A lot of college football fans went to bed early on Friday night, seeing that the Colorado Buffaloes, coached by Deion Sanders, held a 29-0 lead at halftime. For those fans, they may have had to do a double- or triple-take when they looked up the score on their phones or televisions on Saturday morning and saw that Colorado had lost.
The Buffaloes managed to blow the largest lead in program history, losing 46-43 to the Stanford Cardinal in double-overtime. ESPN Stats and Info gave the Buffaloes a 99.8 percent chance of winning the game early on in the third quarter. That's right, a 0.2 percent chance of losing, and Colorado managed to do that.
Stanford outscored Colorado 36-7 in the second half to force overtime, including a 46-yard, game-tying field goal at the buzzer by Joshua Karty. In double overtime, Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw a brutal interception in the end zone, allowing Stanford to win the game with a field goal. After picking up a first down at Colorado's 13-yard line, Stanford wasted no time, and Karty kicked a 31-yard field goal to win the game.
For those who missed the game and the press conference after the game, here's everything Colorado's head coach had to say.
What Deion Sanders said after Colorado suffers brutal loss to Stanford
During his postgame press conference, Sanders discussed the 29-0 lead blown by Colorado. Sanders said that he doesn't remember ever being in a situation in which his team had that hefty of a lead and still lost.
"We're going to take this one on the chin because we deserve it," said Sanders. "...From youth on I don't remember being up 29-0 and losing a football game, I really don't. This is a little tough for me, and I'm trying my best, and I thank you all for your patience and thank you for your heart, because this is really tough for me. But you can see when I'm amping up and I kind of see this stuff coming, you can see why I go at it the way I go at it because I can feel my team. I can feel what's about to transpire, and here we go."
Cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter made his return after suffering a lacerated liver back in Week 3 against Colorado State. When asked about Hunter's struggles in coverage, Sanders said the team didn't play well, not just his two-way star player. Sanders said things went downhill when the team gave up a 97-yard catch and run touchdown by wide receiver Elic Ayomanor.
"Our secondary did not play the best game, especially the cornerback position," said Sanders.
Hunter struggled in coverage, as he allowed 11 receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 19 targets, per Pro Football Focus.
Sanders revealed what he told the team in the locker room after the heartbreaking loss at Folsom Field. Sanders asked them a simple question -- "Are they in love with the game or are they in like with the game?"
"...when you love something, you give to it unconditionally," said Sanders. "You give everything you got to it, but when you like it, that's just a button you push. It lights up and 'like,' that's what they do on social media. So they have to figure out do they love it or do they like it. It's hard for me because I love this, I love it. Without a shadow of a doubt I am truly 100 percent in love with this thing, and I just want people to match me.
"Just match my passion, match my heart, match my love, match my consistency, just match my mannerisms, just match every darn thing I give to this game. I love this. Sadly, I love it so much, but the game doesn't even occupy the ability to love me back. That's a strange love, isn't it?"
Sanders' press conferences are must-watch considering how honest he is in his assessment of the team, win or lose. The head coach was exactly that when discussing a brutal loss against Stanford. Now, the team will have to win two of its next five games on the schedule to make a bowl game, and it's a rather tough path.