TUCSON, Ariz. — On a day when Stanley Burrell turned up to hang with Deion Sanders, CU put the (MC) Hammer down.
“CU has a real shot in the Big 12 (title race),” Erik Garcia told me, gushing, as we stood outside the CU Buffs’ locker room at Arizona Stadium early Saturday night.
Garcia believes, baby.
Did we mention that Erik is an Arizona fan?
Yep. Tucson raised. Tucson proud. Nearly four decades of #BearDown in his blood.
“You ever waited for a visiting team’s coach here before?” I asked.
“No, never,” he replied. “First time.”
Garcia was one of a handful of folks decked out in Wildcats gear, red and blue, who joined the CU faithful in packing themselves, like sardines, outside the visiting locker room after watching CU decimate Arizona, 34-7.
Just for an autograph. A selfie. A wave. A glimpse. Anything,
“The Buffaloes bring a lot of obvious reasons why,” explained Garcia, who waited for a chance to get up close with Deion, Shedeur or Shilo Sanders wearing a giant, comically over-sized red Arizona hat and a massive necklace with the Wildcats’ famous “A” dangling from the end of it. “(They’ve) got Deion, his kids.
“They’re a good team, quality team. I mean, they sell tickets. Being a loyal U of A fan, of course, I grew up watching Deion. I came to see him. Even if he’s on the (other) sideline.”
Colorado wide receiver Drelon Miller (6) celebrates with wide receiver Travis Hunter after scoring a touchdown against Arizona in the first half during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Remember the old newsreel footage of fans screaming at The Beatles, pressed against various fences, whenever they landed at airports in the early ’60s? It looked a lot like that. Actually, it looked exactly like that.
All the stars were out. Burrell, better known as the iconic rapper MC Hammer, made a point of seeking out Coach Prime during pregame warmups. Ex-Arizona QB Khalil Tate, a perennial Buffs-killer, was the Wildcats’ honorary captain.
But center stage on Saturday belonged almost entirely to CU’s defense. The Buffs (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) piled up seven sacks, the most by CU since 2010, and absolutely dominated an offensive line that had given up just six over its first six games heading into this weekend.
“Just honestly, (it came from) playing together, just rushing as one with the four of us on the line,” reflected Buffs defensive end Keaten Wade, who collected two of those sacks. “I felt like it was very important … (in) a game, we’re going to have to rush together and see how it comes out. I’m just glad we got the good (amount of) sacks.”
Colorado defensive end Samuel Okunlola (93) reacts after sacking Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita in the second half during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
As impressive as CU’s 48-21 win at UCF was late last month, Saturday in Tucson might’ve topped it. Arizona, which features a future NFL …read more
Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
