Paul Finebaum discusses the impact of Colorado's performance in Week 1
Colorado made the statement of the opening weekend of the college football season by picking up a Top-20 win over TCU on the road as a 20-point underdog. In the end, all Paul Finebaum says you can do now is give Deion Sanders the respect that he is due.
Finebaum spoke about the Buffaloes after they tied last year’s win total on Saturday during ‘The Matt Barrie Show’ on Sunday. He said that Coach Prime proved his value right away with the win while it also spoke volumes about his roster construction and the players that he brought to Boulder this offseason.
“I mean you just have to give them so much credit,” said Finebaum. “And forget Prime for a second. His players, his son, Travis Hunter?”
“It just shows you what he does and what he means to a program. You can get all these other guys and you can run your team off. But, if you have superstars, and he does? It matters.”
Sanders’s son, Shedeur Sanders, exploded for 510 yards and four touchdowns on an 80.9% completion rate in his first game at the Power Five level. Hunter, who also followed the Sanders from Jackson State, showed out as well as Colorado’s leading receiver while also picking up a few tackles and an interception.
That’s not even to mention the play of Dylan Edwards, Xavier Weaver, and Jimmy Horn Jr. or the play of the defense that made timely enough plays by the end to hold off the Horned Frogs.
With the win and the national reaction to it, Sanders has announced himself as well as Colorado as a massive potential story. He also led Finebaum to believe that this could be the start of something special based on the tremors that he caused with just one win.
“(It’s) the kind of thing that can create an epidemic,” said Finebaum. “That sets off alarm bells.”
Sanders thankful for opportunity at Colorado, calls out doubters
The Deion Sanders era at Colorado certainly started with a bang as the Buffaloes went on the road and beat a highly favored TCU team. For Sanders, this win was an overall announcement that Colorado was already a force to be respected in college football.
For his part, though, Sanders is thankful to have the opportunity to prove himself at Colorado.
“I was just thankful,” Deion Sanders said. “You’ve got to understand – I’m human. You know, I deflect a lot of things, but I’m human. So, I feel some things and I’m a natural giver. I’m a natural giver. I give, I give, I give, I give, I give, and every once in a while, I have one of those empty moments that I got to reflect on.
“And these coaches are so good, Rick George for giving me the opportunity, and just what we accomplished out there today.”
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After finding success firstly at Jackson State, he went to Colorado where many expected the 2023 season to get off to a slow start. That didn’t happen and Sander was more than happy to call out his doubters.
“Ain’t none of y’all believed that,” Deion Sanders said, pointing at the press. “Maybe a couple of y’all that knew me and know how I get down. They know I’m a winner. We going to end up winning. Ain’t none of y’all thought you was gonna be sitting up here. You was supposed to be on the other side, interviewing that, or coming and asking me, ‘What happened? You said this and you said that.’ Yeah, now what? Now what? Everybody quiet now. Now what?”
At this point, Sanders called a member of the media on stage, pointing out that he appreciates him and that he does a podcast.
“I appreciate you, straight up. Keep on doing what you do. Thank you,” Sanders said. “That was one of our supporters when none of y’all were supporting us. He had our back. You believed didn’t you.”
Deion Sanders then turned to another media member, asking them, “Do you believe now? Hold on, hold on, hold on. Do you believe now? Huh? Oh no, no, no. I read through that bull junk you wrote down. I read through that, I sifted through all that. Yeah, no. Come one. Do you believe?”
When he didn’t get an immediate answer, Sanders had his answer. He said, “You don’t believe. You just answered it — you don’t believe. Next question. You don’t believe. You don’t believe.”