Colorado defensive line coach Dante’ Carter knows the issue with a new group up front is rarely about talent. It’s about whether that talent holds up when the lights come on.
When DNVR Buffs’ Scott Procter asked why a player can look one way in practice and another on game day, Carter didn’t need a long explanation. His answer came down to the moment.
“But all of it is just the moment. Sometimes the moment be too big for a person. Sometimes that person never been in the moment, so you don’t know how to handle the moment,” Carter said.
That idea fits Colorado’s defensive front, which entered spring with only two returning faces in familiar spots: defensive end Quency Wiggins and Kylan Salter, who shifted from linebacker to defensive end. Colorado Athletics listed five new defensive ends and nine new interior linemen getting ready to suit up for the Buffaloes for the first time.
There’s experience in the room, just not much of it was gained in Boulder.
Defensive end Toby Anene came over from North Dakota State after appearing in 40 games with 22 starts and piling up 10.5 career sacks. Defensive lineman Lamont Lester Jr. joined from Monmouth after putting together 9.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in 2025.
Carter’s challenge is getting that resume to show up when the game speeds up. He was promoted in February and charged with helping the rebuilt front make that transition.
To do it, Colorado has leaned on practice situations designed to feel abrupt and uncomfortable. Carter said the staff works in sudden-change moments so the defense has to react without the comfort of a normal flow.
“That’s what we do in practice, building the confidence, sudden change stuff on defense and practice to get our mindset and our mentality going for the moment,” Carter said. “But that’s all it is for handling the moment.”
Colorado already got a taste of that kind of stress at Baylor. A failed 4th and 1 from the Buffaloes’ 49-yard line flipped possession to Baylor at Colorado’s 48, and three plays and 1:20 later, the Bears were in the end zone.
That’s the gap Carter is trying to close. A practice field can recreate the spot. It can’t fully recreate the crowd, the scoreboard or the consequences.
So the mission isn’t to erase pressure. It’s to build enough belief that the players can absorb it when it arrives.
This is Carter’s first season as Colorado’s defensive line coach. He joined the program as a graduate assistant in 2025 after coaching Texas College’s defensive line, where the Steers finished with 39 sacks in 2024, fourth in the NAIA.
Now the test gets bigger Saturday, when 4-0 Texas Tech visits Folsom Field. For Colorado’s rebuilt front, it’s another chance to show that the work done in practice can carry over when the moment gets real.
Carter’s message isn’t to pretend the moment is small. It’s to make sure his players believe they can handle it.
“Sometimes the moment be too big for them, but our biggest thing is just to keep preaching life into them and to show them that they can handle the moment, whatever it is,” Carter said.
In Other News...
Colorado Homecoming Just Took An Unexpected Turn Before Texas Tech
Homecoming in Boulder was supposed to give Colorados meeting with No. 12 Texas Tech a little extra buzz, especially with the Red Raiders making their first visit to town since 2010 and the Buffaloes also folding in a 150th anniversary celebration. Instead, the run-up to the game has come with an unexpected twist off the field, as resale prices for the cheapest tickets have fallen sharply in the days before kickoff.
Still, the matchup has the feel of one that should draw real attention once the ball is in the air, and Colorado knows the challenge waiting from a ranked Texas Tech team. Wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. has already pointed to the importance of protecting home field, which makes the softening market around the game feel even more curious as Boulder gets ready for a big weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Puts Pressure On Colorado Before Texas Tech Test
Deion Sanders spent part of his latest press conference doing what he has often done in Boulder this season, putting the spotlight squarely on execution. Colorado has been uneven on third and fourth down, and Sanders made clear the issue is less about the design of the offense than the need for players to finish plays, while also defending Brennan Marions system as the Buffaloes prepare for Texas Tech.
Sanders broadened the message beyond one area, pointing to the running game, turnovers, field position, special teams and penalties as parts of the operation that need to sharpen up. He said the effort was there against Baylor, but effort only goes so far if it does not turn into points and wins, and that makes the Texas Tech matchup another measuring stick for a team still trying to put its best football together. [Read more 🡒]
DeAndre Moore Jr. Revealed What Colorado Showed After His Scary Hit
DeAndre Moore Jr.s collision against Baylor briefly turned a routine Saturday into one of those moments that makes the whole sideline hold its breath. The Colorado receiver did regain consciousness and, in a scene that said plenty about both his toughness and the situation, walked off the field without needing a cart. His teammates made sure he knew they were behind him, and Deion Sanders later said Moore was kept out of practice afterward but is expected to be available for the Texas Tech game.
Moores update afterward fit the tone Colorado has tried to strike through the season: shaken by the scare, but not defined by it. He spoke with optimism about where the Buffaloes are headed and stressed how important it is to protect their home field, a reminder that even amid injury concerns, the focus remains on finishing strong. For Colorado, the immediate concern was health, but the broader message was just as clear - the locker room is still very much invested in the stretch ahead. [Read more 🡒]