Deion Sanders isn’t pretending Colorado has to win the same way it used to.
The Buffaloes built their reputation under Coach Prime on a fast-moving passing attack, with Shedeur Sanders and a loaded receiver group driving the show. But after Colorado’s 14-13 season-opening win over Georgia Tech, Sanders made it clear the 2025 version of this team may be built around a different edge.
“Once upon a time, we threw the heck out of the ball,” Sanders said earlier this weeh during the Colorado Coaches Show. “It was fun.
It was exciting. You were on the edge of your seat.
You knew that quarterback and those receivers were going to light it up.”
That was then. Against Georgia Tech, Colorado leaned hard into the ground game and rolled up 183 rushing yards, repeatedly hammering the Yellow Jackets between the tackles.
Sanders didn’t sound surprised by it. He said the Buffaloes had been preparing for that kind of outing all offseason and had kept the plan quiet.
“We knew we could do it,” Coach Prime said on the Colorado Coaches Show. “We knew we had the line to do it.
We’ve been doing it since spring camp. We’ve been doing it during the fall.
We hadn’t said anything like, ‘Hey, we’re going to run the heck out of the ball.’ No, man.
You’ll find out.”
Micah Welch and Damian Henderson helped set the tone on the ground, and the offensive line turned in the kind of physical performance Colorado had been missing at times over Sanders’ first three seasons in Boulder.
“We’ve got to go with what’s working,” Sanders said. “Flat back, low pads, and let’s go.”
That doesn’t mean the Buffaloes are turning their backs on the passing game. Sanders and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion still have a receiver group that can punish defenses if they start crowding the box.
“If you’re a team that prides yourself on stopping the run, we can throw the ball, too,” Sanders said. “We’ve got to get to that point where we’re consistent with that. Or, if you’re a team that’s a little lackadaisical on the run, we’re going to run it down your throat.”
Colorado still needed the arm talent late in Atlanta. Trailing 13-7, Julian “Juju” Lewis stepped up on the final drive, going 5-for-7 and hitting Charlie Williams for the game-winning touchdown with 42 seconds left.
That finish gave a glimpse of Lewis’ upside, but Sanders said the young quarterback will keep being measured by something much simpler: doing his job.
“We don’t take shortcuts, and we don’t play games,” Sanders said. “You’ve got to do your job. You do your job…that’s what we expect at all levels.”
The offense could become more balanced as Lewis grows into the role and the passing game sharpens. For now, Sanders sounds ready to keep choosing the clearest route to a win.
“You want to win, but you want to be intelligent with the winning,” Sanders said.
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For a fan base that has spent plenty of recent Saturdays waiting for signs of consistency, this is the kind of early-season result that carries real weight. The wins are one thing, but the way Colorado is getting them matters too, with production showing up across the lineup and the passing game driving the offense. The bigger test now is whether the Buffs can keep that momentum going once the schedule gets more demanding. [Read more 🡒]