For the first time in 14 years, the Colorado Buffaloes are set to play a Big 12 league game. So don’t try to spoil the program’s exciting weekend.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders quickly checked his weather app when he heard there might be rain Saturday night against Baylor.
“We’ve got rain? What forecast you got?” Sanders said at his weekly news conference on Tuesday. “I’m one of those good weather (people) — when you say 60% (rain), I say there’s a 40% chance that it won’t.”
Sanders was in a cheerful mood after a 28-9 victory over Colorado State last weekend. He played down the idea that the upcoming conference game is more important than any other game. For him, it’s just another chance to win.
“We know we’ve got to win no matter who’s on the opposing side,” said Sanders, whose team finished its nonconference schedule with a 2-1 record.
“But no, we don’t say, ‘Oh, this is a conference game. We’ve got to go harder.’ If you’ve got to go harder, you shouldn’t be going anyway.”
The last time the Buffaloes played a Big 12 conference game was on November 26, 2010, when they lost 45-17 to Nebraska. Colorado moved to the Pac-12 in 2011 before coming back to the Big 12 this season.
Baylor (2-1) has had the upper hand over Colorado for more than ten years, thanks to a 31-25 victory in Boulder on October 16, 2010. In that game, Baylor’s star quarterback Robert Griffin III threw for 234 yards and a touchdown and ran for 137 yards.
Sanders still has a close relationship with Griffin. “RG3, when he was at Baylor, it was poetry in motion,” Sanders said of Griffin, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2011.
“I’ve got nothing but love for RG3, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to be conflicted inside because he wants us to do our thing, but that’s his alma mater. So I’m pretty sure he’s going to be wearing green with probably a gold necklace on.”
For the Buffaloes, this game is all about building on their performance against the Rams. In Fort Collins, Shedeur Sanders threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns, supported by an offensive line that is improving.
The running game also picked up with freshman Micah Welch, and two-way star Travis Hunter excelled on both offense and defense.
This is a positive move for a team that won its opening game against FCS North Dakota State but faced difficulties in a loss to Nebraska. On Tuesday, Sanders addressed the issue of how college players are criticized.
“Once upon a time, you guys never attacked college players,” Sanders told the media. “Now they’re making more money than y’all, and some of y’all are envious about that.
So you’re on the attack. It was hands-off a college player because he’s an amateur. Remember that, guys? Now it’s hands-on — go at them any kind of way you want.
“I know you’re going to do your job and what you must do, but your job does not say attack. If they didn’t play well, leave it at that.”
Deion Sanders is trying to keep his players focused on the game and not on what is being said or written about them.
“Our young men, we’ve got to do a better job of equipping them with the ability to just keep on going and don’t look either right or left,” Sanders said. “Don’t look at the hate or the cheers. Just keep on going.”
Notes: Sanders was uncertain about the availability of injured tailback Dallan Hayden for the game against Baylor. “I like to see it at practice before I see it in the game. So if he’s able to play, he’s going to play,” Sanders said.
He mentioned that the same applies to injured defensive tackle Chidozie Nwankwo. Additionally, defensive lineman Taurean Carter underwent an undisclosed surgery and is “out, out,” according to Sanders.
