![](\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/BUF-L-CUFB-TCU-10.jpg\")
<\/p>\nColorado football players danced in the locker room and celebrated following Saturday\u2019s thriller in Fort Worth, Texas.<\/p>\n
Buff Nation had plenty of reasons to party after a 45-42 upset of No. 17 TCU in the debut game for first-year head coach Deion Sanders.<\/p>\n
Not only did the Buffs kick off the Coach Prime era in style, but they quieted some doubters, and they weren\u2019t shy about enjoying that aspect of the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody believed is us,\u201d said sophomore cornerback\/receiver Travis Hunter. \u201cThe only people that believe us are the people in the facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet, even as the Buffs talked about the receipts they\u2019ve kept, Sanders knew the game was far from perfect. It was a memorable day, but the Buffs (1-0) have a lot of work ahead as they prepare to face long-time rival Nebraska (0-1) on Saturday at Folsom Field (10 a.m., Fox).<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not gonna say it was fun,\u201d Sanders said of Saturday\u2019s win. \u201cIt was satisfying in the end. You\u2019ve got to understand, the second time ticks off the clock, I\u2019m ready for the next. I\u2019m thinking, \u2018OK, we\u2019ve got to fix this, fix that, fix that,\u2019 because we\u2019ve got to be much more dominant next week in all phases, not just one phase.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders has coached for a long time and realizes the formula that worked against TCU may not work against someone else.<\/p>\n
The Buffaloes were dominant on offense, racking up 565 yards and 45 points. It was the most yards gained by CU since the 2018 season opener (596) against Colorado State.<\/p>\n
Even so, the Buffs felt they left plays on the field. They punted three times, had a missed field goal and a fumble, and didn\u2019t get much traction in the run game.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt was cool, but it wasn\u2019t up to speed,\u201d said quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who threw for school-record 510 yards. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy that we put up those numbers and we wasn\u2019t even at our best. I missed two deep balls early. Silly penalties. But it\u2019s our first time really growing with each other, trusting each other, understanding each other in a game, like a real environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defensively, the Buffs had a very different day. They made a few key plays, but had a rough performance overall.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefense, we\u2019ve got to fix some things,\u201d coach Sanders said.<\/p>\n
The Buffs gave up 541 yards and 42 points and at one point, TCU scored touchdowns on five of six possessions.<\/p>\n
TCU racked up 262 yards on the ground, averaging 7.1 yards per rush and gaining 190 of those yards after halftime. The Buffs also didn\u2019t get much pressure on TCU quarterback Chandler Morris, who wasn\u2019t sacked, and completed timely passes to sting the Buffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just needed to stop them,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cThey kept running those darn crossing routes and they was picking them it. We weren\u2019t communicating; the guy comes free when he gets across the hash and that just got on our last nerve because coaches did a great job of calling the right defenses. We just didn\u2019t execute. We want to fix that.\u201d<\/p>\n
College Sports | <\/p>\n
College Sports | <\/p>\n College Sports | <\/p>\n College Sports | <\/p>\n College Sports | <\/p>\n On the plus side for the defense, they came up with two massive interceptions \u2014 by Hunter and Trevor Woods \u2013 in the red zone. And, in the final moments delivered a game-clinching stop, as safety Myles Slusher tackled TCU\u2019s Jared Wiley two yards shy of the first down marker on fourth-and-nine with 55 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s all we were preaching, man,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cWe were just preaching one stop. Just one stop. Just one darn stop. \u2026 Defensively, we had some letdowns but the guys came and made the plays when they needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Sanders also referred to the special teams as \u201chorrendous\u201d on a day when the Buffs had a field goal blocked and gave up an 86-yard kickoff return (a great play by safety Rodrick Ward prevented that from being a touchdown).<\/p>\n It was a game that left plenty for Sanders and the staff to correct, but they were able to snag a big victory despite those mistakes and that made Saturday a day to remember.<\/p>\n \u201cWe went out there and still made some week one mistakes,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot to change. We\u2019ve got to go back into practice tomorrow, watch film, try to fix everything that we messed up on, but we knew what we had to do and came out and executed to the best of our ability.\u201d<\/p>\n
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