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By Bryan Colbert Jr.
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Deion Sanders watched Colorado fans pour onto Folsom Field after Friday’s upset of No. 14 Houston and reached for a championship comparison.
The Buffaloes’ 42-32 victory kept their bowl hopes alive and delivered the program’s first win over an AP top-15 opponent since 2007. It also gave Sanders a significant breakthrough after a difficult season that had brought questions about his future.
“The way they take the field at the conclusion of the game is like we just won the Super Bowl,” Sanders said.
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Sanders’ comparison as based off the way Colorado’s students rallied around his players after they fought back from 13 points down. Their rush onto the field capped a night that gave a frustrated fan base something to cheer.
For Sanders, the accomplishment extended beyond one triumphant scene.
Colorado entered Friday at 3-6, needing three consecutive victories to reach bowl eligibility. Questions about Sanders’ job security had followed the previous week’s loss at Arizona State.
Against Houston, his team responded with its third victory over a ranked opponent during his four seasons in Boulder — and its first against an AP top-15 team.
The win did not erase Colorado’s struggles. It demonstrated that Sanders could still get a meaningful response from a team with little margin for another setback.
Houston led 20-7 late in the second quarter before Colorado scored 28 unanswered points to seize a 35-20 advantage.
Richard Young’s 38-yard touchdown run had provided Colorado’s first points. DeKalon Taylor then scored from 67 yards out and JaQuail Smith added a 32-yard touchdown run before halftime. Joseph Williams’ 53-yard touchdown reception and Kaneal Sweetwyne’s 14-yard scoring run completed the surge.
Colorado finished with 466 total yards, its highest output against an FBS opponent this season. Its six touchdowns were also its most against a Big 12 opponent in 2026.
“They got it together tonight,” Sanders said of his offense.
The Buffaloes also delivered when Houston threatened again.
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After the Cougars pulled within 35-26, Colorado answered with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that consumed 6:01. Young scored with 3:59 remaining, restoring a 16-point cushion. Houston scored again but failed to recover the ensuing onside kick.
Colorado improved to 4-6 and must win at Cincinnati on Nov. 21 and against UCF on Nov. 28 to become bowl eligible.
Sanders still has work to do to salvage the season. But with his team trailing a ranked opponent and its postseason hopes slipping away, Colorado delivered its strongest response of the fall.
Friday’s comeback showed that, much like their head coach, the Buffs still have plenty of fight left in them.
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