Colorado beat Wyoming 37–20 on Parents Weekend in front of 53,442 fans, but Deion Sanders made it clear afterward that he was far from satisfied with how his team closed the night.
“I’m happy with the results, but I’m not happy with the finish,” Sanders said. “Too much ha-ha on the sideline when we got the lead. We’ve got to have more killer instinct to really put teams away like we’re capable of doing.”
The Parents Weekend celebration added to the atmosphere in Boulder, and Sanders acknowledged what it meant to the program. “It was wonderful to see a lot of the parents on campus walking with their kids and doing some wonderful things because this is a wonderful university,” he said. “I just met one of the tremendous donors that attended school here. Now his daughter is attending school here and this exchange in pleasantries was phenomenal.”
Quarterback Kaidon Salter was the difference maker on the field, throwing for 304 yards on 18-of-28 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 86 yards and a score, including a 35-yard burst. Sanders praised his quarterback’s ability to make something out of nothing. “That’s the guy we wanted to see and that we’re seeing,” he said. “He hasn’t reached that potential yet, but he’s getting more and more comfortable with everything. He just made it happen off script. The timing was impeccable and he made some big throws, some big runs, especially the run at the end.”
47 YARDS TO THE CRIB ⚡️@JosephWQB1 x #GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/35tBtAxCmJ
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) September 21, 2025
Colorado finished with 193 rushing yards, its most since USC in 2023. Micah Welch added 67 yards on six carries, while Dekalon Taylor chipped in 22 yards. Dallan Hayden returned from injury to add 10 tough yards. Sanders insisted the depth is a reflection of competition. “He was physical,” Sanders said of Hayden. “These other guys are just really good. You know, it’s like when you get hurt now, you go to the back of the line, you’ve got to work your way back up. And we’re fair to everyone. You’ve got to work your way back up to the top.”
The offensive line, which surrendered only one sack, also earned praise. “They’re grading out tremendous,” Sanders said. “We changed it up a little bit on how we prepared the practice script and practice schedule, and we held each other accountable, not only holding the players accountable, coaches, us holding each other accountable as well. Accountability works when you’re open to it.”
On defense, Sanders was blunt about the lapses. “Nothing deep, nothing cheap,” he said. “It has been the second week consecutive that we’ve given up the deep ball and we’ve given up cheap runs and just broken runs. That third series, this is when we start tripping. If we take away those explosions that we surrender, it normally is a great defensive day.”
Nine different Buffs caught passes from Salter. Omarion Miller led the group with six receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown. Sincere Brown added a 68-yard score, while Joseph Williams broke free for a 47-yard touchdown. Terrell Timmons Jr. contributed two grabs for 30 yards, and Hykeem Williams added 26 yards on three catches. Sanders said the balance was a credit to his wideouts’ maturity. “Guys are not tripping,” he said. “You’ve got to understand a lot of these guys came from universities where they were the guy and the ball consistently came to them. But those guys ain’t built like that. We guys. It’s not me guys.”
Even after a convincing win, Sanders’ final message was clear. “We already dropped a game last week, so I’m not feeling good about how we finished,” he said. “We’ve got a good team when we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, but in conference play we’ve got to step it up tremendously.”
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