How TCU lost its season opener 45-42 to the Colorado Buffaloes

Star-Telegram sports editor Dave Ammenheuser and staff writer Lawrence Dow’s key moments, plays and much more from the Colorado-TCU college football game at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth on Saturday.

Here are notes from the game, in chronological order:

Final Game Stats

COLORADO: Shedeur Sanders was 38 of 47 for 510 yards and four TDs; Sy’veon Wilkerson led the Buffs with 39 rushing yards on 11 carries with a touchdown; Jimmy Horn Jr. and Travis Hunter each had a team-high 11 catches. Hunter had 119 yards and Horn had 117 yards.

TCU: Chandler Morris was 24 of 42 yards for 279 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions; Emani Bailey led the Frogs with 164 rushing yards on 14 carries; six catches each for JP Richardson and Jared Wiley. Wiley had 69 yards with a touchdown, and Richardson had 63 yards.

TIME OF POSSESSION: Buffaloes dominate time of possession (34:33-25:27).

PENALTIES: Horned Frogs struggled with penalties all game (10 for 78; Buffs are 6 for 35).

COLORADO has a 565-541 overall yardage edge.

Fourth quarter notes

TCU 12 possession: TCU fails to convert on 4th down with 55 seconds remaining in the game to give the Buffaloes the 45-42 victory.

Colorado 12th possession: Sanders throws a 46-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-2 to Dylan Edwards to give the Buffaloes a 45-42 lead with a little over four minutes remaining.

TCU 11th possession: Major Everhart takes the kick return to the Colorado eight-yard line. Trey Sanders scores his third touchdown of the game to give TCU a 42-38 lead.

Colorado 11th possession: Buffaloes respond to TCU taking the lead with their own 75-yard touchdown drive. Shedeur Sanders throws his third touchdown pass of the day to give the Buffaloes a 38-34 lead.

TCU 10th possession: TCU went on a methodical 13-play 60-yard touchdown drive finished off by a 19-yard touchdown run by Chandler Morris. TCU leads 35-31.

Third quarter notes

Colorado 10th possession: The Buffaloes go on a five-play 75-yard drive capped off by a Dylan Edwards seven-yard touchdown run. Buffaloes lead 31-28.

TCU 9th possession: TCU takes their first lead of the game on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Chandler Morris to Dylan Wright. TCU leads 28-24.

Colorado 9th possession: The Buffaloes go three-and-out following the interception and punt to TCU.

TCU 8th possession: TCU starts the drive on their own 1-yard line but Emani Bailey rips off a 74-yard run to flip field position. Chandler Morris throws an interception in the red zone to end the drive.

Colorado 8th possession: Colorado drives the ball to the TCU 43-yard line before the drive stalls out and the Buffaloes are forced to punt.

TCU 7th possession: Colorado kicked the ball out of bounds on the kickoff incurring a penalty and TCU scores three plays later on a touchdown pass from Chandler Morris to Jared Wiley.

Colorado 7th possession: Colorado opens the the second half with a timeout, a penalty and then a 75-yard touchdown by Dylan Edwards. Colorado leads 24-14

Halftime stats

COLORADO: Shedeur Sanders is 22 of 28 for 182 yards and a TD; Anthony Hankerson leads the Buffs with 21 rushing yards on nine carries; Jimmy Horn Jr. has a team-high 7 catches for 65 yards.

TCU: Chandler Morris is 10 of 17 for 124 yards and an interception; Emani Bailey leads the Frogs with 34 rushing yards on six carries; JP Richardson has two catches for 32 yards.

TIME OF POSSESSION: Big advantage to the Buffaloes (19:19-10:41).

PENALTIES: Horned Frogs have made more (7 for 56; Buffs are 2 for 10).

COLORADO has a 220-203 overall yardage edge.

Second quarter notes

Colorado 6th possession: Buffaloes’ Jace Feeley kicks a 49-yard field goal on final play of the half. Colorado leads 17-14.

TCU 6th possession: Trey Sanders scores his second touchdown of the game, this one from four yards. Griffin Kell’s extra point ties the game 14-14 with 1:53 left.

Colorado 5th possession: On second play, Buffaloes’ Dylan Edwards fumbles on run. TCU’s Millard Bradford recovers at COL 22.

TCU 5th possession: Horned Frogs march down the field, but Griffin Kell misses 43-yard field goal. Colorado leads 14-7 with 3:16 left.

Colorado 4th possession: Drive stalls, despite a roughing the passer penalty, as Buffaloes punt ball back to the Horned Frogs with 4:42 left in the half.

QUICK STAT ALERT: Shedeur Sanders is 18 of 21 for 135 yards and a touchdown. Colorado has a 13-8 edge in first downs, 165-147 edge in total yards, and a commanding 17:08-8:10 edge in time of possession.

TCU 4th possession: Horned Frogs drive stall, punting ball back to Buffaloes.

Colorado 3rd possession: The Buffaloes regain the lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by Sy’veon Wilkerson as Colorado takes a 14-7 lead with 9:28 left in the quarter.

TCU 3rd possession continued: Horned Frogs tie the game on a Trey Sanders’ 7-yard touchdown run. Griffin Kell’s extra point ties the game 7-7 with 13:57 left in the half.

First quarter notes

TCU 3rd possession: Horned Frogs roll to Colorado 37 at end of the first quarter.

COL 2nd possession: TCU blocks field-goal attempt, turning ball back to Horned Frogs.

TCU 2nd possession: Horned Frogs respond on ensuing possession, advancing down the field until Chandler Morris’ pass in the end zone is intercepted by the Buffaloes’ Trevor Woods.

COL 1st possession: Buffaloes march down the field, putting together a 73-yard drive and scoring on a pass player from Shedeur Sanders to Dylan Edwards for a 4-yard touchdown. Kick is good. Buffaloes lead 7-0.

TCU 1st possession: Colorado holds TCU to three-and-out.

Opening toss

Colorado wins toss, defers. TCU will have the ball first

Sanders tells Troy Aikman how bad Buffaloes were

Sanders told Troy Aikman why he turned over the Colorado roster in such a dramatic way.

Early reads

The game kicks off at 11 a.m.. Until then, there’s time to catch up on these stories:

▪ Going to TCU-Colorado football game? Here’s what you should know

▪ Will Deion Sanders turn Colorado into a winner?

▪ Three reasons why TCU will beat or lose to Colorado

▪ Can quarterback Chandler Morris lead Horned Frogs past Colorado?

▪ What does Coach Prime think of the Horned Frogs?

Watching on TV from home?

When: Sept. 2, 2023 at 11 a.m.

Where: Amon G. Carter Stadium

TV: FOX

Radio: WBAP Radio with Riff Ram, Varsity and Tune-In apps

Line: TCU is currently a -20.5 point favorite per VegasInsider

Last meeting: TCU defeated Colorado 38-13 on Sept. 2, 2022.