Skip Bayless defends Deion Sanders amid Dan Lanning call out

It’s been a bad afternoon for Colorado and Deion Sanders out in Eugene as the Ducks have poured it on. In the first half along, Oregon rolled up 35 points and shut out the visitors going into the break.

And Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was not shy in not-so-subtly calling out Sanders and Colorado for having more style than substance, a point the Ducks went about proving. And it’s got one polarizing sports media figure — Skip Bayless — already coming to Sanders’ defense.

“Yes, Deion has done a lot talking … because he’s great at it and he’s trying to send a recruiting message that Colorado is THE PLACE TO BE. The Lannings of the world are SCARED TO DEATH of what Deion is building. So Lanning can take his shots now, while he can. But #HeComing,” Bayless said on X/Twitter.

During both his pregame speech — which Lanning let the ABC cameras record and share — and his halftime comments, Lanning indicated he was not going to be taking his foot off the gas.

Lanning made a bold pregame speech to his players before the showdown between the Top 20 teams, not holding back in going after the way Colorado head Deion Sanders and his team have embraced the pedestal and media attention.

“Rooted in substance, not flash. Rooted in substance. Today, we talk with our pads,” Lanning said, before the video cut to later in the speech.

He continued.

“The Cinderella story is over, man They’re fighting for clicks, we’re fighting for wins. There’s a difference. This game ain’t going to played in Hollywood, it’s going to be played on the grass. It’s going to be played on the grass. Let’s go,” Lanning said before bringing his team up to take the field.

And speaking with ABC sideline reporter Katie George as the teams headed for the locker rooms at halftime, Lanning seemed ready to play the third quarter right then and there. He even called out all the viewers who have flocked to Colorado in recent weeks.

“Not done yet. We were composed, we executed at a really high level, but not done yet,” Lanning said. “We’re not satisfied. I hope all those people that have been watching every week are watching this week.”

Oregon punched in two touchdowns in the final minutes of the offense to turn a dominating performance into a thrashing. Keying it in was quarterback Bo Nix, who, outside of an interception, has been near perfect.

Nix went 22-of-24 for 217 yards, three touchdowns and the interception in the first half. He also punched in a rushing touchdown.

“Bo is an elite quarterback. Hopefully the nation sees that today,” Lanning said.