Source: Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images / Getty
Deion Sanders has already proven that he’s more than just a talker as he and the Colorado Buffaloes walked the walk in beating TCU 45-42 in their season opener.
Pundits didn’t believe that Sanders would be able to win this quickly after three years at HBCU Jackson State. They thought his two sons, quarterback Shadeur and defensive star Shilo were nepo babies who wouldn’t carry their own weight in the new competitive landscape of a Power Five school. Colorado was a 20-point underdog facing TCU, the runner-up in the college football national championship last year.
But Deion’s motivational speech to his team set the tone for the win. His pre-game speech surfaced on Sunday and it explained the team’s success as much as anything did.
“It’s not about them, it’s about us,” Sanders said to the Buffs. “This has nothing to do with [TCU], this is about us. This ain’t got nothing to with the naysayers, the unbelievers, the haters or the doubters, this is about us. … We ain’t got tomorrow, we’ve got now. We ain’t got next, we’ve got now. We ain’t comin’ no more.”
Sanders has created a culture at Colorado that was lacking when the team went 1-11 in the season prior to getting Sanders to sign on as head coach. Colorado hired Sanders after he went 27-6 in three seasons with Jackson State, coming off a stint as a personality on NFL Network. Shadeur shocked pundits with his dominant skill set, helped by future NFL superstar Travis Hunter who played well on offense and defense, and running back Dylan Edwards.
The win propelled the Buffs from unranked to No. 21 on the list of ESPN’s power rankings. They play Nebraska, a perennial rival, in their home opener on Saturday.
The Buffs will be without a key player in Myles Slusher as Deion announced today that he’s “banged up” and will miss at least week two. Slusher’s absence may be a factor, as he’s a key part of the defense in what the team calls the STAR position, a combo of linebacker and defensive back.
For his efforts, Sanders was named the On3 Power 5 Coach of the Week.
See how social is saluting Sanders on the memorable season opener below:
