SAN ANTONIO – Colorado head coach Deion Sanders swiftly exited the stadium in a golf cart, accompanied by his bodyguard, leaving the Alamo Bowl behind.

He had just addressed reporters following a disappointing 36-14 defeat against BYU, marking the end of his coaching journey with his two youngest sons in college.

Sanders preferred not to linger on the details.

“That’s a wrap,” Sanders remarked. “It’s done.”

He insisted that the loss wouldn’t overshadow his broader experience at Colorado, as they are ready to “move on to the next chapter.” Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and Sanders’ sons are set to pursue NFL careers after concluding their time at Colorado.

“They’re going to have amazing careers,” Sanders stated. “They’ll move forward. They’ve got to let it go.”

However, the game was certainly a disappointment for the Buffaloes in front of a packed Alamodome audience of 64,261, especially with all the anticipation regarding this emotional farewell for Sanders. ABC cameras even highlighted him before kickoff as he shared a final pregame moment with his quarterback son Shedeur and safety son Shilo.

But from the start, it seemed their momentum vanished.

What led to this outcome for the Sanders family?

BYU (11-2) appeared far more motivated than Colorado (9-4), who have struggled with slow starts this season, highlighted by a painful 37-21 loss to Kansas last month when they fell behind 17-0 and never recovered.

This time was no different, with their live bison mascot, Ralphie, attempting to race onto the field before the game but merely strolling before heading off the field.

Colorado found themselves in a 20-0 deficit at halftime, failing to score during their first six possessions and accumulating just 61 yards of offense in the first half.

What went wrong on offense?

“Everywhere,” commented Shedeur Sanders, who was sacked four times and completed 16-of-23 passes for 208 yards, along with two touchdowns and two interceptions. “We didn’t execute well at all tonight.”

“Agreed,” replied his father.

Shedeur Sanders didn’t quite match Cam Ward’s performance

No matter the outcome, Shedeur Sanders is still a contender to be the first quarterback chosen in the NFL draft come April. It’s a likely race between him and Cam Ward from the Miami Hurricanes.

However, their approaches to their final college games differed significantly. Sanders opted to play, risking potential financial loss from an injury, despite having an insurance policy in place.

Ward also played in his bowl game, but he left after halftime when his Hurricanes, leading 31-28, ultimately lost 42-41.

In contrast, Sanders remained in the game until the end, even as it became apparent that BYU had secured a significant lead, going up 36-7 with 5:28 remaining.

Why take that risk?

“We started this game; we had to finish it,” Sanders explained. “Regardless of the situation, even if it had been the other way around, we would still have played.”

Hunter, the notable dual-threat player, also participated for most of the game, recording four receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown as a receiver, alongside four defensive tackles. Thankfully, no major injuries occurred.

‘You expect excitement from us’

In many respects, Colorado resembled last year’s squad, which ended their season at 4-8 during Deion Sanders’ inaugural year as coach. They gave up five penalties in the first half, and Shedeur Sanders faced consistent pressure from BYU’s defense. At times, they faded from the game, looking unrecognizable compared to the team that had a strong tie with BYU and a couple of other teams in the Big 12 Conference.

During the fourth quarter, BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker intercepted a pass from Shedeur Sanders and celebrated by doing Deion Sanders’ signature “Deion Shuffle” dance in front of the Colorado sidelines.

“I believe going into this game, especially with Travis Hunter and Shedeur and these talented players from Colorado, none of us were nervous,” Glasker stated. “We were just ready to compete.”

However, Colorado was not ready, which was surprising just two years after they finished 1-11 before welcoming Sanders as coach.

“We have established expectations,” Deion Sanders noted. “You now expect us to perform at a certain level. You expect us to win and to be exciting. You expect us to be much more disciplined than we displayed today. Those are the expectations we’ve set.”

This wraps up the Buffs’ best season since 2016, which ended with a record of 10-4 but concluded with another Alamo Bowl blowout loss. Moving forward, it will be challenging for Colorado to maintain these expectations without Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.

“It felt amazing to represent Colorado and return it to past glory,” remarked Shedeur Sanders. “We’ve laid a solid foundation for the program so that the incoming players can build upon what we started.”

(This article has been updated to include the latest information.)