Deion Sanders spent the week addressing the $50,000 remark that sparked backlash, insisting it never meant what people thought it meant. Then, Colorado got back on the field and ended its five-game losing streak. The Buffaloes beat Kansas State 27-24 in overtime on Halloween, their first Big 12 win in 385 days, and snapped a five-game skid. The win gives Sanders a result to point to, shifting attention from the $50,000 controversy and giving his critics something new to talk about.

Christopher “Uncle Neely” Neely, Sanders’ videographer, said on BuffBoys Live that Sanders told some critics, “I give you $50,000 to not mention my name for a year,” and that nobody took the deal. Sanders retaliated on X with a “This is a lie,” then called it a joke during his Tuesday press conference. He later added that he would love to hand money to some of the people in the room and see how far it goes. Neely later played a May clip from their show where Sanders made the pitch with a smile on his face. All of it landed while Colorado sat at 2-5 and 0-4 in the Big 12.

The win also changed how people viewed the Buffs. A BR Betting post on X asked whether Colorado fans storming the field after beating Kansas State “as a favorite” was valid. The numbers say yes. FanDuel had Kansas State favored by 2.5 points; Colorado was the underdog. Kansas State appeared as the favorite despite missing their quarterback, Avery Johnson. After the matchup, students in Halloween costumes poured onto Folsom Field, and the goalpost came down.

The matchup was not clean. Kansas State started Dillon Duff, who got the nod in his first collegiate start, but pulled him for Blake Barnett, who finished 18-of-28 for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Colorado ran for 222 yards, with Richard Young going for 120 and two scores. The Buffs also fumbled a touchdown out of the back of the end zone at the goal line, then led 21-14 and couldn’t run out the clock.

Barnett drove the Wildcats down the field and hit Garrett Oakley with two seconds left. Kansas State lined up for two, Colorado called a timeout, and Wildcats coach Klein kicked the extra point. After a K-State field goal in overtime, Isaac Wilson threw an 11-yard touchdown to Charlie Williams to win it.

That came after a rough month. Colorado lost 41-7 at Northwestern, 23-12 at Baylor and 29-7 to Texas Tech, then led Oklahoma State 24-23 at halftime and lost 57-24 after getting outscored 34-0 in the second half. After the game, Sanders said the team talks discipline but doesn’t show it on the field. The $50K story hit right in the middle of that.

“I would never offer a man money. I don’t give a darn what you say about me,” Sanders said on Tuesday.

Now the talk looks different. Sanders thanked the fans who “still showed up” and said his players aren’t built to read what’s written about them. Travis Hunter said on Ja’Marr Chase’s podcast that Sanders “changed for life for real.” The win came against a Big 12 opponent now 4-4, and it takes some heat off a coach with a reported $25.5M buyout and a contract through 2029.

At 3-5 (1-4), Colorado needs three wins from four games to reach bowl eligibility: at Arizona State on November 7, Houston at home on November 13, at Cincinnati on November 21, and hosts UCF on November 28. One overtime win doesn’t end the conversation about Sanders, but it’s the only thing that can shrink it.