This September, the college football world was Colorado's oyster.
Led by coach Deion Sanders, the Buffaloes were must-see TV. In a three-week span, they upset defending Fiesta Bowl champion TCU, blew out Nebraska, and won a double-overtime thriller against rival Colorado State. Even their losses—to No. 10 Oregon and No. 8 USC—generated excitement and interest.
October was a different story. Colorado has gone 1–3 since the calendar turned, including a blown 29-point lead against Stanford and listless performances against UCLA and Oregon State. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders has remained dynamic, but his play hasn't translated to wins.
Despite everything, the elder Sanders has continued to express pride in his son's achievements.
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“The way he’s handled adversity. We’re in the same book. We’ve always won. So this is tremendously tough, hitting this hurdle that we’ve hit. So I don’t see him flinching. I don’t see him, no quit in him. No shutdown,” the coach told reporters Tuesday. "He’s studying and preparing just as he would any other time. The same preparation when we were winning."
To attain bowl eligibility, the Buffaloes will have to take two of their final three from No. 23 Arizona, Washington State, and No. 13 Utah.
Whether or not that happens, it seems evident that the elder Sanders will be proud of his team's perseverance in his first year either way.
“(Shedeur’s) body’s tremendously sore. He’s doing some of the things that he doesn’t do to go out there and make sure that he can be his best,” Sanders added. “So I’m proud of the young fella. I really am. I’m proud of all the kids on the team.”
