Stephen A. Smith hails ‘special’ Shedeur Sanders and calls Coach Prime’s QB son a ‘potential superstar’ after he took Colorado to 3-0

After defeating their hated rivals Colorado State, the University of Colorado football team is on a high not seen in decades.

Most of that is thanks to their new coach – Deion Sanders – and the talented transfers the Buffaloes brought in.

Perhaps the most impressive of that bunch is the coach’s son and starting quarterback, Shedeur Sanders — who threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-35 overtime victory.

Shedeur has made the transition from FCS football to FBS football seem easy. After a decent season at Jackson State, Shedeur looked very strong in Colorado.

That was noted during ESPN’s First Take, where host Stephen A. Smith and guest Shannon Sharpe sang Shedeur’s praises.

Sanders passed for 348 yards and four touchdowns in a

Both Stephen A. Smith (L) and Shannon Sharpe (R) praised the Colorado quarterback

“Ladies and gentlemen, Shedeur is special,” Smith told the national audience. “We interviewed him, we talked to him. We see him play.

“We see the speed, we see the athleticism, we see the arm strength. I watch him look beyond the cover. I mean, he does things you don’t see a lot of college quarterbacks do.

Stephen A. continued, saying the young quarterback had “the poise, the intellect, the athleticism, the arm strength, the moxie, the ‘wanting to be in the moment.’

“This kid here, when we see talent, that’s one thing. But to know that (Deion Sanders) is his father, and to have that light on him, and to play the way he’s playing here (points to the brain), and not just with his skills, we have a potential superstar in hands. . This brother is special, right? He’s very special.’

Sharpe praised both Shedeur’s execution late in the game and Deion’s ballsy decision in overtime. “(Deion) did something I had never seen in overtime. Most coaches put it off because, Stephen A., I need to know what I need. Do I need three points? Do I need a touchdown? Should I go for two?

“(Deion) said, no, I want the ball in Shedeur’s hand. I want to put the pressure on them. I want them to know what to do. I’ve got a hot quarterback, I’m going to put the ball in his hand.

‘Shedeur Sanders can run it downright. 98 meters. He has to go 98 yards and he has to get the two-point conversion just to get this thing into overtime.”

Sharpe says Shedeur (2) is doing a good job of not letting the pressure of being the son of Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Deion Sanders (L) get to him.

Sharpe also criticized Sanders and CSU coach Jay Norvell (L) for failing to control the game and allowing players to take penalties and make dangerous plays and hits all night.

Sharpe, an NFL Hall-of-Famer, also praised Shedeur for his ability to live up to the expectations placed on him as the son of such a legendary football player.

“It’s not easy being the child of a star,” Sharpe said. ‘Because the parental shadow looms large, but he is not in awe of it. He embraces it. He says, ‘Why should I be ashamed because my dad is Deion Sanders?’

As for Colorado’s opposition, both Smith and Sharpe praised the Rams: “Colorado State, they were ready to play,” said Stephen A. “Give them a lot of props. They showed up. I thought they were going to be blown away.

“They showed up and showed me a lot. Coach Norvell, he deserves a lot of respect.”

While Sharpe also praised the Rams, he had some criticism of Colorado State coach Jay Norvell for the way he handled the pre-game hostility.

“Look, this is a rivalry game. Jay Norvell had his team ready to play. He said what he said for a reason. That was to get his guys (ready), because he knew Coach Prime and his team were coming back and they were going to be ready to go.

“I thought both coaches should have gotten the hang of this a lot sooner because it was getting out of hand. You had 17 penalties for Colorado State, 182 yards and that ultimately cost the game.

“And this is what I tell people all the time: You either coach it or you condone it. You either coach that type of play, or you condone that type of play. And it tells me he approved of that late hit on Travis Hunter. (CSU safety Henry Blackburn) should have been out.”

Travis Hunter (12), one of Colorado’s top players, will reportedly be out for three weeks

Blackburn’s late goal ultimately robbed Colorado of Hunter – the team’s most dynamic player, active in both attack and defence.

It was reported on Monday that Hunter would be out for at least three weeks due to that injury.

Colorado’s narrow victory meant there was a slight drop in their AP Top 25 rankings, as the Buffaloes fell from No. 18 to No. 19 in the country.

This week, Colorado plays its first Pac-12 game of the season in a tough road test – when they travel to take on No. 10 Oregon.