Deion Sanders searching for answers after Colorado loss to TCU
- Colorado football fell to 2-4 after a 35-21 loss to TCU, marking their third consecutive Big 12 defeat.
- Quarterback Kaidon Salter’s performance, including three interceptions, has drawn criticism and raised questions about the position.
- Sanders is also dealing with health concerns, citing significant leg pain and a doctor’s appointment to check for blood clots.
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders got frustrated Saturday night after his team suffered a 35-21 loss at TCU. His face was sweating. His leg was “hurting like crazy.” And flies were buzzing around him, bothering him. So he interrupted his postgame news conference to call them out.
“Where are flies coming from?” Sanders asked. “Are we that stinking that flies are flying around like buzzards with helmets on? Jesus.”
Sanders had to wonder after his team stunk it up again after taking a 14-0 lead for the second week in a row, only to lose again with substandard quarterback play down the stretch. The loss drops Colorado to 2-4 in Sanders’ third season as coach, including 0-3 in Big 12 Conference play.
Quarterback Kaidon Salter threw three interceptions on the night, reminding the Buffaloes just how much they miss Sanders’ quarterback son Shedeur, now a backup with the Cleveland Browns. Salter, a transfer from Liberty, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another but failed to convert after halftime, when the Buffs punted on four of their first five possessions.
“We seem like we faint instead of overcoming that adversity,” Sanders said.
What next for Deion Sanders and Colorado after this?
Sanders has a doctor’s appointment on Monday to find out if he has more blood clots in his leg. He admitted to being in pain Saturday night, raising questions about his health after recovering from bladder cancer in May. Then comes a home game against No. 12 Iowa State on Saturday, Oct. 11.
Unless something changes, this season could go south in a hurry. But Sanders didn’t use his pain as an excuse or absolve himself of blame.
“For some strange reasons, we’re not preparing these young men and equipping them enough to get over that hump, because we get to the same situational football every week,” Sanders said.
That situation is building a lead and then blowing it. It happened last week, when BYU freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier outplayed Salter by seizing the moment. It happened again Saturday, when TCU quarterback Josh Hoover threw four touchdown passes and ran for another.
As a result, Salter’s critics grew louder on social media.
“We need!! a real power 4 QB man!” former Colorado running back Phillip Lindsay wrote on social media site X. “It’s ridiculous!!”
What will Deion Sanders do at quarterback now?
Colorado previously benched Salter for one game in favor of former third-string quarterback Ryan Staub. Celebrated freshman Julian Lewis is waiting for his chance, too, but has only appeared in one game and attempted four passes.
“We got to stay together,” Salter said afterward. “And that’s one big thing you have to do when you’re having a season like we’re having so far.”
It wasn’t all Salter’s fault. Among other things, a big miscue on a punt return in the fourth quarter put the Buffs on the losing track. The game was tied at 21-21 with about seven minutes left when TCU punted to Colorado freshman returner Quentin Gibson, who misplayed it instead of calling for a fair catch. TCU recovered the bouncing ball and took over at the Colorado 27-yard line. Three plays later, Hoover threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to help the Horned Frogs take a 28-21 lead with 5:44 left.
“It was just a freshman mistake, man,” Sanders said. “You gotta run up and fair-catch that.”
No ‘disrespect’ to TCU, but Sanders feels Colorado is better
Hoover added another touchdown pass of 21 yards to account for the final score with 19 seconds remaining. He completed 23 of 33 passes for 275 yards. Salter completed 18 of 29 for 217 yards while adding only 11 yards rushing on seven carries.
Sanders said he’s seeking a “killer” mentality that hasn’t been there much yet.
“I feel like we’re the better team,” Sanders said, adding that he meant no disrespect to TCU. “Felt like that last week, the week before. But yet it’s still we in this situation.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
