"Horrible": Deion Sanders Raises Serious Concern About Colorado, Hints at Major Staff Change After Week 5 Loss

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Deion Sanders didn’t bother dressing it up after Colorado’s 29-7 loss to No. 10 Texas Tech. Coach Prime called his offense “horrible”, then hinted that changes are coming to the people around it, particularly on special teams. The Buffaloes are 2-3 and have lost three straight games, and Sanders had a lot to say after three consecutive losses.

Colorado outgained Texas Tech 375-315, led 7-3 at the half, and held Texas Tech QB Will Hammond to 134 passing yards. Then the second half fell apart. Four straight turnovers, starting with a Joseph Williams trick-play interception. Then three picks from Isaac Wilson, with the last being a pick-six by John Curry that made it 22-7. Eight penalties for 84 yards piled on. Sanders said it was a great game until 7:10 left in the fourth.

“We’ve been horrible,” Sanders said during the press conference after the game, according to Buffs TV. “Don’t sugarcoat it. We’ve been horrible. What we had — Seven points? You are not going to win. Not going to win. Don’t sugarcoat it. Just tell what it is. You’re not going to win it.”

When asked what was keeping the Buffaloes’ offense from producing, Sanders never named a specific player. Instead, he challenged reporters to say the name themselves, as he had repeatedly pointed to the quarterback position as the one “disabling us and disarming us” since the beginning of the season. The Buffaloes enter their off week with Julian Lewis, Ryan Wilson and Kaneal Sweetwyne all in the mix as Sanders weighs his next move.

Deion Sanders doesn't mince words, and his latest assessment signals potential upheaval in Boulder. Subscribe to stay ahead of Colorado football's next move.

Lewis threw two picks in the 41-7 loss at Northwestern, then got pulled at Baylor in a 23-13 loss. Sanders made the switch to Wilson this week, and now against Power 4 teams this year, Colorado is averaging 10 points a game.

Colorado’s special teams made it worse for the program in the Texas Tech matchup. Elliott Arnold missed from 29 and 52 yards, both wide left. A fake punt on fourth-and-seven failed, and Sanders reportedly didn’t know it was coming. Colorado burned a timeout because it had eight players out for a field goal block, then lined up with nine.

Boo Carter muffed a fair catch that got downed at the 2-yard line, and the next snap was the pick-six. The Buffaloes’ current staff has no official special teams coordinator, and the work is split among assistants.

“I mean, when it comes to punt return, the biggest key is to take possession and not fumble the darn thing,” Sanders said. “Like if you return it, that’s a bonus. 10 yards, you know, you want to return 10 yards to get a first down. That’s what you think. If everything else is a bonus, but you just want the possession. I just want a guy back there that won’t drop the ball; that won’t let it go down to the one darn yard line. We’ll do something about this. That’s changing personnel. I’ll make that happen.”

When the same mistakes show up every week, the fix has to come from the people in charge of the unit. Colorado lost field position, points, and a punt return in one night, and with the program sitting at 2-3, Colorado can’t afford this error as they enter Week 6. This has prompted Sanders to seek a staff change on special teams/

Though the offense and special teams were dragging the program down, Sanders vouched for the defense, stating that the defense stood strong in the final moments of the game. Chris Marve’s group made two fourth-down stops in the first half, and Santana Hopper had 10 tackles, four for loss, without defensive lineman Lamont Lester Jr.

“I’m confident in this unit, this group, particularly the defense,” Sanders said. “Am I comfortable with the offense? No. Am I comfortable with certain positions, defensively, offensively, special teams? No. But these guys are not quitting, man. They are not giving up. Contrary to what you may think, they fight. Until seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, it was a darn good game.”

Now, as the Buffaloes enter the bye week, followed by a matchup against No.13 Utah on October 17, Sanders has a quarterback decision and a special teams fix to make before the game.

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