November 21, 2023
When the Buffs were 2-0 and one of the top national
sports stories: Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter during the ESPN crew's visit to Boulder, on the day before the Rocky Mountain
Showdown.
Yes,
it's still true that under Deion Sanders, the 2023 Colorado Buffaloes at least are improved over last year, especially financially
after selling out every home game.
That's the consensus, reflex defense of the Buffaloes' struggles after a 3-0 start not only made Sanders and CU one
of the most-watched -- quite literally -- programs in college football. It also raised hopes that the Buffs would be
more than merely competitive and perhaps be bowl-eligible in "Coach Prime's" post-housecleaning and transitional
first season.
They're 4-7 heading into Saturday's finale at Utah and, at
1-7, are sitting in last place in the Pac-12.
That's
at least better than the 1-11 disaster of 2022.
That's also orange slices by now.
Unless you completely buy into that TCU, Nebraska, Colorado
State and Arizona State -- the four teams CU beat -- were soft, and that sufficiently explains it, the alarming aspect of
the season narrative is that Sanders' first team got worse as the season progressed, not better.
"We didn't accomplish what we wanted," Sanders said
at his Tuesday news conference. "We accomplished what we needed. I think hope is instilled in this city, in the student
body, within this team, within this building. And you see the direction that we're headed."
With all the offseason
turnover, including the arrival of a long list of graduate transfers and others from the portal, the challenge for the Buffs
was to coalesce as the season went on.
The Buffs fell
apart instead. At least going into the final game, that's the state of affairs.
It's not ripping Sanders to point that
out.
Sanders advanced what he labeled the theme of the week and brought up what he seemed to portray as an air-clearing
meeting.
"We've got to
finish," he said. "I want to finish with an exclamation mark. I don't want to finish with a comma, a run-along sentence
... These guys practiced their butts off today, I didn't see no quit in them. I didn't see, 'Poor, little old me.' We had
a tremendoous meeting this morning and kind of got some stuff out that has been kinda in-house. I'm not one to walk away from
whatever was said. Let's say it. Let's say it in front of all of us now. Let's get it over with, who said what, why'd
he say it, why he felt like that. Let's do this. That happened this morning and it was tremendous. I love it, 100 percent
of it."
The biggest issue indeed is the offensive line, but citing the number of times Shedeur Sanders has been
sacked as the grading standard is oversimplication. One of the best quarterbacks in the country often has held the ball too
long in trying to make plays, and the number of sacks reflects that.
Moving forward, it's also clear Sanders
also has to deal with coaching staff dysfunction -- a surprising development given that he seemed to have assembled a first-rate,
accomplished staff.
Offensive coordinator Sean Lewis' effective demotion, giving way to Pat Shurmur
as the playcaller, creates significant awkwardness as the Shurmur calls come through Lewis on the sideline. That almost certainly
foreshadows more changes in the offseason.
On Saturday, perhaps, we'll get confirmation if the 2023 Buffs as a team have or haven't quit on Sanders.
Then the issue becomes if the horrible late-season slide arrests the CU momentum on
all fronts -- especially recruiting, where NIL has changed the picture so drastically.
"We want players that want us," Sanders said.
"Trying to convince somebody in doing that and being held hostage financially, we ain't with that. We want players that
want to be a Colorado Buffalo and come here for all the right reasons. Academically. The city is so durned beautiful. Just
people who want to be a part of what we're building. We're not going to buy anybody whatsoever. That's how we approach it.
We have tremendous needs. I'm pretty sure everybody in the country knows what we need and how much we need. That's not a secret.
The recruits are responding. Trust me. There's not a day that goes by that kids arent blowing our recruitiing staff up. Or
blowing Shedeur up in his DMs, or Travis (Hunter), or some of the key players on the team. They're calling and we're responding.
"Last season, you had to fill the void of everything. This year, you're more directed. You
know what you have. You know what you don't have. You've seen how we react under pressure. You've seen how we don't. You know
what you need. So now it's more focused on let's go fill the need. You had to just fill the kitchen up for Old Mother Hubbard.
Went to the cupboard and there wasn't nothing there. So we had to fill the kitchen up with everything. Now, it's more directed
and more accurate on, 'OK, we need three of those, two of those, we need one of those.' That's pretty much how you're going at it. We know what we want and we're going to go get it. I promise you that.
We didn't do certainly what we wanted to do. But we're doing tremendously much more than what was done [before]. You
have to put it into perspective. . . We're taking a step in the right direction. Two steps in the right direction, as a matter
of fact."
Sanders alluded to the Buffs' eye-popping television numbers and the attention they drew, especially early in the
season.
"We pretty much put a mark in college football," he said. "And what we're going to do from here
on, it will never be the same. I promise you that. I know how we're recruiting. . . You gotta be crazy if you don't see it.
It's easy to look at us play and say, 'OK, all they need is that, that, that ... and that.' How many times have have you said
that? But see, when I say it, you get a little attitude ... You can say it, but I can't. Because you're sensitive. You want
to treat grown men like they're babies. We don't do that aound here. We call it like it is. We say what's the truth."
On the field next season, the bar will be raised.
The built-in excuses will be mostly gone.
Deion Sanders' full Tuesday news conference
