Deion Sanders and Colorado’s season took another disappointing turn on Saturday night with a 42-17 loss to Arizona State. This marked their eighth defeat and one that exposed the same lingering issues fans have grown tired of.
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For instance, just like their blowouts against the Wildcats (52-17) and Utah (53-7), ASU didn’t just beat Colorado. They ran straight through the Buffs with explosive plays from every direction: a 33-yard touchdown run, a 68-yard bomb over the top, and an 88-yard backbreaker from Raleek Brown, who finished with 255 rushing yards and dictated the game from start to finish.
But what would irk Buffs fans the most is the fact that, despite having five-star freshman Julian Lewis at quarterback, Colorado never found rhythm on offense. Instead, they look like a team still searching for identity at the end of the season, testing the patience of a fanbase already frustrated with repeated blowouts.
After the loss, Deion Sanders was asked what needs to change next season. Instead of isolating a single issue or pointing fingers, something the outside world often does for him, he made it clear that the problems run deeper than one flaw.
“Obviously, a plethora of things. You just can’t identify one thing,” he said, immediately shutting down the idea of a simple fix.
“If I say one thing, you guys are going to attack the other things that I didn’t say… I’m going to say it’s multiple things that will need to change… and it will. Matter of fact, it’s already in progress.”
But Sanders didn’t distance himself from the responsibility. In fact, he leaned toward it. “We can throw stones at everybody. You know I always tell you to start with me,” the HC said, before reminding reporters that Colorado does show glimpses of who they could be.
“The football team you saw in the first half… that’s the football team we’re capable of being. Just the consistency to hold on and continue to be that… that’s a whole ‘nother thing.”
Even Colorado’s mounting injury list didn’t serve as an escape hatch because Sanders refused to let it. “Yeah, but that’s no excuse, man. Everybody got injuries… I’m not going to sit here and say we’re not winning because we have half the darn team in the darn training room,” he continued.
Sanders did, however, point to roster construction as the real issue. “We compile the roster. We’ve got to do a better job… We’ve got to do a better job of roster management… because you’ve got to plan for this kind of stuff,” Prime explained.
That said, while the head coach addressed the big-picture problems, 18-year-old Julian Lewis showed maturity and accepted responsibility for the offensive struggles. The quarterback highlighted this in his take on the failed final drive, where he didn’t hide behind play calls or pressure.
“Just missed opportunity realistically. You can’t blame that play… a lot of stuff we’ve got to do better all around,” he said. Explaining why they stalled, Lewis noted, “They were just dropping the big zones… we weren’t really doing what was necessary to get open,” before owning his part:
“And I wasn’t doing what was necessary to complete the passes… I took some unnecessary sacks, bad balls and I’ve got to make up for them.”
All told, as summed up by Deion Sanders and his quarterback, Colorado clearly didn’t lose because of one mistake or one player. They lost because explosive plays buried them, discipline wavered, and consistency never arrived.
Now, all Buffs fans can do is wait for next season and see how the team corrects its mistakes by then, or whether they continue the trend of being subpar.
