Deion Sanders didn’t dodge questions or assign blame. He stood alone and took it all.
“Don’t attack the coordinators. Don’t attack the players. Come at me,” Sanders said following Colorado’s 52–17 loss to Arizona, the program’s most lopsided home defeat of his tenure. “This has nothing to do with them. It’s on me.”
The Buffaloes fell behind 38–7 by halftime. Throughout the game they were undone by five turnovers, 14 penalties, and a string of explosive plays that silenced Folsom Field. Sanders opened by telling reporters nobody else would be speaking. “No one will be available tonight,” he said. “It’s on me.”
When asked what it will take to improve, Sanders didn’t hesitate. “Have no idea. If I knew, I wouldn’t have allowed it to happen. It’s on me. Straight out on me. We’re not executing. We’re not getting it done. And that’s from lack of preparation, I suppose. That’s on me.”
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When a reporter pressed whether his players had checked out, Sanders’ tone sharpened. “No, sir. I know this team personally. I know this team intimately. I know a multitude of players. They haven’t done that,” he said. “I know when a player quits. I know a quitter when I see one. Haven’t seen that.”
Still, discipline, a problem that defined the night, was not something he ignored. “Fourteen penalties tonight for 110 yards. It’s probably a record since I’ve been here,” Sanders said. “Doesn’t make sense. Especially when I think we’ve been rated in the top, got to be top 25 or whatever, penalties this season. We’ve been doing good. Today, just horrible penalty-wise. Horrible.”
He admitted the team’s struggles were difficult to diagnose but not invisible. “If I knew the disconnect, I would tell you. You know I’m transparent. I’m trying my best not to say what I want to say and I’m trying my best not to give everything,” Sanders said. “But I know what the situation is. I know what the problem is, and I’ll fix it.”
The emotion peaked when the subject turned to family. “Forget the game. Forget this. Forget that. I haven’t seen my son in a long time,” Sanders said of Shedeur’s return for homecoming. “That was quite emotional for me.”
He closed the night simply, the way he began it. “Aim at me,” he said. “Leave the other guys alone and their kids. All right? Aim at me. I’m good for it…I never doubt me…I’m built for this.”
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