BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders covered all the bases Tuesday, from Hail Mary passes to tropical storms to even baseball standout Shohei Ohtani.
The Colorado coach was still flying high three days after a 38-31 overtime thriller against Baylor. It was a win that will live in Buffaloes' lore, with LaJohntay Wester catching a 43-yard Hail Mary pass in the end zone from Shedeur Sanders with no time remaining to send the game into OT. Once there, Travis Hunter bolstered his Heisman Trophy stock by forcing a Baylor fumble at the goal line to secure the win as the fans stormed the field.
“I don't condone how the students ran out, but I absolutely love every last minute of it,” Deion Sanders said at his weekly news conference. “It was one of the most beautiful things I ever witnessed in my life.”
On deck is Central Florida this weekend, which involved a change of plans. Sanders and the Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) are leaving town Wednesday for their game in Orlando, Florida, in an effort to beat the arrival of Tropical Storm Helene.
“We’re trying to get ahead of the curve and be smart with it,” Sanders said. “Our guys like consistency, so being settled and having a consistent plan in place works in our favor."
Fan of Malzahn
Sanders has nothing but respect for UCF coach Gus Malzahn, whose team is a 15 1/2-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. When Malzahn was coach at Auburn, he tried to recruit Shedeur Sanders.
“He's one of my favorite coaches in college football,” Deion Sanders said.
Colorado got some good news on the injury front with tailback Dallan Hayden expected to return Saturday. Safety Shilo Sanders hasn't been ruled out despite having surgery on his arm just over two weeks ago.
“I’m not going to count out this week. But if he holds off this week, that’ll give him two more weeks, which is pretty smart," said the Colorado coach, whose team has a bye week after UCF and doesn't play again until Oct. 12 against Kansas State.
Ohtani talk
Sanders spent time Tuesday reminiscing about baseball. Turns out, the Hall of Fame football player who also forged a major league career on the diamond, is a big fan of Ohtani. He's in awe of the Los Angeles Dodgers star who became the first player to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season.
“Ohtani, he’s incredible, man,” Sanders said. “You could compare him to the (Michael) Jordans and the Tom Bradys of the world. That’s who he is. He’s doing things that we haven’t fathomed.”
Sanders said the greatest players he ever saw were Barry Bonds and Rickey Henderson.
“I wanted to be Rickey Henderson,” Sanders said. “Getting an opportunity to play with him, I was like a kid in a candy shop. I’m sitting on the bench with Rickey Henderson, getting stolen base tips.”
As for Bonds, Sanders wondered how he didn't reach a milestone like the 50-50 plateau, given how much he got on base and his prodigious power. Bonds had 42 homers and 40 stolen bases in 1996 with San Francisco.
“The dude was unbelievable," Sanders said. "If you threw that ball anywhere in his zone, it was a souvenir. That’s how good he was.”
Lofty expectations
Turning back to the football field, Sanders was asked where his team stood in terms of what he might have expected after four games.
“You’re never going to reach my expectations,” Sanders said. “You can’t reach that because I have big, lofty dreams and lofty aspirations for each and every one of these kids on the field as well as off the field.”
NOTES: Kickoff specialist Jace Feely announced announced on social media that he tore his ACL Saturday while making a tackle. Cristiano Palazzo figures to serve in that role in Feely's absence. Sanders' advice? Boom it. “The problem is we want the ball in the end zone. I mean, Jimmy (Horn Jr.) does not get to return the ball when we’re on the kickoff return. We want that same sentiment.” ... In his musings, Sanders let it slip the team had three commitments from the 2025 recruiting class. Only one was known about. “My bad,” Sanders cracked. “Oops.”
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