BOULDER, Colo. – After the Colorado football game on Thursday night, Coach Deion Sanders opened his press conference with an apology. However, it had nothing to do with the team’s performance in their 31-26 home victory over North Dakota State.

Instead, he was frustrated because the air-conditioning had been turned off.

“They tend to switch off the air to save money,” Sanders commented. “I’m not sure why we’re trying to save bucks unless we’re struggling financially here. But now it’s sweltering, isn’t it? I apologize on behalf of the university. We can do better.”

Sanders then expressed his real concerns—not just about the heat but also about how his team nearly faced another late-game collapse.

“Ever felt like you won but you didn’t win?” he pondered.

This sentiment encapsulated the evening as Sanders kicked off his second season with Colorado. After a strong offensive surge, the Buffaloes almost had a real reason to apologize for their reckless time management in the closing minutes and yet another defensive slip-up. Nonetheless, Colorado delivered standout performances from their star players: quarterback Shedeur Sanders and dual-threat player Travis Hunter.

Shedeur Sanders, who is Deion’s son, had an impressive game, completing 26 out of 34 passes for 445 yards and four touchdowns, including three to Hunter in front of 49,438 spectators at Folsom Field. This win marked the end of a six-game losing streak for them dating back to the previous year.

Deion Sanders pointed out that the tense finish was, in part, due to his quarterback son’s inclination to take risks with long passes instead of managing the clock with running plays.

“I just reminded him to pay attention to the darn clock,” Deion Sanders said. “I told him, ‘You see that big thing up there? That’s the clock. Those numbers are counting down, and that’s for you, OK? Look at it.’”

What other comments did Deion Sanders make?

He mentioned that 31 NFL scouts were present to observe his team.

“They saw what they came to see,” he noted.

He also emphasized that Colorado is closer to achieving one of its objectives this season—a bowl game appearance to honor the university’s 99-year-old superfan, Peggy Coppom.

However, this game nearly had a disastrous ending against a team from the lower Football Championship Subdivision. The Buffaloes were leading 31-20 after a fantastic 3-yard touchdown catch by Hunter with 7:57 left in the game.

All they needed to do then was maintain their defensive stance.

They failed to do so, allowing a 20-yard touchdown run from Bison quarterback Cam Miller that narrowed Colorado’s lead to 31-26 with 2:19 remaining. This scoring drive for the Bison covered 75 yards in 11 plays, lasting 5:38.

“Let’s move on,” Deion Sanders said. “I’ll try my best to hold back my frustration, but we got the win, so I’m happy.”

What about that final time management?

Colorado started their final drive at their own 25-yard line with 2:19 left and still had two timeouts remaining. Yet, instead of running the ball to eat up the clock, Shedeur Sanders opted to throw four passes. One of those passes came on first down with 1:41 left—a long attempt intended for receiver LaJohntay Wester that fell incomplete, stopping the clock with 1:34 remaining.

Following that, Shedeur’s father explained that his son was trying to make a point to Wester after two other receivers had already had excellent games—Hunter, who scored multiple touchdowns, and Jimmy Horn Jr., who had seven catches for 198 yards and a touchdown.

“Shedeur is a good kid; sometimes that gets him into trouble because at the end of the game, we need to run the ball and secure the win,” Deion Sanders said. “He attempted the long shot for LaJohntay because he wanted him to shine … and he knew he had a favorable match-up. He just didn’t throw it far enough. But that’s just who he is. I told him, ‘Come on, man. Not the time to be the nice guy. We need to close this game out.’”

The incomplete pass intended for Wester followed a pass-interference penalty drawn by Wester on another long attempt. Fortunately for the Buffaloes, the penalty awarded them a first down. However, the drive ultimately stalled, forcing the Buffaloes to punt back to the Bison, who retrieved it at their own 4-yard line with just 31 seconds remaining.

North Dakota State then executed six plays for 88 yards, culminating in a Hail Mary from Miller as time expired. The pass was partially successful, as Miller’s 49-yard throw reached receiver Tyler Terhark. However, Terhark couldn’t get into the end zone, landing at the 4-yard line while the crowd held its breath.

What did Shedeur Sanders say about managing the clock?

Shedeur Sanders admitted that he needed to do a better job of managing the clock.

“Everything in my life, I’ve been able to learn from,” Shedeur Sanders said. “So you won’t see me make too many mistakes twice. It’s all about recognizing the play clock and really getting back into the rhythm of the game, even when it seems enticing…”

“I’m really looking forward to kicking things off and getting everyone involved,” he expressed with enthusiasm.

His father mentioned that he had already discussed this with him and played down worries regarding their running game and offensive line. Both areas were problematic last season when the Buffs finished with a record of 4-8 and ranked at the bottom nationwide for rushing yards, averaging only 68.9 yards per game. On Thursday, five players from Colorado managed to gather only 59 rushing yards on 23 attempts. Shedeur Sanders was taken down just once but frequently felt the pressure due to a shaky pass protection.

“We’d like to run the ball a bit more, but hey, when you rack up over 500 yards of total offense, I’m feeling pretty satisfied,” Deion Sanders stated. “I head home and sleep really well… so I’m alright with that. We’d prefer a bit more balance, but what does that mean? Balance is really about winning. That’s the true measure of balance.”

Let’s discuss the Colorado defense

North Dakota State was ahead 20-17 at halftime, having scored on their first four possessions. It mirrored the struggles of the Buffs’ defense from last year, even though they revamped their roster and added several promising defenders, particularly on the defensive line. However, the second half showed a different outcome.

“The coach gave us a serious talk at halftime to let us know what was needed,” Hunter, who had three tackles, remarked. “We had to put a stop to them. We needed those stops.”

After halftime, the Bison were forced to punt on their first two drives and would have faced a shutout in the second half if it weren’t for one mistake by Colorado’s defense.

Colorado’s next game is against Nebraska on September 7.

“We’ve got a target on our backs,” Hunter said. “We need to go out and secure a victory. We have to make a statement. It’s time to show everyone we’re not going anywhere.”