Shedeur Sanders threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, two-way star Travis Hunter had nine catches for 99 yards and a TD and No. 20 Colorado overcame an early deficit to beat Texas Tech 41-27 on Saturday.
Sanders was 30-of-43 for 291 yards. Shilo Sanders, the other son of Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders on the team, recovered a fumble in the end zone with 51 seconds left.
Colorado (7-2, 5-1 Big 12, No. 20 CFP) won its third consecutive game and is on pace to play in the Big 12 Championship Game with a chance to qualify for the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The Buffs led the Red Raiders (6-4, 4-3) by two touchdowns before Tech’s Behren Morton threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Jalin Conyers — for 21 yards — with 2:12 left.
Shedeur Sanders threw a 23-yard yard TD pass to LaJohntay Wester midway through the second period, a 5-yarder to Will Sheppard in the third quarter and a 24-yarder to Hunter minutes later in the third.
Alejandro Mata kicked field goals of 25 and 33 yards for the Buffaloes.
Morton’s other touchdown pass to Conyers was for 17 yards on the game’s opening drive. Morton was 24-of-40 for 275 yards.
Gino Garcia kicked field goals of 53 and 39 yards for the Red Raiders, who led 13-0.
Takeaways
Colorado: As the sun went down, the offense heated up. Colorado gained 26 yards in the first quarter, 178 in the first half and finished with 351, 53.5 short of its average.
Texas Tech: Tahj Brooks rushed for 137 yards, most of it in the fourth quarter, to succeed Byron Hanspard as the school’s career leader with 4,236 yards over five seasons. He was limited to 35 yards in the first half on 17 carries.
Poll implications
Colorado should rise in the new AP poll Sunday. The Buffs peaked at No. 18 last season after winning their first three games under Sanders. That’s their highest ranking since reaching No. 9 in 2016.
Up next
Colorado: Host Utah next Saturday.
Texas Tech: At Oklahoma State on Nov. 23
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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