Shedeur Sanders was 36-for-49 passing for 310 yards and four touchdowns as Colorado beat Colorado State 28-9 in the Rocky Mountain Showdown to retain the Centennial Cup on Saturday night in Fort Collins, Colo.
Two-way star Travis Hunter had 13 receptions for 100 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on defense. LaJohntay Wester added 80 receiving yards and two touchdowns for the Buffaloes (2-1), who beat their longtime rivals for the seventh consecutive time.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi completed 22-of-39 passes for 209 yards and two interceptions for CSU (1-2).
Staked to a 14-3 first half lead, the Colorado defense forced turnovers on the Rams’ first three second-half possessions.
After Colorado State’s defense forced a Colorado punt to start the third, Fowler-Nicolosi was flushed from the pocket, threw across the field and was intercepted by Preston Hodge. With a short field, the Buffaloes needed just two plays to take a 21-3 lead on Hunter’s 2-yard touchdown catch.
The following 16-play CSU drive was thwarted on first and goal from the 4-yard line as LaVonta Bentley forced and recovered a fumble before the ball hit the ground. The teams traded turnovers as the Rams’ Chase Wilson recovered an Isaiah Augustave fumble.
Hunter intercepted a fourth-down pass by Nicolosi and five plays later, capped a five play, 55-yard drive with a 21-yard touchdown catch and a 28-3 lead for Colorado.
A 5-yard touchdown run by the Rams’ Justin Marshall in the fourth made the score 28-9. B.J. Green recovered a fumble late in the fourth — the Rams’ fourth turnover.
Colorado State took a 3-0 lead when Jordan Noyes capped an eight-play, 48-yard drive with a 25-yard field goal. It was the Rams’ only first-half points, as their other five drives resulted in four punts and a missed field goal.
A roughing-the-passer penalty aided the Buffaloes’ 12-play, 85-yard second-quarter drive that culminated in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to Wester and a 7-3 lead for Colorado.
Another mid-drive CSU penalty, a 15-yard facemask, gave Colorado extra yardage and set up Sanders’ 34-yard touchdown pass to Wester for a 14-3 Buffaloes lead.
Colorado had 109 yards rushing after only notching 16 last week in a loss at Nebraska.