Deion Sanders: Colorado offense has to 'move the darn football,' get defense off the field

Colorado finds itself in a position it hasn’t been in this year. The Buffaloes trail at halftime, carrying a 21-14 deficit into the locker room Saturday night at Folsom Field.

It hasn’t been the high-powered offense fans have seen through two games this season. Colorado had just 94 total yards of offense in the first two halves and allowed Colorado State to total 262 yards. The defense struggled against Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who had 194 yards and a touchdown to lead the way.

But for Deion Sanders, he wasn’t concerned about the defense. He called on the offense to play better and keep the defense on the sideline.

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“Forget the defense. We’ve got to move the darn football,” Sanders told ESPN’s Quint Kessenich on his way to the locker room. “We’re not doing anything to move the football, to get the defense off the field, honestly. I mean, a trick play and that fumble recovery for the touchdown that’s in there. Explosive plays. We’ve got to do more offensively to get the defense off the field.”

Sanders’ point comes from the time of possession difference. Colorado State has possession for 18:16 in the first half while Colorado only had the ball for 9:36. That means the Buffaloes’ defense has spent nearly twice as much time on the field as the offense, which looked shaky to start.

Shedeur Sanders struggled mightily through two quarters in the rivalry matchup, completing 13 of 16 passes for just 64 yards along with a touchdown and an interception. To put it in perspective, he entered the game averaging 451.5 yards per game.

There didn’t seem to be much flow from the Colorado offense, and Deion Sanders knew that. He made it clear that was going to be a conversation in the locker room.

“We’ve got to fix that,” Sanders said. “It’s in there. We’ve got to fix that right here in halftime. … I’m gonna address all of it.”

In its third game of the Coach Prime era, Colorado is facing its first halftime adversity. The way the Buffaloes respond will show fans their true colors just in time for Pac-12 play to start.

The schedule won’t get easier. After Saturday’s game against Colorado State, Colorado heads to Oregon and then will play USC. This is the first of many tests to come, and the response to the deficit could help show some people — such as national championship-winning coach Urban Meyer — Sanders’ group can step up in tough times.

“If they can stay healthy, I’m saying they can at least compete for a championship,” Meyer said Friday. “If they get dinged — which I hate to say, that’s going to happen. Anytime you compete for a championship, especially … in the rugged Pac-12. The Pac-12 is rugged.”