Deion Sanders Hands Out Surprising Game Balls in Colorado Buffaloes Win Over Delaware

In this story:
The Colorado Buffaloes picked up their first win of the 2025 season against the Delaware Blue Hens. Colorado won comfortably by a final score of 31-7, and the Buffaloes are now 1-1 on the season.
In the locker room after the game, CU coach Deion Sanders named his players of the game.
Deion Sanders Named Players’ of Game in Delaware Win

The Colorado Buffaloes got in the win column with their 31-7 victory over Delaware, brushing off their week 1 loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. “Coach Prime” named and had his players of the game come to and stand next to win
Ryan Staub, Quarterback

Ryan Staub saw his first playing time this season in the win over Delaware. He went 7/10 with 157 passing yards, and two touchdowns. He has been with the Buffaloes since 2023, but has seen very limited playing time.
🔥 Buffs Post Game. Coach Prime Names Players of the Game 🦬
— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) September 7, 2025
QB @_ryanstaub
P @damongreaves35
PK @buck__buchanan
PK @alemata004
DE @McphersonAlex50 pic.twitter.com/0K3xECzuOO
Staub went into the Delaware game as the third-string quarterback behind veteran Liberty Flames transfer Kaidon Salter and freshman phenom Julian Lewis. Was this performance from Staub enough to eventually become a starter for Deion Sanders?
Alexander McPherson, Defensive End
Sanders acknowledged freshman defensive end Alexander McPherson. He saw himself get in the stat sheet for the first time in college with his one assisted tackle.
Special Teams
Deion Sanders also gave a big shoutout to the special teams and brought up punter Damon Greaves along with kickers’ Buck Buchanan and Alejandro Mata.
Greaves had five punts for a total of 251 yards. He averaged 50.2 yards a punt, a long of 67 yards, and had two downed inside the 20-yard line.
Mata kicked field goals and extra points for Colorado, going 1/1 on field goals and 4/4 on extra points.
MORE: Three Key Takeaways From the Colorado Buffaloes' Statement Win Over Delaware
MORE: Quarterback Julian Lewis Makes History But Underwhelms In First Colorado Buffaloes Drives
MORE: How No Rookie Reps Could Shape Colorado Star Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Future
MORE: Deion Sanders Reacts To Ryan Staub's Breakout Game, Colorado Buffaloes Quarterback Situation
MORE: Colorado Buffaloes Quarterback Ryan Staub Turns Heads in Win Over Delaware
Colorado Gets First Win of 2025 Season

The Colorado Buffaloes desperately needed a big win over Delaware in Week Two before they get ready to kick off Big 12 conference play. Colorado had a difficult Week One match up against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In a close game, Georgia Tech prevailed by a final score of 27-20 on a last minute Haynes King touchdown.
Against Delaware, Colorado played three different quarterbacks; Ryan Staub, Kaidon Salter, and Julian Lewis. Salter got a majority of the action, going 13/16 passing for 102 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Then there was Staub with his 7/10, 157 yards, and two touchdowns.
The freshman, Julian Lewis was 2/4 for eight yards. This was a highly anticipated debut considering Lewis was one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 recruiting class.
Next up for the Buffaloes are the Houston Cougars on the road on Saturday, Sept. 12.

Cory Pappas is sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Oregon Ducks On SI. Since starting in March of 2024, he has been writing breaking news stories, game previews, game recaps, and more across College Sports, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics for Total Apex Sports. In addition to writing, Cory is also a sports data scout for Sportradar. He covers live sporting events ranging from college athletics to semi-pro and professional. Before joining the industry, Cory graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022. He ran track for Oregon's club Track and Field team. Before Oregon, he played varsity basketball and track and field in high school in Walnut Creek, CA. Cory is using his lifelong passion for sports and writing together.
Follow cory_pappas1