Head coach Deion Sanders enjoyed the biggest and arguably best win of his two-year tenure on Saturday, leading his Colorado football team past the UCF Knights, 48-21.
Some point to rivalry victories, last year’s surreal debut against TCU or even the outrageous overtime game against Baylor as Sanders’ best CU win. But, the Knights were probably the best opponent the Buffs have beaten in the Coach Prime era. The most impressive part? It was easy.
The beatdown backed up Sanders’ postgame sentiment that Colorado football is heading where he would like.
“I feel like we’re trending in the right direction,” Sanders said. “You guys are seeing the fruit of a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, great hires. I don’t want to say ‘acquisitions,’ that’s almost like we’re in the pros, but when you’re dealing with money and stuff like that with NIL (name, image and likeness), you pretty much are. But, bringing in the right guys with the right attitudes, the right work ethic, I love where we are as a program. I really do. Could we be better? Of course. I think everyone can, but I think we’re trending in the right direction.”
There are places for improvement, as Sanders mentioned. After all, the Buffs’ embarrassing Week 2 performance against Nebraska wasn’t particularly smooth as they suffered their one loss of the season. Last year saw eight.
Yet the Buffs are 4-1 in 2024 and have already tied the number of conference wins they totaled in the last two seasons combined. Additionally, Colorado holds a Heisman frontrunner in wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, who joins multiple teammates with a rising NFL draft stock.
If the Buffs continue playing like they did against UCF, they may be better than “trending in the right direction.”
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