3 reasons why Baylor Bears lost to Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes in Week 4 face-off
The Colorado Buffaloes improved to 3-1 in the 2024 college football season, beating the Baylor Bears 38-31 in a come-from-behind overtime thriller. Colorado is off to a strong start in Big 12 play in their first year since rejoining the conference after 13 seasons in the Pac-12.
The victory didn't always seem possible, as Baylor had the ball and a 24-10 lead late in the second quarter. Deion Sanders' squad, though, remained resilient, and yet another big game from Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders allowed them to pull off an incredible win.
Let's take a look at three reasons below for Colorado's victory:
Three reasons why the Colorado Buffaloes beat the Baylor Bears
#1 Travis Hunter
Travis Hunter is making a strong case of being the best player in college football. The two-way star may be the best player in the nation at both wide receiver and cornerback and had yet another big game.
The five-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard receiving game to start the season, finishing with seven receptions for 130 yards.
Defensively, he recorded three tackles, all of which were solo tackles, and a game-winning forced fumble on the goal line in overtime. His Heisman Trophy odds continue to skyrocket as he dominates on both sides of the ball.
#2 Shedeur Sanders
Despite being sacked eight times in the overtime win, Shedeur Sanders had a huge night.
He completed 61.0% of his passes, throwing for 341 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, including a 43-yard Hail Mary to send the game to overtime as time expired. Sanders added 26 rushing yards and a touchdown.
#3 The defense stepped up
The Baylor Bears scored 24 points in the first 26 minutes of Saturday's Week 4 matchup. It appeared that the Colorado Buffaloes' defensive woes that plagued them last season were coming back to bite once again, but the defense came up big during the remainder of the game.
It conceded just seven points in the second half and didn't allow Baylor to score in overtime. While it's difficult to call it a good day when the opponent scores 31 points, the Colorado Buffaloes defense stepped up in a major way late on to seal the win.