The Colorado Buffaloes looked overmatched against the No. 11 Utah Utes early on Oct. 17. Including gaining most of their yards on penalties than on offense.
Colorado ended the evening applying a huge scare to the Utes, however. And nearly adding one more upset on the same weekend that saw five different top 10 teams lose.
Utah managed to escape one last heave into the end zone by quarterback Isaac Wilson to win 27-24. Colorado momentarily erased a 13-point deficit to nearly deliver its biggest upset of the season. Coach Deion Sanders, though, pulled off a rare moment inside the locker room after the game, which he shared postgame.
The Rare Deion Sanders Moment Inside the Locker Room
"Great team we played. I did something I never do after a loss...I stood up at the podium in front of those kids and told them I’m really proud of them.
"Because they fought, they didn’t give up, they had a chance and I just knew if we didn't get a penalty, and that was a great play by Isaac by the way, I just knew we were going to nail the field goal and go into overtime."
"Our kicker wanted it. I was ready to give him an opportunity."
"The kids played their butts off. We got our offense going late. The thing that really damanged us, though, was time of possession. They almost had the ball a quarter more than we did. But the guys fought, man."
What This Loss Now Means Moving Forward for Colorado
"They really believe that they can do it. You've got to understand that you're playing teams that haven't lost and you were there [with them]."
"The last seven minutes went crazy. We were right there in the end. A play here and there, it's a whole different tone inside this press conference."
"We changed the way we did things coming out of the locker room prior to the start of the game. And we came out differently after halftime as well."
"It may sound foolish with what I'm about to say, but every team we lost too this year we could have won. For some strange reason, we got our butts kicked in Northwestern. But in the other losses, I thought we were the better team but we didn't execute. But just the way we fought in the end, there was no give up."
Deion Sanders Impressed by Isaac Wilson Grit
"Isaac is not gonna give up man. He's not built like that."
"The kids love him and they believe in him. That pitch was awesome and momentum took him."
"I didn't think it was going to bring us back that far."
Colorado Lost Emotions After the Game
"It was some tears in there today. And I respect that."
"Because that means that they wanted it and they love this game. Plus they love this atmosphere, and love this team."
"God bless the fans who showed up in droves today for family day. I wish to God we sent them home with a smile on their face. But at least we sent them home with a little hope."
"I'm enthusiastic about us fighting to the end and staying united."
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