“We are on our way to where we’re headed, and I love the direction,” the Colorado football coach said at his weekly news conference.
His Buffaloes are 4-1 coming off a bye weekend and will play their sixth consecutive nationally televised game to open the season Saturday at home against Kansas State on ESPN.
They are 2-0 in Big 12 Conference play with a Heisman Trophy candidate, Travis Hunter, playing on both sides of the ball.
They also have won three consecutive games with a team that returns only a few starters from last year’s squad – including just three on offense.
But now comes a different kind of test with their first ranked opponent of the season – the No. 19 Wildcats (4-1). A win could propel the Buffs into a stretch run for the conference title. A loss could bring back memories of last year, when the Buffs lost six in a row to finish the season with a 4-8 record.
Deion Sanders likened it to successful shopping
Sanders said Tuesday that this year’s team is not the same as that one, which underwent a massive roster overhaul after his hiring in December 2022, including a purge of previous players.
“Yeah, we had to get rid of some luggage because we had a limited time to go shopping − and I do mean shopping,” Sanders said Tuesday after spending part of his off week on his estate in Texas. “And it’s unfortunate. That’s what we do now in college football, even with guys out of high school. You’re shopping, and you hope this outfit look good on you. But sometimes it don’t when it gets in the light. So it’s a good thing. We’re happy where we are, but we’re a long way from where we want to be.”
Sanders still flipped the roster again after last year, bringing in 39 new scholarship transfer players while at least 36 players left the team who still had college eligibility remaining. Of those 36 departures, 31 were recruits signed by Sanders since his arrival in December 2022.
“Everybody on the team I feel like has a pro mindset,” said Colorado running back Dallan Hayden, a transfer from Ohio State. “Everybody bashes us for bringing a bunch of (transfer) portal guys here, but you know we brought a bunch of portal guys that came from winning programs on this team, and I feel like all the guys are like bringing that winning mentality.”
Whether the results are much different than last year could hinge in part on Saturday, when one of those former players might play a big role. Running back Dylan Edwards transferred from Colorado to Kansas State after last season and is part of a rushing attack that ranks No. 7 nationally with 252.2 yards per game, including 40.2 yards per game from Edwards.
“I’m proud of him,” Sanders said of Edwards. “I just don’t want him to perform well against us.”
Safety Shilo Sanders returns
Sanders said his son Shilo, Colorado’s starting safety, will return Saturday after missing the last three games with a broken forearm. He is wearing a rubber cast after suffering the injury in Colorado’s only loss this season – Sept. 7 at Nebraska.
“We should have the entire starting defense this week,” Deion Sanders said.
Colorado’s defense this season has shown it knows how to clamp down under pressure. It ranks seventh nationally in red-zone defense with only 13 scores allowed in 21 opponent opportunities inside the red zone. Colorado also has allowed only seven points or fewer after halftime in four of its five games.
A 4-1 record “is great, but we can do better,” Colorado defensive lineman Chidozie Nwankwo said Tuesday. “We know we leave stuff on the table each and every game.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com