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CLASS ACTS
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
CU’s senior class led team to Alamo Bowl, set foundation for future By Brian Howell bhowell @prairiemountainmedia.com
SAN ANTONIO >> In the mo-
ments after it was announced on Dec. 14 that Colorado’s Travis Hunter had won the Heisman Trophy, Buffaloes offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was struck by a scene with head coach Deion Sanders and quarterback Shedeur Sanders both congratulating the junior. “Those are the three most influential people that have helped re-establish winning back here at Colorado, and so to see that visual, I thought was a great deal,” Shurmur said. Indeed, Coach Prime, his quarterback son and the dynamic Hunter have led the charge in restoring some glory at CU. The 20th-ranked Buffs (9-3) are enjoying their most successful season since 2016 and will take on No. 17 BYU (10-2) in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Saturday. Saturday will be the last time Buff Nation will see Shedeur and Hunter play for Colorado, as both will head to the NFL Draft, where they are projected to be among the first few players selected. Although it’s been just two short seasons in Boulder, it is the end of an era of sorts, with not only Shedeur and Hunter but several other transformational seniors moving on. “A bunch of guys that just want to go get it,” receiver Will Sheppard said of the senior class. “Everybody here has the same common goal, so I think that’s why the season has been what it’s been. Everybody’s looking forward to the same things and trying to get to the same place.” CLASS ACTS >> PAGE 2
GAME AT A GLANCE
Matchup: Colorado Buffaloes vs. BYU Cougars Kickoff: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. Where: Alamodome in San Antonio Capacity: 64,000 (FieldTurf) TV: ABC Radio: KOA (850 AM) CLIFF GRASSMICK — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Odds: Colorado by 3.5 Colorado’s LaJohntay Wester, left, and Shedeur Sanders are two of the many seniors who have helped forge a dramatic program turnaround. Series: CU leads 8-3-1
Group of ‘Original Buffs’ enjoying opportunity to experience bowl game
Bowl game a culmination of Coach Prime’s vision
eth is one of the few “OBs” — Finneseth, Offerdahl original Buffs who were on the among those remaining team before head coach Deion Sanders was hired in December from 1-11 squad in 2022 of 2022 — who are enjoying the By Brian Howell bhowell @prairiemountainmedia.com SAN ANTONIO >> Ben Finneseth was a senior at Durango High School when his father took him to Golden to visit the Colorado School of Mines. “I asked my dad, I was like, ‘Can we just drive up to Folsom Field? I just want to see it. I’ve never seen it,’” Finneseth said this week. “We drove up, and I looked through the gate, and I was like, ‘Dad, I want to play here.’ And then a couple weeks later, I ended up getting the call. And since then, it’s been a dream lived out ever since.” Now in his fourth season with the Colorado Buffaloes, Finnes-
opportunity to participate in the Valero Alamo Bowl with the 20thranked Buffs on Saturday against No. 17 BYU. “It means the world,” said Finneseth, a walk-on safety and special teams standout. “Obviously, two years ago, we were 1-11, and then last year, we were 4-8 and now we’re 9-3 and could potentially have a doubledigit win season. So it means a lot, especially being an in-state guy.” This season, just 10 OBs were on the roster, including linebacker Trevor Woods, who recently entered the transfer portal and won’t participate in the Alamo Bowl. Running back Charlie Offerdahl, a former walk-on, is the lone ORIGINAL BUFFS >> PAGE 2
TONY MORANO — ALAMO BOWL
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders at Buffaloes practice on Tuesday at the UTSA football facility in San Antonio.
Time will tell if this is a type of coronation at the dawn of a new era of Colorado football glory. Or a culmination, the pinnacle of a wildly successful massive rebuild that nonetheless is destined to recede back into mediocrity. Either way, Deion Sanders has delivered on the promises he made when introduced as Colorado’s new football coach two years ago. And Saturday’s appearance in the Alamo Bowl will be the crowning achievement of that vision. It’s been a remarkable climb for the Buffaloes, who return to bowl play for the first time in a full season since 2016 and just the second time in the past 16 full seasons. ROONEY >> PAGE 3