Deion Sanders didn’t dress it up Tuesday. When asked what Colorado needs to do to knock off Kansas State on Saturday, the Buffaloes coach kept it simple.
“Be consistent,” Sanders said.
That’s the blunt standard Colorado is carrying into the Halloween game at Folsom Field, where the Buffaloes are trying to stop a five-game skid and climb out of a 2-5 start. The latest setback came Saturday at Oklahoma State, where Colorado led 24-23 at halftime before getting shut out in the second half and falling 57-24.
For Sanders, the fix has to show up everywhere, not just in one phase. He pointed to the penalties as a recurring problem that has worn thin.
“That's the only thing we're consistent in is getting penalties,” Sanders said. “And that doesn't make sense to me, but we've got to do better. Got to prepare much better.”
He also said Colorado has made some headway on special teams and needs to keep that going.
“I feel like the last couple of weeks, special teams-wise, haven't heard you guys ask any special teams questions,” Sanders said.
But the bigger issues remain on offense and defense, where Sanders wants more from the run game, the passing game and the takeaway battle. Colorado had three turnovers against Oklahoma State and never got the ground game going.
Kansas State comes in at 4-3 after a 28-17 loss at Arizona State, and coach Collin Klein said Monday that Colorado still has enough pieces to create problems. He said the Buffaloes’ personnel, along with the designs from offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and defensive coordinator Chris Marve, make them a dangerous matchup.
“Both coordinators are very creative and do a lot. They have talent. They've got guys that can run on both sides of the ball,” Klein said.
Klein also called attention to Colorado’s interior defensive line.
“Their D-tackles are extremely twitchy and fire off the football,” he said.
Both teams are dealing with execution issues as they head into Saturday, and Colorado is still looking for its first Big 12 win.
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