Deion Sanders isn’t panicking about Colorado’s special teams mess from Week 1, and on Tuesday he made it clear where he thinks the fix starts: personnel.
The Buffaloes escaped Georgia Tech with a miracle finish, getting a go-ahead extra point from Daniel Gerlach before Boo Carter blocked an Aidan Birr field goal attempt to seal it. But for most of the night, Colorado’s special teams were a problem, not a weapon. That’s the part Sanders wants cleaned up before the Buffaloes face Weber State in Week 2.
“I’m not concerned about those issues. The reason: because that’s an easy fix with personnel.
Some things are schematic. That wasn’t schematic.
That was personnel. We fixed it with personnel already.
Hopefully, you see the results this weekend,” Sanders said.
He didn’t say exactly who is being changed out, but there are a few obvious places Colorado can look. The return game never got much going, with running back DeKalon Taylor’s only kick return going for just 12 yards. On the other side, the Buffs’ kickoff coverage gave up the game’s only touchdown when Georgia Tech wide receiver Rahkeem Smith brought one back 100 yards.
Sanders was quick to separate that play from the kicker, Elliot Arnold.
“Everything is day by day when it comes to kicking off. That [touchdown return] wasn’t his fault.
You know, he kicked the ball where he needed the kick. I think it was six yards deep in the darn end zone.
The guy brought it out. We got to be on that game.
That wasn’t his fault, but he’s still gonna kick field goals. I’ve got to see this stuff in practice under pressure.
We apply pressure in practice, and I’ve got to see it,” Sanders said.
Arnold’s role was already a little unexpected against Georgia Tech. Sanders had identified him as the starting field goal kicker in the spring, but Arnold didn’t handle Colorado’s lone field goal try or either extra point. Gerlach took those reps instead.
Sanders said that was a matter of circumstance, though the way the kicking competition has played out this fall makes it hard not to wonder if performance has become part of the picture.
“And some guys are better from this hash and that hash. It depends on where you are on the field.
I’ve got to make that call. I’ve got to make the proper call.
But that comes from what I’ve seen in practice, not games,” Sanders said.
The other issue is protection, and that one is harder to ignore. Gerlach’s go-ahead extra-point attempt was blocked after defensive lineman Shymeik Jones broke through the line, which only adds more pressure to a kicking situation that already looks unsettled.
Colorado can shuffle kickers all it wants, but if the protection doesn’t improve, the same problem will keep showing up. For Sanders and the Buffaloes, that’s the piece that has to be fixed first.
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Jimmy Horn Jr. gives Colorado followers a different kind of watch item heading into the Carolina Panthers opener. The former Buffaloes wide receiver is expected to contribute on special teams, a role that can be easy to overlook but often becomes the quickest path for young players to make an NFL roster matter right away. For Colorado fans, it is another reminder that several former Buffs are carving out spots on Sundays, even if the path looks different for each of them. [Read more 🡒]