Deion Sanders has brought No. 18 Colorado to lofty heights just two games into his coaching tenure.
The Buffaloes will take aim at a 3-0 start under the new head coach when they face rival Colorado State (0-1) on Saturday in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Boulder, Colo.
Colorado has scored impressive wins over TCU and Nebraska, and new head coach Sanders is promising more big moments are on the horizon.
But enjoy the fast start? Let it sink in?
The guy who refers to himself as “Coach Prime” has no interest in that.
“I don’t have time to enjoy the moment,” Sanders said during his Tuesday press conference. “Santa don’t have time. He got to deliver the gifts. He ain’t got time to enjoy his cookies. OK, that’s all he gets.
“I ain’t got time for that. I gotta keep it going. I gotta keep this machine going and make sure we stay on the right path.”
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of the coach, has his own set of gifts, and he has displayed them in his first two outings for the Buffaloes.
Shedeur Sanders has completed 69 of 89 passes — a stellar 77.5 percent — while throwing for 903 yards and six touchdowns. He hasn’t been intercepted.
Though the younger Sanders has vaulted himself into Heisman Trophy consideration, he still has a chip on his shoulder about the preseason perception of his team by outsiders.
“We want everybody talking about Colorado,” Shedeur Sanders said. “Everyone’s talking about how they don’t believe us, so we have to be consistent.”
Shedeur Sanders accompanied his older brother, Shilo, a safety for the Buffaloes, on Shilo’s recruiting trip to Colorado State, located in Fort Collins, in December 2018. Deion Sanders said Tuesday that his sons enjoyed the trip, which occurred while Mike Bobo was Colorado State’s head coach.
Meanwhile, the Rams have dropped 24 consecutive games against ranked foes since beating then-No. 7 Colorado in 2002 during Sonny Lubick’s tenure as coach.
Colorado State has lost the past five meetings — the most recent was in 2019 — and the players understand an upset win on Saturday would rate as a major milestone.
“There’s a lot of history behind this game,” Rams linebacker Chase Wilson said of the rivalry. “It’s bigger than our team, it’s bigger than an individual. It’s been played for a while.”
Right he is. The first meeting was in 1893. The Buffaloes lead the series 67-22-2.
Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi will start on Saturday after faring well in relief during a 50-24 home loss to Washington State to open the season on Sept. 2. The Rams had a bye last week.
Starting QB Clay Millen exited with a sprained shoulder in the second half. Fowler-Nicolosi entered and completed 13 of 20 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Colorado State scored 21 fourth-quarter points with Fowler-Nicolosi at the helm.
“The time is right for Bray to get an opportunity,” Rams coach Jay Norvell said. “He sparked us, drove for a couple scores. The bottom line is we’ve got to score points and be more effective, and we’ve got to be competitive and lead at that position.”
Colorado State allowed 556 total yards and 30 first downs against Washington State, and signal-caller Cameron Ward set his Cougars high with 451 passing yards. That doesn’t bode well for the Rams’ defensive unit as it tries to slow a Colorado attack averaging 40.5 points and 509.5 yards per game.
