ORLANDO — Some days, you beat the Bears. But Shedeur Sanders wasn’t going let Will Sheppard say that the Bears beat him.
“I told him, ‘This is the week, bro. This is the week,’” Sanders, CU’s senior quarterback, recalled after a stunning 48-21 win at UCF on Saturday night. “‘It’s gotta happen this week.’”
It happened on the Buffs’ third drive of the ballgame. A week after Sheppard, a transfer from Vanderbilt, dropped a potentially game-tying pass late in the fourth quarter against Baylor at Folsom Field, CU’s signal-caller looked his way early. And looked deep.
On third-and-15 at the Knights’ 47-yard line, Sanders dropped back, stepped left, and fired a strike over the UCF secondary and into the path of Sheppard, who was cutting a post route inside from the right hashmark to goal line.
Sheppard positioned himself in front of UCF defensive back Antione Jackson and extended his body to finish the catch, rolling into the end zone with the ball and giving the visitors a 13-7 lead with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.
“I tried not to get too down on myself at the end,” said Sheppard, who finished with four grabs for 99 receiving yards, including his first touchdown as a Buff. “I just know who I am and why I’m here and why I came here.
“And I think (Saturday) proved that and showed that. And (Sanders) having that confidence and the confidence to keep coming and keep throwing the ball to me and taking those chances, knowing that I’m going to come down with it in (moments) like this — it’s just a little more confidence in me.”
That confidence proved contagious. Sheppard immediately popped up from his scoring catch and shushed the Knights students, whose jeers were well within earshot.
It was Sheppard’s first game at CU with at least 90 receiving yards, and his first as a collegian since dropping 107 on Florida as a member of the Commodores last October.
“He just had a slow start,” Sanders said of his target. “(I told him), ‘Like, don’t get down about it … that happens to everybody.’ Because I know the type of player he is — I know (when) he’s feeling himself, and (when) he’s actually in his groove, and when he’s comfortable, then nobody can stop him because he’s going against the best corner (in the country) in practice every day, throughout his time (here).
“So that really was the message to him all week. ‘Like, it’s your game. It’s your week’ … and the opportunity came. And I’m like, ‘Hey, this is it. Well, you gotta catch this one.’ So then he made a play.”
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Sheppard, a Louisiana native, led Vandy last fall with 684 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches. His 21 career TD receptions with the ‘Dores were tied for third in Vandy history heading into this fall.
CU scored touchdowns on three straight drives between the first and second quarters against UCF to forge a 21-7 cushion with 12:21 to go until halftime.
Saturday’s 24-point win was the largest margin of victory for Sheppard in a college game since Vandy stomped Hawaii on the road, 63-10, to open the 2022 season.
“I mean, y’all know where I came from, Vanderbilt,” Sheppard cracked following the Buffs’ fourth victory of the season. “So that’s the most complete win I’ve had.”
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