Colorado is in a full-on rebuild after losing the Heisman Trophy winner and a star quarterback from last year’s roster. And so far, that rebuild isn’t going to plan.
Of course, few college programs could replace Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders without seeing a bit of a drop off. But as Deion Sanders’ squad fell to 3-6 (1-5, Big 12) after a 52-17 thumping from Arizona on Saturday, Coach Prime wasn’t in any mood to blame the players. He took full responsibility.
“No one will be available tonight,” Sanders said, informing the press that players would not be taking questions on Saturday. “It’s on me. Don’t attack the coordinators. Come at me. Don’t attack the players. Come at me. This is me. This has nothing to do with them, it has everything to do with me.”
Saturday capped a dreadful two-week stretch for the Buffaloes, who similarly took a beating from Utah last week, losing 53-7. When asked whether or not the team had checked out, Sanders didn’t mince words. “I know a quitter when I see one. I haven’t seen that,” the coach said.
It’s not entirely uncommon for coaches to shield players from the media after an especially tough loss, though Sanders has had a bit of an adversarial relationship with the press since taking the Colorado job in 2023.
In this instance, however, Sanders seems to simply be doing what he can to protect his players. And to be fair, there’s not much to say after a second consecutive blowout loss.
Colorado still has three more Big 12 games to play, and could still find itself in bowl contention if it rights the ship down the stretch. Perhaps Deion Sanders is doing everything in his power to refocus his players on the next three games rather than dwelling on the past.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.