QB Sanders hurt as Buffs’ loss ends bowl hopes

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders exited in the second quarter of the Buffaloes’ 56-14 loss to Washington State after suffering an apparent arm or wrist injury.

Sanders was initially hurt on the Buffaloes’ second series of the game on a play where he was sacked and fumbled before Brennan Jackson returned it 40 yards for a WSU touchdown. The injury sidelined him for the next series, but he returned for the following one — a three-play touchdown drive, capped by a 45-yard strike to Travis Hunter.

Sanders played two more series but was slow to get up after getting sacked on third down and was replaced again by backup Ryan Staub. He did not return to the game.

“He had some numbness in his hand and couldn’t really grip the ball,” head coach Deion Sanders said. “But then that second hit he just got rolled up on. We decided not to send him back out.”

Shedeur Sanders came into the game as the most sacked quarterback in the country (48), and the combination of a porous offensive line and his tendency to hang on to the ball were problematic again. He was sacked four times in the first quarter and Staub was sacked once after coming in.

Friday’s loss ended Colorado’s (4-7) hopes of reaching a bowl. The Buffaloes needed to win their final two games of the season to reach bowl eligibility.

“We’re falling short of what we’re capable of,” Deion Sanders said. “That’s the part of this that’s tough to digest. We’ve got high expectations here, so this is tremendously disappointing.”