PULLMAN, Wash. — Colorado quarterback Shedor Sanders has been eliminated from the tournament Game against Washington State here on Friday The night after he was sacked four times on his first 10 plays, including a brutal hit that appeared to hurt his right arm in the first quarter.
Sanders, the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, returned after hitting the latter to throw a 45-yard touchdown pass to receiver Travis Hunter. But he then exited the game and headed to the locker room after fumbling in the second quarter, when Colorado trailed 28-7. A Colorado spokesman confirmed that he had subsequently exited the game permanently.
He was replaced at halftime by new backup quarterback Ryan Staub as Colorado again struggled with pass protection, this time against a Cougars team that had lost six straight games. The Buffaloes (now 4-7) entered the game with the second-most sacks in the country (49).
Cheddar Sanders has suffered from all but one of these conditions and previously Injections of painkillers needed to end games. However, he had never had to leave a game because of all the hits until Friday, when he seemed doomed from the start on a cold fall night here at Martin Stadium.
Washington State took a 14-0 lead with 5:14 remaining in the first quarter after Sanders was forced to fumble the ball on a hit that appeared to hit his arm — a helmet-to-shoulder blast from behind by Cougars defender Ron Stone Jr. Then Stone’s teammate Brennan Jackson scooped the ball up and scored a 40-yard fumbling touchdown.
Sanders, a junior, dressed in warm-up gear and watched the game on the sidelines after halftime, when the Buffs trailed 42-7. He finished the first half with six completions on 10 attempts for 86 yards and one touchdown and no interceptions — enough for him to set Colorado’s single-season record with 3,230 yards, passing Sefo Liufau in 2014 (3,200).
However, the statistical milestones were not important to him. Colorado lost 56-14 and ends the regular season next week at Utah.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders exited the game against Washington State
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