, you're better than that,” Sanders said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Cincinnati: The Bearcats defense struggled to get consistent pressure on Sanders and sacked him just once.

Colorado: The Buffaloes looked snazzy wearing their all-gray uniforms with white helmets. They found some traction on the ground, too, rushing for 123 yards.