Houston had one last chance to make Colorado sweat. A touchdown pass cut the deficit to 10 with just under two minutes left, but the Cougars failed on the two-point try. Just like that, Folsom Field got its answer Friday night.
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Colorado beat No. 14 Houston 42-32, and Deion Sanders walked away from a night that had looked very different midway through the second quarter. The win has now given his son, Deion Sanders Jr., a chance to respond to a conversation that had been circulating before kickoff.
On November 13, Denver Sports’ 104.3 The Fan discussed whether a heavy loss to Houston could make this Coach Prime’s final game in Boulder. After the victory, Sanders Jr. didn’t hold himself back from replying to the station’s X post about that episode with the famous five Kanye West-esque words: “I guess we’ll never know.”
Houston came into the game at No. 14, with Colorado sitting at 3-6 after a season full of uneven performances. The pregame discussion on 104.3 The Fan reflected the gap between the two sides.
“If the Buffs are competitive for the first half, I’ll be locked in,” two-time Super Bowl champion Brandon Stokley remarked. “But if not, then I won’t. So, we’ll see. They have to earn my attention tonight.”
It was show host Will Peterson, who suggested that a poor performance, followed by an emptying stadium late at night, could put Coach Prime’s future in immediate danger. Interestingly, his co-host Mark Schlereth disagreed.
Schlereth argued that Colorado did not have the financial room to fire Sanders, pay off his staff, and bring in a new coaching group. The discussion included a reference to a possible $40 million cost of making a change.
Interestingly, before the kickoff, Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today Sports had also examined the financial side of dismissing Sanders. He estimated that Colorado would owe Sanders roughly $26 million if it decided to fire him after the season.
Under the terms of his deal, Sanders is entitled to 75% of the money left on his contract through 2029. That doesn’t include what Colorado could end up paying to part ways with his assistants and bring in an entirely new coaching staff.
“Zach Bye thinks they do have the money, and he does think that Deion Sanders could get fired during the season,” Petersen responded on 104.3 The Fan, sharing his conversation with colleague Zach Bye. “In fact, his prediction was that Deion Sanders will get fired during this season.”
For a while, the radio hosts had reason to wonder how long Colorado could stay in the game. Houston took a 20-7 lead late in the second quarter after Makhi Hughes scored on an eight-yard run, Amare Thomas caught a touchdown pass, and Jonathan Dimas added a 52-yard field goal.
Then the Buffaloes found the explosive plays that had been missing from their offense for much of the season.
Richard Young had already put seven points on the board with a 38-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. DeKalon Taylor then followed with a 67-yard score and lightened the hope for the comeback. JaQuail Smith broke loose for a 32-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left in the half.
Colorado went from trailing by 13 to leading 21-20 before the break. The second half brought even more trouble for Houston.
Isaac Wilson connected with Joseph Williams for a 53-yard touchdown, and freshman quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne added a 14-yard rushing score after Wilson left the game with an injury. Colorado effectively built a solid 35-20 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Wilson returned in the fourth, and the Buffaloes added another touchdown when Young ran it in from two yards out with 3:59 remaining. That made it 42-26. Houston did score once more, but failed to convert the two-point attempt, leaving Colorado with a 10-point victory.
Colorado’s offensive numbers were a far cry from what it had produced for most of the season.
The Buffaloes piled up 466 yards, with 249 coming on the ground. Before Friday, they were scoring just 19.8 points per game, the worst average in the Big 12. They also hadn’t scored five rushing touchdowns in one game since November 2020. Simply put, the win cools the pressure, but Colorado still has work to do.
This was not a result that erased the season’s problems. Colorado improved to 4-6 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 play. Sanders’ record at the school moved to 20-27, and the Buffaloes still need to win their remaining regular-season games to become bowl-eligible.
Colorado entered the game after a loss to Arizona State, and Sanders had acknowledged the frustration around the program.
“I’m not getting it done,” he said earlier in the week.
The Houston game has given him an immediate response on the field, even if two wins are still needed to reach a bowl. Sanders, however, didn’t treat the win as proof the problems were solved.
“We want to win, period. I don’t think I’ve spent one minute saying ‘This is a top 10 ten of five team,'” Sanders told the reporters in the post-game presser. “We’re excited for the fanbase, and excited for former alumni.”
The next test comes against Cincinnati on November 21. Colorado needs another win, then another, if it wants to play beyond the regular season. A bowl game will surely ease some immediate ‘hot seat’ pressure, but won’t end it.