Shedeur Sanders' First Win at Colorado a Statement in More Ways Than One

The day Deion Sanders became the head coach at Colorado, he named his son, Shedeur Sanders, the team's starting quarterback. Leading up to Week 1 of the 2023 season, there were questions as to how Colorado's new starting signal-caller would adjust to playing a higher level of competition after spending the last two years at Jackson State University.

There aren't anymore.

Shedeur's first game at the FBS level was one to remember. The 21-year-old quarterback completed 38 of 47 passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns while throwing no interceptions in the Buffaloes' upset 45-42 win over No. 17 Texas Christian University. The junior set the school record for passing yards in a single game in his first on-field action with the Buffaloes and earned Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance.

From the difference, or lack thereof, between playing at the Power Five level, to how the win over TCU was a personal one for the Sanders family, here's a deeper look into the record-breaking showing.

Shedeur Sanders Explains Difference Between Playing in FBS, FCS

Deion and Shedeur Sanders both joined the Colorado football program this offseason after their previous stop at Jackson State. After "Coach Prime" accepted the Colorado coaching job last December, he brought his starting QB with him.

Shedeur was making his own name for himself at Jackson State. During his two years as a starter for the Tigers, he went 23-3 and threw 70 touchdowns. He earned the Deacon Jones Award after the 2022 season, which the Black College Football Hall of Fame presents annually to the best all-around player from a historically Black college or university (HBCU). That success carried over to the start of his Colorado tenure, despite the change in atmosphere.

Jackson State is part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), considered a step down from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). After the win, Shedeur was asked about the differences between playing in a Power Five game compared to what the competition level was during his time at Jackson State.

Apparently, there aren't many.

"The only difference between FCS and this level is, the D-line get off blocks if you try to scramble up faster," he said on Monday. "That's it. Everything else, you've got good players, good DBs, good receivers, everything like that. You just have more of those on the field at once.

"Everybody on the field ain't going first round. A lot on the field may not get drafted. So people fear names, I don't fear names, because I really don't care. That's the biggest thing. When you fear names, that's half the battle. 'Dang, we playing TCU.' I respect the university, I respect everything about them. But personally, I just never cared about names," he said.

Four different Colorado wide receivers finished with over 100 yards with Shedeur Sanders commanding the offense. The win marked Colorado's first over a ranked opponent since 2019.

"I thought the quarterback played outstanding," TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said. "Made all the throws. Gave [receivers] chances on 50-50 balls. Really threw the ball well. I thought he played about as well as you can play under the circumstances."

Win Over TCU was Personal for the Sanders Family

Colorado, which went 1-11 last season, entered Saturday's game as 20.5-point underdogs against a team that played in the national championship game last season. But winning on the road in Fort Worth was even sweeter for the Sanders family in particular because of its ties with a TCU coach.

During a Monday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Deion Sanders said TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles—then at Florida State—overlooked Shedeur when he was a recruit.

"We went to the camp of a certain school, and a certain coordinator we just played against, offensive coordinator, he was at that school, and we went to this school, a camp, and he didn't pay him no attention," Deion Sanders said.

"I don't think he even spoke to him. He just pushed him off to the side. I went and told somebody, 'That ain't no way to treat him. That's not right.' He remembered that. And he told me, probably about 20 minutes after that little situation happened, he said, 'Dad, we're never coming back here again,'" he continued.

"[Shedeur] wanted to beat that guy so bad that he just went to work."

Colorado's season continues on Saturday when it hosts Nebraska at noon ET. The game will air on FOX. Colorado is a 3.5-point favorite as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Caesars Sportsbook.