Updated November 14, 2026, 12:49 p.m. ET
- Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes beat No. 14 Houston 42-32, improving their record to 4-6.
- The win was Colorado’s first against a Top 15 team since 2007 and keeps their bowl game hopes alive.
- Fans stormed the field for the second straight home game following the comeback victory.
Deion Sanders’ coaching career still has a pulse.
After what happened in Colorado on Friday night, November 13, his heart is even beating at a rate sufficient to potentially reverse the narrative about him with two games remaining in the regular season.
Sanders’ Colorado football team beat 16th-ranked Houston 42-32, just the third time in Sanders’ four seasons that the Buffaloes (4-6) have beaten a ranked team.
“My God, they were resilient,” Sanders said afterward of his players.
They fell behind 20-7 in the second quarter, but came back strong to take a 35-20 lead in the third. They also scored their first four touchdowns on big plays by four players – a 38-yard run, a 67-yard run, a 32-yard run and a 53-yard catch.
Then, once the game was over, Colorado fans stormed the field for the second straight home game, this time at 11:49 p.m. local time on a cold fall night at Folsom Field in Boulder.
“The way they walk on the field at the end of the game is like we just won the Super Bowl,” Sanders said of the fans. “I’m proud of them. I’m happy because kids love kids. Kids are on the field playing. Kids are in the stands supporting…And kids love kids, no matter what some may write, what anyone may tweet or post or say on your wonderful news channels.”
No questions about Deion Sanders’ job security after game
Unlike last week, when the Buffs lost at Arizona State, the victory eased questions about Sanders’ job security and kept his playoff hopes alive with two winnable games next at Cincinnati on November 21 and at home against Central Florida on November 28. If they win both, they would be bowl eligible with a 6-6 record after starting the season 2-5.
The win was also Colorado’s first against an Associated Press Top 15 team since 2007.
Afterward, Sanders said he was “really, really grateful that young fans don’t listen to this nonsense.”
He was apparently referring to online criticism of his team’s downward trend before Friday.
Young Colorado fans “don’t go online and commute with some idiot who’s never been to the stadium,” Sanders said.
Colorado safety Randon Fontenette also referenced outside noise regarding Sanders before Friday.
“I just went to the game with Coach Prime, like, you know. We all want him here,” Fontenette said. “I came here for him, to play for him. That’s why I play really hard, because I love playing for Coach Prime, man. He’s a good guy, a good coach, and he’s taught me a lot.”
How Deion Sanders and Colorado beat Houston
Colorado’s Go-Go offense under offensive coordinator Brennan Marion finally came to life as Colorado scored at least 30 points against a Power Four conference team for the first time since 2024. The Buffaloes had five rushing touchdowns and 249 rushing yards on 39 carries, led by Alabama transfer Richard Young, who had 99 yards and two touchdowns.
Colorado’s backup quarterback even made an appearance in this running parade. After starting quarterback Isaac Wilson was temporarily knocked out of the game with a left leg injury, his replacement, freshman Kaneal Sweetwyne, then added a 14-yard touchdown run on his first play to help the Buffs lead 35-20 with 5:26 left in the third quarter.
“We all rode the same bus,” Sanders said — a reference to his offense, defense and special teams coming together this time around instead of one or more of them falling apart.
At the end of the drive, Colorado receiver Joseph Williams found himself surrounded by Colorado fans on the field after the game. His 53-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter helped Colorado take a 28-20 lead.
“It seemed like it was just me here with 30,000 fans,” Williams said. “No, but it was super dope. Our fans always show up, show up for us.”
‘Everyone is excluding us,’ says Colorado player
After Sweetwyne’s touchdown, Houston still had more than 20 minutes to catch up. But Colorado held on and added a 75-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter – a possession that ate up 6:01 of the lead and gave Colorado a 42-26 lead with 3:59 to play.
Houston (7-3) responded with a 75-yard touchdown run of its own to cut the lead to the final score with 1:51 remaining, but did not recover the ensuing onside kick.
Wilson returned to the game after his injury and finished 17-of-25 passing for 217 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Houston quarterback Conner Weigman completed 26 of 42 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
“Everyone excludes us,” Williams said. “They say we can’t win three games in a row to make a bowl game. But why not? Why not?”
Deion Sanders says he expects a lot more
Colorado led 21-20 at halftime after falling behind 20-7 with 2:36 left in the second quarter. Houston had scored two touchdowns and two field goals in its first four possessions. But Colorado got three big plays from three different running backs to score all of its first-half touchdowns in the second quarter, including two in the final two minutes before halftime.
▶ Alabama transfer Richard Young scored first – a 38-yarder to help cut Houston’s lead to 10-7 with 9:25 left in the second quarter.
▶ Next, DeKalon Taylor took a throw from quarterback Isaac Wilson and ran it in for a 67-yard touchdown with 1:49 before halftime.
▶ After forcing Houston to punt for the first time all game on the next series, Colorado scored again on a 32-yard touchdown run by JaQuail Smith 15 seconds after halftime.
It was quite a wake-up call in front of 47,495 people at Folsom Field. Colorado had just five plays in the first quarter for 13 yards. In the second quarter, Colorado had 20 plays for 225 yards, including 165 on runs.
“I still expect a lot more from us,” Sanders said. “We did some things that we showed you we were capable of doing. We were capable of doing it throughout the season, but we just weren’t able to get it done. So I’m really proud of the young men that they put in place, as well as the (coaching) staff.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
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