Deion Sanders wasn’t interested in turning Colorado’s 20-10 loss at Arizona State into a referendum on his future. What he was interested in was what the defeat said about his team - and what it said about him.
After the Buffaloes fell to 3-6 on Nov. 7, Sanders was blunt about where his focus sits.
"I don’t think about that. I am not here for my job.
I am not built like that. I am really, really not.
I want these kids to graduate and provoke changes in their lives and families. I am not worried about me."
Colorado’s latest stumble also pushed the Buffaloes to one loss away from being officially eliminated from bowl contention. ASU controlled the game enough to send CU back into the same uneven stretch that has followed this team around all season.
Sanders made sure to give Arizona State its due, especially coach Kenny Dillingham and freshman quarterback Jake Fette.
"Much respect to Arizona State, including coach [Kenny] Dillingham and his staff. Wonderful game, I loved the way they used the freshman quarterback [Jake Fette] to keep us off balance. They made plays, and we didn't."
Even with the loss, Sanders pushed back hard against any suggestion that his team folded.
"There’s no one in that locker room who’s not fighting. And that includes coaches and support staff."
He said he didn’t see anyone quit, even if the game got away from Colorado too late to matter.
"I didn’t see quit. I didn’t see anyone being lethargic.
I didn’t see any giving up by any means. But it was way too late.
I wish we didn’t start off like that."
Still, the frustration was obvious. Sanders said the team can’t afford to drift into self-pity with another game coming fast.
"[But] I am not happy. We don’t have time for a pity party because we play Friday."
He also pointed to the emotional weight of the result on everyone involved.
"If anybody in that locker room is not hurting right now, it’s the wrong game (for them). This is not how it is supposed to be.
We have apologized 1,000 times to the fan base and to you all. But unless we don't get it together, it’s going to be the same old, same old."
On the football side, Sanders said Colorado has to tighten up in a hurry.
"Count the box and do our best to control the football with the understanding of what’s going on on their side of the ball."
"We had some opportunities to hit some plays. We just gotta make them."
Quarterback Wilson finished 20-of-31 for 248 yards, but Sanders said the stat line didn’t tell the whole story because of the sacks and turnover issues.
"You know, on a normal day, I would take that, but not the four sacks and the pick and everything else.”
That fed into Sanders’ larger point about Colorado’s lack of scoring and consistency.
"We’ve got to score. That’s it.
And I don’t think it’s a destination type of thing where we’re on the road. We’re not scoring points and we’ve got to score points.
And we need to do a better job of stopping people, that’s on me."
He closed by rejecting any notion that the team’s leadership is the problem.
"You think I’m happy? I am not happy with the outcome. I am not a loser by any means."
"I hate that we are coming up on the short ends of these games tremendously. We’re just not consistent whatsoever in many phases that can win us football games. We’re not consistent."
"Leadership shouldn’t be questioned. These guys have played their butts off. We have guys that the team looks up to and they set the right example."
"I don’t see anyone having a pity party. We’ve just got to do better. And that starts with me."
In Other News...
Arizona State Just Sent A Clear Message In Colorado Win
Arizona States 20-10 win over Colorado at Mountain America Stadium felt less like a grind and more like a statement. The Sun Devils controlled the game from the start, holding the Buffaloes scoreless in the first half while their defense kept repeatedly putting Colorado behind the chains and away from any real rhythm.
Colorado did finally find the end zone when Joseph Williams scored in the fourth quarter, but by then the damage had already been done. Linebacker Gideon Lampron turned in a standout defensive effort with 14 tackles and three tackles for loss, the kind of performance that helped Arizona State choke off a comeback before it could truly take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Dillingham Made One Thing Clear After Arizona State Beat Colorado
Arizona State left Boulder with a 20-10 win, but the box score told a more complicated story than the final margin. Colorado actually outgained the Sun Devils in total yards, yet Arizona State found ways to survive the critical downs, and a key penalty helped extend one drive that ended in a touchdown. Kenny Dillingham made a point of crediting Colorados defensive line afterward, a nod to how much resistance the Sun Devils faced even in a game they controlled on the scoreboard.
For Colorado, the frustration was familiar. The Buffaloes did enough defensively to limit damage in the red zone, but their offense could not consistently finish possessions, especially when it came to third and fourth down. The loss also stretched their conference road skid to nine straight, another reminder that even when the overall numbers are close, the results on the road continue to slip away. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Fette Just Gave Arizona State A New Reason To Believe
Jake Fette gave Arizona State a little bit of everything in the win over Colorado, and then some. In just his second career start, the Sun Devils quarterback threw for a touchdown, caught another and matched a feat last accomplished by Jake Plummer back in 1996. He finished 13 of 19 for 222 yards, a sharp showing that helped steady ASU in a 20-10 victory.
For a program trying to keep its bowl hopes alive, the timing mattered as much as the flash. Arizona State moved to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12, and Fettes poise suggested the offense may have found another layer it can lean on down the stretch. The question now is whether this was a one-night novelty or the start of something more useful as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]