Everything Deion Sanders said after Colorado's win over Colorado State
Deion Sanders and the 18th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes moved to 3-0 late Saturday night with a 43-35 win over Colorado State in double-overtime. After the game, Coach Prime met with reporters to recap things.
Here’s what he said, with select quotes below:
Opening statement
“Great game. We played like garbage in the first half. We tried to get it right in the second half offensively and gave up some wounds defensively. It didn’t go well. We missed one field goal as well. The time of possession in the first half was unbelievably one-sided. We barely touched the ball. I think it was only nine minutes in the first half. In the second half, we did some things. We showed that we were resilient. We showed that we could fight and that we had no surrender or give up in us. And that’s a lot for a team that’s fairly new. We just got together, so I’m also truly proud of our men, coaches, staff, etc.
“I’m not happy with how we played, but I’m happy with that win. You have to be happy with a W no matter how it comes. Truthfully, at one point in the game, I said, ‘We can’t let this dude win.’ There is no way we let this dude win. His press conference is going to be unbearable if we let this dude win. But I knew even if we got the ball on a 2, 3, or 4-yard-line, as long as the ball is in Shedeur (Sanders) hands, we’re going to get down this field. I knew that without a shadow of a doubt. And when we went to center field to talk about overtime, I told them we want the ball. I want you to have the ball. I want you to pressure them to get them out of their comfort zone. That’s how it transpired. It was a great day for Colorado. It was a great day for the Buffalo fans. It’s a great day that we got to win.”
On Travis Hunter
“I think Coach Ray is going to the hospital to check him out. The first thing I heard is that he would be out for a few weeks. I heard that for sure. But we’re gonna do what we gotta do to take care of him. I know Travis probably will want to be out for two weeks, but we got to make sure he is okay. His health is more important than this game.”
On Shedeur Sanders
“Sheduer has been there, you guys just haven’t seen him because he was at an HBCU and we were secluded. I guess no one had TVs, and they didn’t they didn’t work out here. But that’s just who he is, it don’t matter where he came from. That’s who that guy is. His passion, his study habits, and his commitment to excellence show every weekend. People wait for him to fail, like, ‘He can’t keep this going.’ Yes, he can because this is who he is.”
On Dad moment with Shilo Sanders
“I mean? You know, I’m a coach. But every now and then, during the game, I have a Dad moment. And that was a Dad moment just running down the sideline as he was running down the sideline. That’s the most I’ve run in years. I didn’t even know I had it in me. Seeing his joy and seeing him just atone for some things because he studies so much. And he’s like, I’m going to stop playing passive. I’m going to jump it, I’m going to jump it. And he did it. So that was the moment of what he put into his work ethic and in film study and just being aggressive. And he’s capable of that. I don’t know how many tackles he made … but he made plays that count and help us win us over here.”
On satisfaction with the type of win
“Resilience. I mean, the guys had every opportunity in the world to give up. They had every opportunity in the world to give in. And they didn’t. They never doubted themselves on the sideline. I mean, we were upset with some of the things not being executed that were called. But these young men never give up. I told the guys we just need six plays. Just give us six plays. Six plays we’re gonna score, we’re gonna get the extra point, just give us six hard plays. That’s what they did.”
On if there was anything meaningful in his postgame meeting with Jay Norvell
“No. I know Shedeur kind of got in between it, but no. I don’t hold… I can be petty if they’re petty, but I ain’t got time for that, man. I’m on to bigger and better things. I’m happy for the brother. I really am. I’m happy that they fought, that they played a good game. I’m happy that he’s a head coach. I’m happy for any brother that’s doing it and (is) successful. I truly am.
“I don’t know where all this stuff comes from. I have to respond because, you know, my momma taught me that. You ain’t just gonna attack me and I ain’t gonna sit back and say nothing. But I’m happy for that dude, man. I don’t know him, but I’m happy for him. I wish the best for him. I really do. My success ain’t got nothing to do with his, so why wouldn’t I want him to succeed? I don’t know how people get down like that. My blessings ain’t got nothing to do with his blessings.”
On slow starts
“That’s everything. That’s an “I gotta figure it out” thing. That’s what it is, and I’m getting tired of that thing. That’s what that is, we have to stop. We’re better than that, we really are. As coaches, as a team, as a offense we’re better than that. We’re better than that silly stuff. How many times are we going to give up the under route? I know you guys got tired of that.”
On if this is an “adjustment thing”
“No, that’s the thing. It’s a “somebody needs to do their job” thing. Just do your job, and we’re straight.”
On his decision to go for two in the second overtime
“Points. The way the numbers come out. The points. We have so many smart guys around there. They just tell you: Coach, you gotta go for the two. Cool, let’s do it then and I understand why. That’s what it was.”
On Sanders leading a drive at the end of regulation
“I don’t think that moment makes him because he’s had a lot of those moments. You just haven’t seen those moments. You’re just getting an opportunity to see those moments. That’s who he is, I’ve never doubted the fact that if the ball is in his hands, what he’s going to do. No one on offense, no one in the stadium doubted (him). We don’t doubt him. That’s who he is. So, we just gotta make sure the ball is in his hands. Fourth down plays, third-and-short plays, we love the ball to stay in his hands and allow him to make the decision. Now, if we don’t succeed and he made the decision, I can live with that, but it’s hard to live with something when the ball is not in his hands.”
On what is different about him in those late-game moments
“I think he was 38 for 47. I think was pretty locked in all game. What is he throwing for this season? Like 80%? Some crazy numbers like that? You guys are taking this stuff for granted. This is not normal. Like this kid can flat-out play. Forget the name Sanders. The kid can flat-out play this game.”
On Favorite Moment From Today
“That is so tough. That’s a great question. The Rock could be our president if he wants to. He’s got 390 million followers. I mean, if he just asked everybody to give $1 to the university, I think we’d have no problems with the NIL.
“The conversations I just had in my room with Key Glock and some of those guys from Memphis and he had the camera on. I love Lil Wayne like he’s my son and I was speaking to his mother before the game as well. There’s so many different moments of being on the different sets and seeing these beautiful, wonderful fans all congregating together. Campus was electric today. I don’t know if some of you got a chance to witness it and I don’t know how it’s been in the past but campus was electric today.
“Don’t dismiss the fact that we’re always recruiting. So when those high school kids that are on recruiting trips see this kind of stuff, it’s… One of the big fellas just said, ‘Hey man it’s different. This is straight-up different here.’ And we had some dogs here on recruiting trips today. So there were so many wonderful moments. I don’t know when we’re going to put it out, but my mother was pretty much the pregame speech today, her and Rock, so it’s gonna be good when you hear what she had to say in the pregame speech. I didn’t have to fire them up, she did her doggone thing. I’m proud of her.”
On being mentioned alongside the Fab Five, Georgetown Hoyas, and UNLV as ‘Black America’s Team’
“Well first of all these kids weren’t even born so they don’t understand that. Dennis Thurmon and some of the older coaches like myself we understand that and that dynamic and how much of a blessing that is to even be mentioned in those likes. It’s tremendous. It’s not a burden whatsoever, it’s a blessing and we’re thankful for that. But I don’t think our young men inside the locker room understand the moment.
“I told them on the last series, ‘Guys, this is a moment you will never forget and let’s maximize this moment,’ and they went out and did it. But when you’re that young — and you know all of us were young one day, some of us are still young and naive — we don’t understand these moments are just slipping by slowly but surely. And we got to grasp them because it’s incredible. What transpired today was incredible, it really was. From the start to the finish of the day.”
On If Shilo moved up in the Kid Rankings
“That’s good. You know what, he is moving up. He is moving on up like the Jeffersons. But Shedeur is straight-out balling, too. Bossy, she came in and gave me the biggest hug and kiss and appreciation for Daddy that she could ever give me at the end of the game. So that was great. And Junior has been balling. What he does on social media is fascinating. So it’s tough. My kids rankings are tough. It’s a serious run right now. It really is. It’s a serious run right now. I’m the only one that’s honest about ranking my kids. You guys act like you love all of them the same and you don’t. I don’t know why y’all act like that.”
On the team being bought in
“I didn’t say bought in. I never used the word bought because they would think like we’re selling something. They believe. They believe. Probably 85%. We’ve still got another 15% to truly believe no matter what. And oftentimes, it’s not some of the pivotal and key guys, it’s some of the staff that’s distant from helping and having influence on what we do on the field. And there’s some guys that probably ain’t even dressing out, but you know, they want to be a part of it, but they don’t want to truly be in it. And they don’t have any influence on the outcome of the game but honestly, they do during the week when they’re serving on the scout teams in preparing us and making sure we are straight. So we’ve got to keep elevating that number week in and week out. I think it’s around 85% that truly believe that we have something special inside of the locker room.”