Travis Hunter's Heisman moment highlights Colorado's impressive win over UCF

It was still relatively early in Saturday’s game when, during a stoppage of play, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders ran onto the field to celebrate with his offensive linemen. Sanders bounced across the rain-soaked grass at FBC Mortgage Stadium and jumped into the chest of left tackle Jordan Seaton, a five-star freshman and the jewel of the Buffaloes‘ most recent recruiting class. They celebrated together because an unsightly offensive line that has been the primary culprit in Colorado’s undoing the last two seasons was finally mauling an opponent in the trenches. And the Buffaloes could finally run the football because of it.

A mixture of run-pass balance and trench toughness that has largely eluded Colorado since Sanders took over two years ago fueled the Buffaloes to an impressive 48-21 win over previously unbeaten UCF on a weather-delayed afternoon that will shake up the Big 12 hierarchy. With four victories before the end of September, Colorado has already matched its win total from last season and is now within striking distance of reaching a bowl game for the first time since 2020, the second time since 2016, and only the third time since 2007.

Deion Sanders on Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, Colorado – ‘I’m so proud’ after win vs. UCF

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders shook off an early interception to complete 28 of 35 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. Cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter led the Buffaloes in receiving with nine catches for 89 yards and a score. He also notched his second interception of the season as the Buffaloes improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12.

Here are some quick takeaways from the game:

Early difference

One of the reasons why UCF entered this weekend as a multi-score favorite over Colorado was an elite rushing attack that averaged 375.7 yards per game, best in the country and more than 85 yards per game ahead of the next Power 4 program. Tailback RJ Harvey, a cult Heisman Trophy candidate among UCF’s fan base, ranked 11th nationally in rushing with 448 yards and eight touchdowns. Three other Knights had eclipsed 125 yards this season in running back Peny Boone (159 yards, two TDs); running back Myles Montgomery (141 yards, two TDs) and quarterback KJ Jefferson (135 yards, one TD), a high-profile transfer from Arkansas that has breathed even more firepower into head coach Gus Malzahn’s offense.

But by the midway point of Saturday’s game — a matchup between the best rushing offense in the country from UCF and the fifth-worst rushing offense from Colorado, which only averaged 68.8 yards per game through the opening month of the season — it was the run-deprived Buffaloes that were finding more success on the ground. Behind a much-maligned and oft-criticized offensive line, Colorado squeezed out 70 rushing yards on 15 attempts (4.7 yards per carry) compared to just 43 rushing yards on 18 attempts (2.4 yards per carry) for the Knights. The one-two punch of tailbacks Micah Welch and Dallan Hayden, both of whom would find the end zone before the game finished, provided more than enough ballast for an already exquisite passing attack anchored by Sanders.

Which meant that it was Colorado who enjoyed more third-down conversions than the Knights through the first two quarters. It was Colorado who maintained an advantage of more than five full minutes in time of possession. And it was Colorado who scored on five of its final six possessions of the opening half to build a 27-14 lead.

Play of the game

Already leading by 13 points at the break, and having forced a missed field goal by UCF on the opening drive of the third quarter, Colorado wasted little time extending the margin with a four-play, 63-yard touchdown march capped by a short plunge from Welch. A 32-yard completion from Sanders to wideout Will Sheppard, who had slipped his way between two defenders along the left sideline, facilitated the score that gave the Buffaloes a 34-14 edge.

And that’s when Hunter, who continued to log snaps at both cornerback and wide receiver despite the extreme humidity in Orlando on Saturday, made a play that might just be revisited in New York come December. Hunter was playing zone coverage on the right side of Colorado’s defense when he sunk well beyond the line of scrimmage to bait Jefferson into a short throw toward the flat. As Jefferson entered his throwing motion, Hunter exploded forward to close the gap between himself and tight end Evan Morris, who seemed unaware of the defender’s presence. He knifed in front of Morris for a diving interception that gave Colorado the ball at the UCF 38-yard line.

When he got up to celebrate, Hunter sprinted toward the end zone before stopping on a dime to make a Heisman Trophy pose. And after directly influencing the outcome of Saturday’s game on both sides of the ball — the only player in America who can make that claim on a weekly basis this season — it’s safe to say Hunter deserves to be at the forefront of the Heisman conversation.

Key stat

At the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter, by which point Colorado had already hung 41 on the Knights and built an insurmountable 20-point lead, the rushing statistics from Saturday’s game were borderline impossible to believe given the way both offenses had performed through the first few weeks of the season.

The Buffaloes, who finished with the worst rushing offense in the country in 2023, were averaging 4.5 yards per carry on 26 attempts. Hayden (11 carries for 31 yards), Welch (five carries for 26 yards) and fellow tailback Isaiah Augustave (four carries for 39 yards) all contributed runs of 14-plus yards as the Colorado offensive line generated a steady push at the line of scrimmage. Even Sanders, who was only sacked two times, chipped in 15 yards with his legs.

That Colorado’s production exceeded the rushing exploits of UCF, which entered with the most dominant ground attack in the country, was truly mystifying in a game that most expected to pit the Buffaloes’ passing offense against the Knights’ stable of runners. And while UCF ultimately outrushed its opponent 177-128 overall, Malzahn’s team was only averaging 4 yards per carry by the time the outcome was decided. Harvey was limited to 77 yards on 16 attempts. Jefferson was held to 76 yards on 20 punishing carries. And nobody else on the Knights’ roster exceeded 11 rushing yards.

What’s next for Colorado?

After opening the season with games in five consecutive weeks, Colorado will enjoy its first open date next weekend before hosting No. 23 Kansas State on Oct. 12. The forthcoming matchup with the Wildcats kickstarts a stretch of four consecutive Big 12 games that are among the most winnable on the Buffaloes’ schedule — vs. Kansas State, at Arizona, vs. Cincinnati, at Texas Tech — ahead of what looks like a very challenging finish. Colorado closes the regular season with games against Utah (home), Kansas (away) and Oklahoma State (home) that will likely feature two of the more physically imposing outfits the league has to offer in the Utes and Cowboys, respectively, though the latter has dropped two consecutive games against ranked opponents. With two open dates mixed into the next six calendar weeks, Deion Sanders and his team should have plenty of rest and practice time to make a push toward bowl eligibility against a softer middle of the Big 12 schedule. By the time Colorado completes its game against Texas Tech on Nov. 9, the trajectory of the season and the program should be clear.

What’s next for UCF?

After back-to-back conference games against TCU and Colorado, the Knights will have a brief reprieve from Big 12 play for a non-conference showdown with Florida next weekend. What originally might have been viewed as a measuring stick moment for UCF, a program desperate to earn the respect of historical powerhouses Florida State, Miami and Florida, is now bathed in a different light given the Gators’ immense struggles under head coach Billy Napier, who is squarely on the hot seat after losing five straight games to end the 2023 campaign and dropping two of his first four so far this season. The Knights are amid a stretch of seven consecutive games before their next open date on Nov. 16, by which point they will have played challenging Big 12 opponents in No. 18 Iowa State (road) and No. 22 BYU (home). A regular-season finale against No. 10 Utah could have significant postseason implications.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.