Deion Sanders' Locker Room Left in Tears After Colorado's 4th Straight Loss to AP Top 15

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Deion Sanders almost never tells his team he is proud of them after a loss. After Colorado’s heartbreaking defeat to No. 11 Utah, he made an exception. The Buffaloes had erased a 13-point halftime deficit and nearly forced overtime before a late penalty ended it. It was another loss, but what Sanders saw in the locker room told him something about the team he is trying to build.

The result was another loss, but the emotion inside Colorado’s locker room was a different story. As reported by DNVR Buffs’ Scott Procter, Coach Prime revealed that some of his players were left in tears after the 27-24 defeat, a reaction he viewed as a sign of their commitment rather than a reason for disappointment.

“It was some tears in there (locker room) today, and I respect that because it means they want it,” Sanders said, reported by Procter on X.

The loss also marked Colorado’s fourth defeat against an AP Top 15 opponent under Deion Sanders. The Buffaloes lost to then No. 10 Oregon and No. 8 USC in 2023 before falling to No. 12 Texas Tech earlier this season. The Utah defeat made it four losses in four such games under Sanders.

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The loss added another painful chapter to a season in which the Buffaloes have struggled to turn competitive stretches into victories. They fell to 2-4, while Utah improved to 6-0 and extended its winning streak to 12 games.

Even so, Coach Prime’s message after the game wasn’t only about the loss. Colorado had lost four straight, and the way the team played after halftime gave Sanders a reason to say the season still has something left.

The first half was ugly. Colorado had just 70 yards of offense, and it had 82 yards in penalties, so the penalties alone cost more than the offense gained. Utah took a 13-0 lead into the break and was in control.

Utah scored first on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Devon Dampier to tight end Hunter Andrews. That’s become a habit for the Utes, who have scored a touchdown on their opening drive in every game this season.

The second half looked like a different team. Colorado picked up 324 of its 394 total yards after halftime, and Isaac Wilson led the push against his old team.

Wilson ended with 256 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions, and those mistakes kept getting in Colorado’s way. Sanders still backed him fully.

“Isaac is that guy. So I’m going keep on loving him, keep on developing him, keep on giving him opportunities,” the Colorado coach said in the postgame presser.

Wilson brought the Buffaloes within three points with 1:21 remaining, setting up a frantic finish. After Utah recovered Colorado’s ensuing onside kick, the Utes punted to give the Buffaloes another opportunity.

On the last drive, Wilson saw an opening in the middle of the field and pitched the ball to Quanell Farrakhan Jr. He ran it to the Utah 38-yard line.

Then officials reviewed the play, called it an illegal forward pass, and the gain was wiped out, so was Colorado’s shot at a long field goal.

Colorado’s last play was a Hail Mary, and Utah knocked it down. That sealed the 27-24 win for the visitors. Sanders felt his team had come very close to changing the result.

“The last seven minutes went crazy,” said Sanders. “We were right there in the end. A play here and there, it’s a whole different tone inside this press conference.”

Sanders also said time of possession hurt Colorado. Utah had the ball for almost a quarter longer. Still, he gave credit to the changes the team made before the game and at halftime, which helped Colorado fight back.

“We’re going fight to the end,” Sanders added. “The fans deserve it. Everybody deserves it. The kids deserve it.”

For Utah, the victory came despite a performance that left head coach Morgan Scalley dissatisfied with the execution.

“It’s not always pretty, and this was definitely not pretty and not clean, but we did enough,” Scalley said.

Undefeated Utah now turns to No. 20 Houston, and Colorado has a trip to No. 18 Oklahoma State on October 24. There’s not much time to sit around and think about another close loss.

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