Colorado coach Deion Sanders has never been one to hand out compliments after a loss, so his opening statement Saturday night told fans a lot about where his head is with this group.
Colorado's 27-24 loss to No. 11 Utah ended with quarterback Isaac Wilson's Hail Mary attempt falling incomplete at Folsom Field. It was Colorado's fourth straight defeat, but Sanders sounded like a coach who had seen something worth keeping.
Deion Sanders tells Colorado he is proud
“I did something I never do,” Sanders said at his postgame press conference. “After the loss, 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.”
Colorado went into halftime down 13-0, then scored 17 points in the third quarter. Running back DeKalon Taylor's 18-yard touchdown run gave the Buffaloes their first lead, and Kicker Elliott Arnold's field goal later stretched it to four.
A team on a four-game losing streak could have folded. But the Buffs did quite the opposite, and Sanders told his players so before telling anyone else. He's a coach who usually demands more, even after wins.
Deion Sanders wanted Elliott Arnold to get his shot
The most revealing part of the statement was about his kicker. Arnold missed both field-goal attempts against Texas Tech, including a 29-yarder, and Sanders still wanted him standing over a possible game-tying kick against Utah.
“I just knew Elliott was gonna hit that field goal. And we was gonna go into overtime, and he wanted it,” Sanders said. “He was kicking the heck out of the ball early today.”
Arnold had earned some of that confidence during the game. He made a 32-yard field goal and all three extra points in a noticeably steadier showing. It doesn't erase the Texas Tech misses, but it gives the staff a different performance to judge after questions about the kicking job.
Sanders believed Colorado would get a chance to tie it. Wilson's final throw fell incomplete, though, and Arnold never lined up for that attempt. The coach's faith was clear, even without a kick.
Deion Sanders still has work to do
Pride only goes so far, and Sanders knows it. Colorado drew 10 penalties for 93 yards, continuing a problem through close games. Utah also kept the ball for 37 minutes, leaving the Buffaloes with fewer chances to turn that second-half fight into a win.
Colorado did run for 138 yards on 24 attempts, nearly 5.8 per carry. A strong stretch is still not the same as finishing a game. The record now sits at 2-4, with three conference losses.
Still, Sanders chose to tell his players what he liked before discussing what had slipped away. He ended his opening thought with Arnold's own response to that rough outing against Texas Tech.
“And he said, coach, it was just one game, I’m back, baby, I’m back,” Sanders recalled. “So I was ready to give him an opportunity.”
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