Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter help Colorado beat Cincinnati 34-23 and qualify for the bowl

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) Shedeur Sanders threw two touchdown passes to Travis Hunter and ran for a score to help Colorado qualify for the bowl with a 34-23 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday night.

Sanders put on a pretty efficient aerial display, completing 25 of 30 passes for 323 yards. He completed his first 15 passes, which was the most starting passes in program history. Not bad considering he survived the flu.

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

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

The Buffaloes (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) are eligible for a full season bowl game for the first time since 2016. They also played in a bowl game in the COVID-shortened year in 2020. Under Sanders, Colorado experienced quite a turnaround in year two. The team finished 4-8 a year ago after a fast start.

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

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

“Now we want to make sure she gets the best bowl possible,” Sanders said.

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

The Bearcats (5-3, 3-2) cut the deficit to 31-23 with 3:51 left when Brendan Sorsby connected with tight end Joe Royer for a 6-yard TD. They tried to get two points but couldn't do it.

Sanders was trapped deep after the kickoff, went all out and completed a 34-yard pass to Hunter. The drive resulted in Alejandro Mata's game-winning 47-yard field goal with 1:39 left.

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

Now the Buffaloes could be in for a run in the polls. Deion Sanders would rather not let that happen.

“Please don’t judge us,” Sanders said. “We don’t like that. We’d rather stay in the back in the dark and chill.”

Sorsby finished the game with 180 passing yards and two touchdowns.

“I don’t think anyone on the sideline ever lost hope,” Sorsby said. “This is a credit to this team and these employees.”

The game changed just before halftime when Colorado's defense stuffed Sorsby on the 46th with 33 seconds left in the 46th minute. That led to Sanders finding a wide-open Hunter, giving Colorado a 24-14 lead at halftime.

“That momentum right before halftime was obviously huge in their favor,” Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said. “Just obviously disappointed with the loss, didn’t play great.”

The Buffaloes called three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, including one on safety Shilo Sanders in the fourth quarter that briefly sent him to the bench. There was one more tackle on Jimmy Horn Jr. early in the game. He caught a pass from Sanders and ran 57 yards for what would have been a touchdown in the first quarter, but was pointed when he got past a Cincinnati defensive back he gave a “peace” sign. It drew a flag and negated the score.

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

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

“The people who do this, they’re better than this,” Sanders said.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats defense struggled to consistently pressure Sanders, sacking him only once.

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

Cincinnati: One week off before hosting West Virginia on November 9th

Colorado: The Buffaloes have a second bye week before playing at Texas Tech on Nov. 9.

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