Following a tight 31-28 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) late Saturday night, Colorado head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders didn’t mince words when discussing the performance of his eldest son, Shilo Sanders.
“I thought he played horrible,” coach Sanders said during the postgame press conference. “I thought he was rusty. I thought he didn’t have his footing.”
Shilo returned to action after missing three games due to a forearm injury suffered in Week 2’s loss to Nebraska. The Buffs went 3-0 in the graduate safety’s absence, raising questions on how the defensive back’s hard-hitting, aggressive playstyle affects CU’s overall defense.
When adjusting for sacks, the black and gold surrendered 221 yards on the ground to the Wildcats, led by tailback DJ Giddens. The junior logged 25 carries for 182 yards and averaged 7.3 yards per carry, including a rush in which he faked Shilo so well that the safety dropped to his knees attempting a tackle.
“He’s coming up trying to make the play, but open field; one on one tackle with that kind of back, that ain’t an easy task,” coach Sanders continued. “But he’s going to do better. I know what he has in him.”
Shilo and Colorado (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) now look to bounce back, taking to the road to face the Arizona Wildcats (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) next Saturday. Kickoff from Tuscon is set for 2 pm MT.