Deion Sanders, who was known as “Prime Time” during his playing days, definitely prefers early game times.
This preference shows his coaching side, even though the late-night games do give the Colorado Buffaloes more visibility on national TV.
At his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sanders shared a list of things he likes and dislikes. On the “likes” side, he mentioned the well-kept grass on campus, the strong performance of his defense, the better health of two-way star Travis Hunter, and being close to bowl eligibility.
On the “dislikes” side, he expressed concern about relying too much on analytics instead of gut feelings and, of course, those late starts that can keep him up past his bedtime.
“We don’t like it, but we do love it,” Sanders said, as the Buffaloes (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) prepare to host Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday with a kickoff set for 10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN. “We’re not going to turn our nose up at being on national television. Yeah, we could argue with the time, but we’re still appreciative and thankful.”
The Buffaloes’ late-night games are often exciting. For example, they defeated Baylor last month with a Hail Mary touchdown to tie the game and a key forced fumble by Hunter to win in overtime.
This week, Sanders plans to change the team’s routine to ensure everyone is alert for the Bearcats. “To make sure we get the proper sleep, the proper rest, and we’re ready and prepared for kickoff, regardless of whatever time it is,” Sanders said.
Sanders mentioned that the Buffaloes expect a healthier version of Travis Hunter, who was limited in last Saturday’s 34-7 win at Arizona to help his sore shoulder recover. He had two catches for 17 yards on offense and one tackle on defense.
“He’s on point with his conditioning because he never tires, and we want to keep that as it is,” Sanders said about his Heisman candidate receiver/cornerback. “He will definitely contribute a lot more than he did a week ago because he’s healthier.”
In his second year in Boulder, the Buffaloes are just one win away from the program’s first six-win season since 2016, when they finished 10-4 under coach Mike MacIntyre and went to the Alamo Bowl. They also went to the same bowl four years later in a 4-2 season that was limited by COVID under Karl Dorrell.
“We’ve earned what we are,” Sanders said. “But we actually feel like we’re better than what we are because we’re just starting to see the results of the work and the understanding of the expectations we have for ourselves.
“We could be in a much better place, but we control our own destiny, and we like that.”
They are in title contention in a crowded Big 12 that has two undefeated teams (No. 11 BYU and No. 10 Iowa State) and four others with one loss in conference play (No. 16 Kansas State, Cincinnati, Colorado, and Texas Tech).
Colorado’s offense is scoring well (31 points per game) thanks to Shedeur Sanders, even though the running game is still struggling at times.
The defense has recorded 16 sacks in the last three games, including seven sacks against the Wildcats.
“We expect that. We expect them to be where they are right now,” the elder Sanders said about his pass rushers. “We expected that several weeks ago. They’re just now meeting the expectations we have for them.” Just don’t bring up analytics.
“Who is the guy named analytics? I never met him. I’ve never seen him. I don’t know what he looks like. Is he a winner? Is he wealthy? Is he broke? Who is he? I don’t know what he looks like,” Sanders joked.
“You’ve got to know your team. Forget analytics, man. You’ve got to know your team and what they’re capable of.
“Sometimes, it’s just self-explanatory. I wasn’t a math major in college, but I was pretty smart. I’m not going to sit there and do mathematics on the sideline.”
