This could have gotten out of hand fairly quickly given Deion Sanders’ personality. Coach Prime played with a chip on his shoulder and he wants his team to play the same way. Sanders will take any quote from an opposing coach or player and turn it into motivation.
In the preseason, Oregon coach Dan Lanning said Colorado hasn’t been a factor since joining the Pac-12 in 2009 and hasn’t won anything significant.
Lanning isn’t wrong.
But now with Sanders at the helm, he brought in over 50 new players and has the Buffaloes 3-0 and ranked 19th in the country. He was asked about Lanning’s comments in his weekly press conference and surprisingly, there wasn’t a speech about disrespect or bulletin boards. It was quite the opposite.
“I respect the heck out of this man (Lanning) and what he’s accomplished, stepping in, taking over that program, not only keeping it rocking steady but accelerating it,” Sanders said. “I love who he is, I love the way he runs his team, the way he operates, so I got a lot of respect for him.”
Perhaps Sanders tone would be different if his Buffaloes team were coming into Autzen 100 percent healthy. Unfortunately for Colorado, they are not. It’ll be missing a huge piece of their puzzle with two-way star Travis Hunter out with an injury. Sanders knows replacing Hunter on either side of the ball is a very difficult task.
“No one in the country can fill Travis Hunter’s shoes. He’s a unique player, he’s one of a kind.,” Sanders said. “He’s the best player on offense. He’s the best player on defense. That’s just who he is. We need guys to step up and do what we ask them to do.”
Even Lanning was looking forward to watch Hunter play in person on the Autzen field.
“He’s a special player. I absolutely hate that for Travis (that he’ll be out). He’s a dynamic kid,” Lanning said. “He’s got a special personality and obviously is tremendous on the football field. I hate not to get to see him play in this game because he’s meant for a stage like this that we’re going to have this Saturday.”
Colorado still has quarterback Shedeur Sanders and as long as he’s healthy and on the field, the Buffaloes will have a chance in every game they play.
“Shedeur’s consistency impresses me. He’s a knowledgeable kid,” Coach Sanders and Shedeur’s father said. “Sometimes he was reluctant to let his personality go, but now, he’s home. He’s got comfortable.”
Oregon’s task is to make Shedeur Sanders as uncomfortable as possible on Saturday.