Deion Sanders reflects on how Colorado getting 'butts kicked' vs. Oregon helped him

Through three weeks of his debut season at Colorado, Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes were riding as high as anyone as the talk of college football. That was before traveling to Eugene for their fourth game and getting a healthy helping from the Ducks in taking their first loss of the year.

Sanders spoke about that loss specifically and what it meant with Joel Klatt on ‘Big Noon Conversations’. When Klatt asked for a post-season evaluation from him, he said that 36-point defeat to Oregon was enough to evaluate from to begin with

“Let me go back. Let me take you to my in-season evaluation,” Sanders laughed. “A coach knows, man. I could sit here and – first of all, I don’t lie and I’m not going to blow smoke to you. After we got our butts kicked in the Oregon game, I said you better get me now.”

No. 19 Colorado lost 42-6 to No. 10 Oregon inside Autzen Stadium to open Pac-12 play for both. On offense, the Ducks put up an efficient 522 yards of offense at 7.2 yards per play. Then, on defense, they held the Buffs to under 200 yards as they were shutout until the final three minutes of the game. Shedeur Sanders was sacked a season-high tying seven times while the run game produced just 40 yards at 1.6 per carry.

Everything about that game was an example for Coach Prime. While he had clear talent at key positions, neither of their lines were ready for that type of competition yet.

“You better get me now because I knew we didn’t have what we needed to play at that level of consistency. We didn’t have what we needed to play at certain levels against certain teams. We didn’t have everything in-house,” Sanders said. “Although we may have believed that we could compete with them, in the trenches? I knew. I knew.”

“Skill positions? Oh yeah, yeah. We got that because that’s the attractability that I come with with first off. So I’m going to attract the skill positions – we good, we go head-to-head with anybody. But, when it comes to those trenches, we didn’t have what we needed and that’s where we suffered,” said Sanders.

However, while that was the case, that also ended up being a potential advertisement for Colorado. They may not have had good-enough linemen on that day but others saw that outing and might have realized that they could be a missing piece for the Buffaloes.

“So, guess what? The whole world gets to see that. I’m not the only one that saw that. So now the players that say, ‘Ay, I could come there and help. I can be part of that,'” Sanders explained. “Now you’re able to acquire and attain those type of young men that can get you to the next level, that can protect Shedeur.”

That blowout at Oregon was first, and one of the worst, of eight eventual losses for Colorado. Still, it was also one that taught them everything that they needed to about competing and what it takes at the level that many want to see them play at under Sanders.