There was a lot of publicity leading up to last Saturday’s University of Colorado spring football game, and all because of one man; Deion Sanders.

“Coach Prime” was hired away from Jackson State this winter, and he brought along two of his star players, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. However, it’s the fact that the former NFL great and Hall of Famer, is now the team’s head coach that’s drawing all the attention.

This year’s spring football game was one of the most anticipated of all time, enticing national media and a sellout crowd. ESPN broadcasted the event and put a microphone on Sanders for in-game analysis.

Since the program began keeping records in 1953, no spring game has drawn more than 17,800 fans, according to Visit Boulder CEO Charlene Hoffman. Last year’s event drew just 1,950 to Folsom Field, which has a capacity of about 45,000.

This year, the athletic department decided to sell general admission tickets for $10 each, and they sold out.

It was cold and snowing for most of the game, but the fans didn’t seem to mind and the stadium was filled with excitement. Former players were in attendance and there was tailgating prior to the game.

Will Sanders be able to turn around a program that last season won only one game? Time will tell, but he certainly has the support of the university and the fans on his side.

OILERS FOOTBALL FIRST WIN

The Tulsa Oilers Indoor Football League team picked up its first win in franchise history, a 54-48 victory on the road against the Iowa Barnstormers in Des Moines, Iowa at Wells Fargo Arena.

Iowa opened up a 14-point lead in the first quarter, on a pair of touchdown passes by quarterback Jonathan Bane. The Oilers scored their first points with 3:50 left in the first with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Vincent Espinoza to Joshua Crockett, bringing the score to 14-7.

The Barnstormers quickly extended their league to 27-7 in the second quarter, before the Oilers responded with a two-yard touchdown reception by Montero Dubose with 6:40 left in the half, making it 27-13. Iowa and Tulsa traded scores before going into the intermission with Iowa leading 34-19.

Tulsa had their best quarter of the game in the third, beginning with Britto Tutt returning the kickoff 47 yards for a touchdown, making the score 34-26. Iowa fought back with a 12-yard rushing score from Antonio Wimbush with 12:37 left in the third. Tulsa then went on a scoring streak with three touchdowns in a row. Tre King picked up a four-yard rushing touchdown with 8:20 left in the third quarter to start the offensive push making the game 41-33 Iowa. Tulsa’s Alex Rosario would record his first touchdown of the day with 0:59 left in the third quarter on a 12-yard reception in the middle, entering the final quarter with Tulsa trailing by one, 41-40.

The final quarter began with a Harvey scoring his second touchdown of the game on an 18-yard run into the end zone. It gave Tulsa their first lead in franchise history, 47-41, with 10:25 left in regulation. Wimbush gave the Barnstormers their lead back with 7:50 left in the game with a four-yard touchdown reception reaching his way across the goal line, making the score 48-47.

Tulsa would score the game-winning touchdown on an 11-yard rush from Harvey. The Tulsa native helped the Oilers get their 54-48 lead with 4:06 left in the fourth, which would ultimately seal their first win in franchise history.

Iowa’s Bane threw an interception to Tutt on the final play of the game to end regulation. Tulsa improved to 1-3 on the season with their first win in franchise history.

Tulsa will be at home this Saturday, April 29, against the Arizona Rattlers. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the BOK Center.

TULSA BEACON WEEKEND RADIO

My guest this week on the “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show will be award-winning producer Tom Newman, founder of Impact Productions and Director of Content and Development at TBN. Among Tom’s acclaimed projects is The Journey with Andrea Bocelli. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.