Sanders, Hunter help No. 21 Colorado overcame early deficit in 41-27 win over Texas Tech

LUBBOCK, Texas -- — Shedeur Sanders threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, two-way star Travis Hunter had nine catches for 99 yards and a TD and No. 21 Colorado overcame an early deficit to beat Texas Tech 41-27 on Saturday.

Sanders was 30 of 43 for 291 yards. Shilo Sanders, the other son of Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders on the team, recovered a fumble in the end zone with 51 seconds left.

Colorado (7-2, 5-1 Big 12, No. 20 CFP) won its third consecutive game and is on pace to play in the Big 12 Championship Game with a chance to qualify for the 12-team College Football Playoff.

The Buffs led the Red Raiders (6-4, 4-3) by two touchdowns before Tech’s Behren Morton threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Jalin Conyers — for 21 yards — with 2:12 left.

Colorado followed four punts beginning the game with four touchdowns and a field goal to lead 31-20 after three periods.

“We started out slow. That’s not indicative of who we are,” Deion Sanders said. “But I felt confident that in the second half we would go do what we ultimately did.”

“It was go time,” Shedeur Sanders said. “It was never a stress. It was never a sweat. It was never a doubt.”

Shedeur Sanders threw a 23-yard yard TD pass to LaJohntay Wester midway through the second period, a 5-yarder to Will Sheppard in the third quarter and a 24-yarder to Hunter minutes later in the third.

Alejandro Mata kicked field goals of 25 and 33 yards for the Buffaloes.

Morton’s other touchdown pass to Conyers was for 17 yards on the game’s opening drive. Morton was 24 of 40 for 275 yards.

Gino Garcia kicked field goals of 53 and 39 yards for the Red Raiders, who led 13-0.

Tech coach Joey McGuire bemoaned six sacks, three turnovers and a roughing-the-passer call that kept alive Colorado’s first possession of the second half to move ahead for the first time 17-13.

“He (the official) said, “I saw him hit him below the knee,’ and I don’t know who saw that,” McGuire said. “He hit him in the hip. I mean, it was a great, clean hit.”

Too much school spirit

While it was expected that Tech fans would follow school tradition by launching tortillas onto the field during the game, spectators were throwing trash at Colorado’s sideline early in the fourth quarter. McGuire took to a microphone and screamed at the fans to stop.

“I got a vape brought over to me. I got a water bottle brought over to me. I mean, I got a beer bottle brought over to me,” McGuire said. “We got really lucky that we didn’t get a 15-yard penalty.”

Shedeur Sanders signed a tortilla after the game and posed with members of the Tech band.

Takeaways

Colorado: As the sun went down, the offense heated up. Colorado gained 26 yards in first quarter, 178 in the first half and finished with 351, 53.5 short of its average.

Texas Tech: Tahj Brooks rushed for 137 yards, most of it in the fourth quarter, to succeed Byron Hanspard as the school’s career leader with 4,236 yards over five seasons. He was limited to 35 yards in the first half on 17 carries.

Poll implications

Colorado should rise in the new AP poll Sunday. The Buffs peaked at No. 18 last season after winning their first three games under Sanders. That’s their highest ranking since reaching No. 9 in 2016.

Up next

Colorado: Host Utah next Saturday.

Texas Tech: At Oklahoma State on Nov. 23

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