The Colorado Buffaloes’ 2023 season was a rollercoaster ride, but one game stands out as particularly haunting: their shocking loss to Stanford. What started as a dominant 29-0 lead at halftime crumbled into a devastating 43-46 defeat in double overtime. This collapse marked a turning point for the Buffs, who were riding high at 4-2 with Shedeur Sanders at the helm.
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Shedeur opened up about that fateful game on his podcast “2Legendary,” where he hosted Memphis commit Antwann Hill Jr. The conversation inevitably turned to that Stanford game, and Shedeur’s raw emotions came through.
“I’m telling you, bro, I just got off everything. I got off all social media platforms.” he said, describing how the loss left him feeling “ultimately horrible.”
Before this setback, Shedeur was basking in the spotlight on social media as one of college football’s most charismatic personalities. His five-touchdown performance in the first half against Stanford seemed to cement his star status. But as the team’s defense crumbled in the second half, so did Shedeur’s composure.
The aftermath was brutal. With a bye week following the game, social media chatter about the collapse intensified, driving Shedeur into a digital retreat. Even Coach Deion Sanders couldn’t hide his dismay, describing the loss as “tough” and admitting he was “truly disturbed” by the team’s performance.
Moreover, a poorly timed Instagram story from Shedeur during halftime came back to haunt him, further souring public perception.
Shedeur’s merchandise post during halftime
The Stanford debacle wasn’t just a one-game setback for Shedeur and the Buffaloes, it just spiraled into a PR nightmare. During halftime, when the team should’ve been locked in, Shedeur’s Instagram story popped up with a link to his merchandise. Whether he posted it himself or someone on his team did, the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Mid game and Sheduer is throwing up merch shop links on the IG
Stanford is cooked pic.twitter.com/b8gTZI1tCg
— Mikey O’ver (@MikeyOver1) October 14, 2023
Fans latched onto this story, painting Shedeur as an overconfident athlete more focused on his brand than the game. It was a harsh lesson in the criticism that comes with college football stardom, especially as Colorado proceeded to blow their largest lead in program history.
Despite Shedeur’s impressive stats that day, his performance wasn’t flawless. A costly interception in overtime and a few ill-timed sacks in the second half contributed to the team’s collapse.
The Stanford loss seemed to break something in the Buffaloes. What started as a promising 4-2 season turned into a freefall, with the team unable to secure another win for the rest of the year. It was as if the second-half collapse against Stanford had become a metaphor for their entire season.