Sanders, Buffaloes keep bowl hopes afloat as team ‘caught the same bus’ in beating No. 14 Houston

详细摘要

This was the kind of display Deion Sanders anticipated in September, not close to Thanksgiving: A balanced and explosive offense, coupled with a ball-hounding defense.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — This was the kind of display Deion Sanders anticipated in September, not close to Thanksgiving: A balanced and explosive offense, coupled with a ball-hounding defense.

For one reason or another — penalties, erratic QB play, more penalties — the pieces haven’t always assembled just right for the Colorado coach. That is, until Friday and with Sanders squarely on the hot seat. The Buffaloes (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) remained in the bowl conversation by beating No. 14 Houston in the program’s first win over an AP top-15 team in more than 19 years.

Sanders was, of course, at the wheel as he tries to avoid a third losing campaign in four seasons at Colorado. He savored the moment, too, which included fans spilling onto the field.

What they earned was a chance over the final two weeks to salvage a season that’s been marked by quarterback changes, a carousel of running backs, a five-game skid, a league-leading number of penalties and the hot-seat chatter surrounding their coach. In their 42-32 win over the Cougars, Colorado’s top players, the ones Sanders brought in to shine in the bright lights, were front and center all evening. Case in point:

— Tailback Richard Young, the Alabama transfer, rushed for two touchdowns and 99 yards.

— Cornerback Boo Carter, an SEC-level talent who spent time at Tennessee, came up with an opportunistic interception, his first with the Buffaloes.

— Safety Randon Fontenette, who arrived in Boulder by way of TCU and Vanderbilt, with a sack in the third quarter that caused a fumble.

— Receiver Joseph Williams kept up his strong season with a 53-yard TD catch, which was one of four scores of 30 or more yards.

“That’s what we’re indicative of doing when we’re all playing together as one,” said Sanders, whose team plays at Cincinnati on Saturday before hosting UCF on Nov. 28 to close out the regular season. “That was one of the challenges: Play for your brother.”

文章开头，摘自Toronto Star。如需阅读全文，请前往媒体网站。