Deion Sanders is staying the course at quarterback, and Isaac Wilson will get the nod again when Colorado hosts No. 11 Utah on Saturday.
The Buffs are 2-3 and trying to snap a four-game skid coming out of the bye week, but Sanders said Tuesday that Wilson remains the right answer for now. That belief holds even after Wilson’s first start at Colorado ended with three interceptions.
“Isaac is always up to the test,” Deion Sanders said Tuesday. “This isn’t any different.
Isaac is the same Isaac, man. He doesn’t flinch.
“He doesn’t place blame. He is what he is.”
Wilson entered the lineup at halftime of Colorado’s Big 12 opener against Baylor, taking over for Julian Lewis. He gave the offense a lift in the second half of that game, then delivered another early spark the next week against Texas Tech.
Colorado opened that game with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive directed by Wilson. After that, though, the day unraveled. He completed 59% of his passes for 290 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions.
“We have one glaring problem,” Deion Sanders said after the game. “You guys know what that is.
Let’s stop the foolishness, man. We have one glaring problem.
“We have to play better at one position.”
Now Wilson gets a matchup with the school he used to play for. The Utah transfer appeared in 10 games there, making seven starts, and Saturday gives him a shot against his former team.
Colorado also appears set to lean more on the run than it did against Texas Tech. Wilson dropped back 55 times and threw 44 passes in that game, his first start in nearly two years, and Sanders said that kind of volume is not the plan.
“We don’t want to throw the ball 40-plus times,” Deion Sanders said Tuesday. “We don’t want to get into that because we’re not great when we throw it that much.”
Wilson will face a stiff challenge from a Utah defense that leads the Big 12 in scoring defense. Julian Lewis and Kaneal Sweetwyne will serve as Colorado’s backups as the Buffs try to spring a Top-25 upset.
Sanders said his relationship with Wilson allows for a little edge, too.
“Isaac is the kind of guy, this really happened, I said make sure you throw the ball to our team,” Deion Sanders said Tuesday. “We can joke like that because Isaac is one of those kids, man.
He ain’t taking that too hard. He’s not going to cry and have a pity party because that’s the balance of our relationship.
“We can get down like that. And then when he does something, yeah, ‘what you got to say now?’ That’s how Isaac gets down with me.”
In Other News...
Utahs Playoff Path May Be About To Get A Lot Easier
The College Football Playoff appears headed for another major shake-up, and for programs like Utah, the timing could matter a lot. The latest proposal would push the field from 12 teams to 24, giving more room for high-level teams from leagues such as the Big 12 and, in a broader sense, the kind of West Coast programs that have long had to navigate a narrower path to the postseason.
The format under discussion would lock in spots for the four Power Four champions, the top Group of Six team and a deep pool of at-large bids, while shifting the first two rounds to campus sites before the later rounds move to New Years Six bowls. It is still moving through the approval process, but the direction of travel is clear, and it could change not just Utahs margin for error, but the way the Utes are judged in any given season. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs Volatile Punt Return Spot Just Took Another Turn
Utahs punt return job has been one of the quieter moving parts on the roster, but it shifted again in the win over Kansas when receiver Creed Whittemore handled two punts. The change came after Mana Carvalho briefly stepped out of the role, giving the Utes another look at a spot that has already seen some turnover this season.
Morgan Scalley later clarified that Carvalho has passed concussion protocol and is still Utahs primary punt returner, which settles at least the immediate question at the position. The timing matters for a team trying to keep its special teams steady, and it came during a week when the program also had bigger-picture news off the field, with the Board of Trustees approving plans for stadium improvements. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Gets A Huge Chance To Change Everything Against Utah
Colorado is looking at Saturdays matchup with Utah as a chance to stop the slide and reset a season that has gone sideways over a three-game losing streak. Hosting the No. 11 Utes is not exactly the easiest way to do it, but the Buffs do have some familiar faces to lean on, with quarterback Isaac Wilson and wide receiver Joseph Williams among the names carrying the load on offense.
Utah, meanwhile, arrives unbeaten in conference play and with the kind of balance that has made it one of the tougher teams to slow down. Devon Dampier is steering the offense, and the Utes have also leaned on the ground game to keep defenses honest, which leaves Colorado needing a clean performance at home if it wants to turn the week into something more than just another difficult outing. [Read more 🡒]