Deion Sanders didn’t need a long speech to frame Colorado’s road ahead before Kansas State. When asked Tuesday what it would take to get a win on Saturday, he answered in two words: consistency.
That was the theme, and it cut in a few different directions. Sanders was quick to note that one area of the Buffaloes has finally settled down.
“I feel like the last couple weeks, special teams wise, I haven’t heard you guys ask any special teams questions,” Sanders said. “I told you how easy it was to bring solvency to that.
I guess you didn’t believe it, but we pretty much did. We just gotta continue and be consistent in that area.”
There’s good reason for him to point that out. Colorado’s special teams disaster against Texas Tech included two missed field goals, a botched fake punt, a nine-man punt block setup and a punt downed at the 2-yard line before the very next play turned into a pick-six. Two weeks later against Utah, Elliott Arnold made his lone field goal attempt and all three extra points, while Damon Greaves averaged 44.6 yards per punt and placed three kicks inside the 20.
For that group, no questions from the media is probably the best review it can get.
The rest of Sanders’ comments, though, landed on the problems that keep hanging around. He said Colorado still needs more from both sides of the ball, on the ground, through the air and in the turnover battle, while also cleaning up the constant stream of penalties.
“But defensively, offensively, running the ball, throwing the ball, creating turnovers, eliminating the penalties, we gotta have some kind of consistency,” Sanders said. “That’s the only thing we’re consistent in, is getting penalties. And that don’t make sense to me.”
The numbers back him up. Colorado has been penalized 66 times in seven games, which works out to 9.4 per game.
Those flags have cost the Buffaloes 590 yards, and they’re averaging a Big 12-high 84.3 penalty yards per game. The 11 penalties at Oklahoma State last Saturday added 84 more yards and pushed that total to the top of the conference.
This isn’t a new complaint from Sanders, either. In September, he described the penalties as “hard to fathom.” A month later, the issue is still showing up no matter where Colorado plays.
One of the most revealing moments came when Sanders took ownership instead of pointing fingers.
“We just haven’t been able to get it together,” Sanders said. “That’s not ’we.’ I haven’t been able to get it together.”
It was a blunt line, especially this deep into the season, and it set the tone for a Halloween matchup at Folsom Field. Sanders kept coming back to the same idea: the fix is simple to name, but not easy to live out for four quarters.
“But we gotta do better,” Sanders said. “Gotta prepare much better.”
In Other News...
Kansas State Suddenly Has A Quarterback Concern At The Worst Time
The Big 12 race keeps opening and closing in odd ways, with BYU and Texas Tech both getting tripped up in recent conference upsets while Utah remains the leagues lone unbeaten team but still has plenty of hard football ahead. For Kansas State, though, the bigger issue is much more immediate: the Wildcats are suddenly sorting through quarterback injuries at a point in the season when every conference game feels like it matters twice.
Avery Johnson is listed as day to day, and backup Jacob Knuth is injured as well, leaving Kansas State with an uneasy spot in the one place it can least afford one. The Wildcats have stayed in the hunt long enough to know how thin the margin is in the Big 12, and now their ability to keep pace may hinge on how quickly the depth chart settles before the next round of games arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Adds Intrigue To Kansas State's Biggest Road Test Yet
Colorados weekly press conference added a little extra texture to Kansas States biggest road test yet, with Deion Sanders taking a moment to acknowledge what the Wildcats are dealing with on the opposite sideline. Sanders spoke with respect about former Kansas State coach Chris Klieman and also had praise for Collin Klein, who is guiding the program in his first season as head coach. It was the kind of pregame chatter that matters because it underscores how much attention this matchup has drawn, even before kickoff.
Sanders own background and influence on college football are part of why his comments carry so much weight, but the focus in Manhattan is less on the sound bites than on the challenge ahead. Kansas State will face a Colorado team that knows how to command the spotlight, while Klein continues to put his stamp on the Wildcats in a transition year that already has some intrigue around it. With the game approaching, the conversation around this one is as much about coaching voices and program direction as it is about what happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Has The Edge But Colorado Still Brings One Real Threat
Colorado comes into Halloween week in rough shape, carrying a five-game losing streak and sitting at the bottom of the Big 12 in Football Power Index. The numbers point firmly toward Kansas State when the teams meet on Oct. 31, especially with the Wildcats in a much better spot in the race for bowl eligibility. Kansas States profile is stronger across the board, and that alone makes this a game the Wildcats should expect to control.
Still, Colorado has one place where it can make Kansas State pay if things get loose. The Wildcats will need to be sharp around quarterback Avery Johnson and the run game led by Rodney Fields and Joe Jackson, because even a struggling opponent can hang around if it finds an opening. Colorados path to turning this into a real game is thin, but it exists, and that is enough to keep some attention on how Kansas State handles it. [Read more 🡒]