Deion Sanders doesn't believe in 'moral victories,' but proud of Colorado's effort vs. USC

Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders believes in his team. They were down big at the half and made adjustments.

Colorado failed to beat No. 8 USC, fallin 48-41, but did show the world they can be a dangerous team. It was a star-studded event at Folsom Field that included the best entertainers and sports figures.

There were at least two future stars on the field going at each other blow-for-blow. The Buffs were led by quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who showed resilience down the stretch. It felt like CU was out of the game entirely and this was signs of Oregon all over again. Say what you will about Sanders, he's the truth when it comes to playing the quarterback position.

Caleb Williams' record day for USC could've easily been overshadowed by a Sanders second half surge. The Buffaloes outscored the Trojans 27-14 after halftime, including scoreless in the final quarter. Williams needed three quarters to stack up a career-high six TDs, but CU's defense got after the Heisman winner in a big way.

Neither Deion nor Shedeur Sanders believes in moral victories, but keeping the Pac-12 darlings within a score at the end feels like one.

"Overall, I'm really proud," Sanders said about his team. "Not only of the young men, (but) the coaches, the fan base, the student body. I'm truly proud of the way we represented Boulder today"

Everyone counted this game as a blowout waiting to happen for the Buffs after a 42-6 loss last week at Oregon. However, that was a rough draft assessment with how CU got down early and got put away. USC was up 34-7 before anyone could blink. Williams had four touchdown passes at halftime and added another two scores before all was said and done. Brenden Rice, who started his career with the Buffaloes, torched his former mates in the Boulder homecoming. But Sanders rallied with a huge effort from Omarion Miller. The Colorado freshman wrapped up with 196 receiving yards and his first-ever touchdown.

"We just had to lock in and understand, 'Look, this is not going to be a recap of what happened last week. We just are not going out like that,'" Shedeur Sanders said. "Whatever it takes. That was the whole motto this week."

Miller dreamed about this moment and it came true. The four-star recruit gives the Buffs another weapon in a deep receiving corps.

"I've got so much to prove, this is just one game," Miller said. "Y'all ain't seen nothing yet."

Miller wasn't the only 'young one' to break out on Saturday. Freshman cornerback Cormani McClain, who took lumps from Coach Prime during the week, came to play against the Trojans. A huge moment for the top defensive recruit from the 2023 class. Sanders said he wants McClain to do that everyday in practice and prepare for the game windows and "be that dude."

Sanders said the Buffaloes are still searching for its "true identity" after a 3-2 start. A godsend after Colorado ended 1-11 last year under Karl Dorrell.

"If you can't see what's coming with CU football, you've lost your mind," Sanders said. "You're just a flat-out hater if you can't see what's going on and what's going to transpire over the next several months. Something's wrong with you."

Colorado prepares for a road test with Arizona State next Saturday.