DALLAS – In Deion Sanders' much-anticipated head coaching debut, the Colorado Buffaloes marched into Fort Worth and stunned last season's national runner-up and 17th-ranked TCU, 45-42, in a memorable opening week game. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the coach's son, connected with Dylan Edwards for a 46-yard catch-and-run touchdown on fourth down with 4:25 left to provide the margin of victory.
For the remarkable effort coming off a 1-11 season, the Buffs are the season's first Cheez-It National Team of the Week, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.
Sanders threw for a school-record 510 yards (38-for-47) and Edwards caught five of those passes for 119 yards and three scores out of the backfield. Two-way star Travis Hunter sealed the win with an interception on the goal line – after he caught 11 passes for 119 yards on offense. Edwards finished the day with five receptions for 135 yards and three scores, breaking a 62-year-old school record for receiving yards by a running back. Jimmy Horn Jr. (117 yards) and Xavier Weaver (118 yards) gave the Buffs four 100-yard receivers on the day. Sanders threw four scoring passes and was not intercepted.
"I am so proud of these young men," Deion Sanders said after the game. "I'm so proud of everybody because it was a collective effort. It truly was."
Since 2002, the FWAA has named a National Team of the Week. Coming into the 2023 season, 284 teams have been honored, including 101 different Division I progams. Each honored team will receive a custom Cheez-It "care package" along with a hand-crafted game ball made in America by Dallas-based Big Game USA, the nation's leading manufacturer of custom footballs.
Colorado earned its first national team of the week honor with the win and won on the road to open the season for the first time since 1995, a 45-7 win at Wisconsin.
The Buffs (1-0) return to Boulder for their home-opener on Saturday vs. Nebraska with a 10 a.m. MT kickoff on FOX.
The other National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 2 were:
Duke (1-0): The Blue Devils forced three second-half turnovers on their way to a 28-7 upset of No. 9 Clemson, marking the program's first win over a top 10 team since 1989. Quarterback Riley Leonard rumbled 44 yards for an early third-quarter score and added 175 yards passing to lead Duke to the Monday night win.
Florida State (1-0): Keon Coleman caught three touchdown passes to rally the Seminoles past No. 5 LSU, 45-24, in Orlando. After trailing 17-14 at halftime, FSU exploded for 31 points led by Jordan Travis, who completed 21-of-31 passes for 342 yards and four touchdowns. Coleman finished with nine catches for 122 yards in his FSU debut and the Seminoles added four sacks to shut down the Tigers in the second half.
Fresno State (1-0): The 39-35 comeback win at Purdue was the 10th straight for the Bulldogs, their first road win to open a season since 2008 and their first win over a Big Ten foe since 2009. Mikey Keene connected with Erik Brooks from 22 yards out with 59 seconds left to complete a 79-yard game-winning drive. On the day, Keene was 31-for-44 for 366 yards and four scores while Brooks had a career day with 170 yards on nine receptions and two scores.
Texas State (1-0): The Bobcats scored the first win in school history over a Power 5 program with a 42-31 triumph at Baylor. TJ Finley threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown to lead the way in coach G.J. Kinne's first game at the helm. Texas State was 0-26 vs. the Power 5 coming into the game.
Wyoming (1-0): The Cowboys rallied from a 17-0 hole to stun No. 24 Texas Tech, 35-33 in two overtimes in Laramie. Converted linebacker Sam Scott scored on a two-point conversion run in the second overtime to start the celebration after Texas Tech forced the tiebreaker with a field goal with 41 seconds left in regulation. Scott had a 16-yard touchdown run earlier in the game as Wyoming defeated a ranked team for the first time since 2016.