Deion Sanders doesn’t usually revel in defeats, but on Saturday night he considered this one a moral victory. The Colorado Buffaloes football coach stood in front of his team and did something that went against the standard.
Sanders told his team he was proud of them. Despite the loss to No. 11 Utah, the game came down to the final play with Colorado coming up short in the 27-24 loss to the Utes. The Buffs even took a 17-13 lead in the third quarter after being shutout in the first half. However, they still couldn't pull out a win in the final minutes.
“I did something I never do after a loss,” Sanders said. “I stood up there on the podium and told those kids, ‘I’m really proud of y’all man.’ Because they fought. They didn’t give up. They had a chance.”
Sanders thought his team had a shot to pull off the upset. In reality, coming up short only amounts to future progress. Sanders smiled during his postgame press conference and appeared to appreciate the effort his team had out on the field. Colorado hasn't won a Big 12 conference game in a year. They've also gone 5-13 since the end of the 2024 season.
Utah improved to 6-0 with its 12th consecutive win, the nation’s current long winning streak after Notre Dame and Indiana lost on Saturday. Needless to say, this was a game Colorado wasn't expected to keep close. Yet again, Sanders' team was right there at the end.
“Every team that beat us this year, I felt like we could have won, like for some strange reason,” Sanders said. “I know we got our butts kicked at Northwestern (41-7), but the other losses I just felt like we had a better team. But we didn’t execute. So maybe they (the opponents) truly have a better team because they executed, and they did what they had to do. But just the way we fought to the end, there was no give up, and not only the players but the coaches, the support staff. It was no give up whatsoever. And there were some tears in there today, and I respect that.”
Colorado has lost to four consecutive opponents whose combined record is 21-3. The only team they've lost to not ranked in the Top 25 is Baylor. The Buffs have only beaten two ranked teams since Sanders’ debut at Colorado in 2023. This was progress against one of the nation's last undefeated teams. Utah handed Colorado a 53-7 defeat in Salt Lake City last year.
Colorado has to clean up the miscues and mistakes. The Buffs entered the game with the sixth-most penalties in the nation (45) after also leading its conference in penalties in two out of the past four seasons.
Colorado prepares to face Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Saturday, Oct. 24.