The Colorado Buffaloes suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats at Folsom Field. Deion Sanders‘ Buffs fell just short against their ranked Big 12 opponent. The head coach did not hold back in his postgame assessment, offering harsh criticism on the performance of his son Shilo Sanders.

The Buffaloes let an unbeatable opportunity slip away. A win over the Wildcats would have secured Colorado a spot in the AP Top-25 and improved their standing in the conference. Instead, Kansas State left Boulder with a 31-28 victory, resurrecting some old ghosts for Sanders’ program.

Colorado entered this big NCAA matchup riding high on a three-game win streak and the return of defensive back Shilo Sanders. However, by the end of the night, the Buffaloes were left in sorrow and regret, with key injuries to star players and a deflating loss to a direct competitor. To make matters worse, Shilo’s performance was below par, and his father/coach didn’t hold back in his criticism.

I thought he played horrible,” Deion commented, via Coloradoan. I thought he was rusty. I thought he didn’t have his footing. I thought he wasn’t breaking down. He’s trying to make the play, but open field, one on one tackle with that kind of back, that ain’t an easy task, but he’s going to do better. I know what he has in him.

Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes looks on from the sidelines during the first half of a game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Pasadena, California.

Heisman favorite Travis Hunter left the game with injury

It was not Colorado’s night by any means. Even though the Buffaloes lost by one possession and the scoreboard could’ve changed had a PI call gone their way on their last offensive play of the game, the Buffs took too many blows and made some crucial mistakes.

Travis Hunter abandoned the game during the second quarter with an upper-body injury and did not return for the night. The WR room was depleted with Hunter’s exit, along with injuries to Jimmy Horn Jr, Omarion Miller, and Terrell Timmons Jr. Despite the light workforce, quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for 388 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.

“I never thought four receivers would get hurt in one game. That’s just ridiculous,Shedeur said, per ABC. “But things happen. Life happens. So, we’ve just got to roll with it and do what we’ve got to do for next week.”

The Heisman Trophy rankings have shifted after college football’s week 7. Odds are now in Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty’s favor. Hunter only managed to total three catches for 26 yards during his limited outing. Whereas Jeanty had another monstrous game against Hawai’i with 237 total yards and two touchdowns.