LBM US Coaches Poll: Colorado humbles by Oregon, drops out of top 25
The latest US LBM coaches poll arrives missing Colorado, which was beaten by Oregon in convincing fashion.
SportsPulse, USA Today
EUGENE, Ore. — Colorado football coach Deion Sanders sat in his postgame news conference here Saturday with his usual sunglasses, jewelry and self-confidence, never abandoning his trademark confidence despite what happened here Saturday against Oregon.
The Buffaloes were demolished by the Ducks by a score of 42-6. This was his first loss with Colorado (3-1). And it was never close despite the national “Cinderella story” his team became after Colorado finished 1-11 in 2022.
“There’s one thing I can say frankly and frankly: You better catch me now,” Sanders said. “This is the worst we’re going to be. You better get me now.”
He called it “a good old-fashioned ass kick” and said: “We’re all responsible for this. Let’s start with me.” But he also said he’s looking at the bigger picture.
“I know I’m wearing shades, but I can see into the future and it looks good,” he said.
Sanders even ignored comments made before the game by Oregon coach Dan Lanning, who made a stark contrast between his team’s “core” and the Hollywood “flash” of Sanders and Colorado.
“The Cinderella story is over, man,” Lanning told his players before the game, as shown on ABC. “They’re fighting for clicks. We’re fighting for wins. There’s a difference, right? There’s a difference. This game won’t be played in Hollywood. It’ll be played on grass.”
What did Deion Sanders say about it?
He admitted hearing about it.
He said: Yes, I have messengers. “But God bless him, man. He’s a great coach. He did a great job. God bless him. Take their shots. They won. I don’t shoot. They won.”
He also said the difference between No. 19 Colorado and No. 11 Oregon was “definitely” not a talent gap, but emphasized that he believes his team is seven or eight good players away from where they should be.
“I don’t say things just for the sake of saying them, with a click, as opposed to what someone says,” Sanders said, referring to Lanning. “I keep the receipts.”
Coach Steve: Deion Sanders does well as a parent and coach by “grading” his kids
At the same time, he acknowledged that his high profile plays a role in how his team is perceived.
“Teams are trying to beat me,” he said. “They’re not trying to beat our team. They keep forgetting that I won’t play anymore. I had a great career…. This is what it really is. I signed up for this, let’s go.”
Some might argue that this makes it more difficult for his players. Sanders disagreed.
“These are grown men,” the Pro Football Hall of Famer said. “I’m not there. If I had been there playing against every coach (Colorado) has played against, we would have been completely dominated.”
How was Colorado so badly beaten?
Oregon State quarterback Bo Nix completed 28 of 33 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns, leading the way for an Oregon team (4-0) that scored a touchdown on its first three possessions and took a 35-0 lead into halftime.
By contrast, Sanders’ son, Shedor, struggled at quarterback as Colorado’s offensive line gave up seven sacks in front of a raucous green-and-yellow crowd of 59,889. Shedeur Sanders finished 23 of 33 passing for 159 yards and one touchdown — a 6-yard pass that came with 2:51 remaining on a mildly cloudy day at Autzen Stadium.
Colorado ended up giving up 522 total yards to Oregon and didn’t do itself any favors by committing 12 penalties for 106 yards.
“It wasn’t magic or that anything they did was unreal and surreal. It’s just that we didn’t execute our game plan,” Sheder Sanders said afterward.
The midfielder, Dion’s son, also said his team missed star player Travis Hunter “a lot” but that wasn’t the reason they lost the game. Hunter, a two-way player at receiver and cornerback, did not participate because he suffered a lacerated liver last week in an overtime win over Colorado State.
“We played like hot garbage,” Deion Sanders said. “That surprised me.”
Colorado noise takes a hit
The defeat cut into much of the hype surrounding both Dionne and Chedier Sanders after the Buffaloes captivated the nation with their play heading into Saturday. They attracted more than 25 million viewers on national television in their first three games combined. Deion Sanders also appeared last week in a segment on “60 Minutes.”
After hearing about all of this and then watching his team take a 35-0 lead in the first half, Lanning appeared to put another finger in Colorado’s eye when he pointed out television viewers to an ABC reporter.
“We’re not finished yet. We’re not satisfied. I hope all the people who have been watching the game every week will watch this week,” he said at half-time.
Deion Sanders still greeted Lanning after the game and hugged the Knicks and then talked about his team’s humility after the game.
“People all over the country will say this is what they need to humble themselves with,” Sanders said. “We weren’t arrogant or anything. We’re confident people. If our confidence offends your insecurities, that’s a problem for you, not us. We expect to do well.”
He doesn’t think his team “needs” this to learn anything about themselves.
“That’s like saying when you’re in a car accident or something, ‘Oh, he needed that to slow him down,'” Sanders said. “You don’t need that. This is just stupid. It’s just something that happened, and ‘They got the best out of us today. That’s all it is.’
What did Dan Lanning say next?
He said his team usually listened to the pre-match speech, but this time he said: “I think there was a camera there.”
“There is no speech that wins games,” he added. “Players win games.”
He said this while wearing a yellow Nike “Bodacious” T-shirt in honor of Nix, the Auburn transfer who edged out Shedeur Sanders in a battle of rising Heisman Trophy candidates.
“I think coach (Deion Sanders) is doing a great job,” Lanning said. “He obviously brought great enthusiasm and a great response from his players, and I know they will bounce back from this. And by the same token, I get a little passionate sometimes, a little excited about what I want to achieve for our team, and I just want to say I need to humble myself a little bit. One game.”
Colorado now must regroup to play another tough, high-scoring opponent at home next Saturday — No. 5 Southern California, a team the Buffs have never beaten in 16 attempts dating back to 1927.
Sanders said his message to the team after Saturday’s game was simple.
“Get your ass up, and let’s go.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenbauer @schrotenboer. Email: [email protected]
