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A fractured back was the reason why quarterback Shedeur Sanders missed Colorado’s 23-17 loss to Utah to close out the 2023 season.
Sanders’ injury was referenced at the 4:50 mark of the video posted by Well Off Media surrounding the game. Walking through the tunnel, the junior said he felt good but couldn’t throw a football. It’s subsequently revealed he had a fracture in his back.
Sanders was considered doubtful in the days leading up to the Utes matchup and ruled out hours before kickoff.
The physical toll paid by the star signal-caller was among the Buffaloes’ subplots all year. His 52 sacks are the highest in FBS despite him only logging 11 starts. That number doesn’t account for the amount of times he was hit after releasing the ball, either.
Head coach Deion Sanders vented his frustration with the performance of the offensive line as a whole in October, telegraphing the turnover to come this offseason.
On3 @On3sports
Deion Sanders on Colorado’s offensive line struggling to protect Shedeur:
“The big picture, you go get new lineman. That’s the picture and I’ma paint it perfectly.”
(via @noskozone) https://t.co/AdMEIK7NKXpic.twitter.com/cWBAriC3Tf
The longer the season went on, the more it looked inevitable Shedeur would suffer an injury serious enough to take him out of action.
After the 28-16 loss to UCLA on Oct. 28, head coach Deion Sanders told reporters Shedeur had received an injection to alleviate the pain midway through the game. The following week, Shedeur was briefly in the locker room during a 26-19 loss to Oregon State.
Then he couldn’t finish what was Colorado’s fifth straight defeat, exiting a 56-14 shellacking against Washington State.
“He had some numbness in his hand and couldn’t really grip the ball,” Deion told reporters after the game. “But then that second hit he just got rolled up on. We decided not to send him back out.
Sanders finished the campaign with 3,230 passing yards and 27 touchdowns to just three interceptions. His dad has indicated he intends to return to the Buffaloes for his final year before moving on to the NFL in 2025, though nothing is confirmed on that front.
It’s also unclear how much the fracture in his back will sideline him for the offseason.
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