Deion Sanders Gets Candid After Colorado's Upset Win Over Iowa State

BOULDER — Belief.

The Colorado Buffaloes reinvigorated what they've been missing in their first Big 12 win on Saturday, upsetting the No. 22 Iowa State Cyclones 24-17. It's coach Deion Sanders' first win over an AP Top 25 team since his debut against TCU in 2023 and Colorado's first against a ranked team at home since 2019.

A resilient win, including a standout performance from wide receiver Joseph Williams and a bend-don't-break day for the defense, was cathartic for "Coach Prime." Fans stormed the field as Colorado now looks to turn its season around.

Opening Statement:

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"I got this favorite spot on campus. I just know how to get there. I can't tell you where it is, but it's a beautiful lake there, and some wonderful seats that face the lake. And I've claimed that as my prayer spot, and I went there this morning to pray and be good with decision-making and understanding all the different nuances of the game, so I could be on my game in sharp," said Sanders.

"So I kind of felt, in my spirit, that the outcome would be what it was. I thought it would be greater, that we would win by 14, actually. Wonderful team. Well-coached, quarterback made some phenomenal plays. First downs troubled us early on in the game. Defense got it together, though."

"Thank God for the sellout crowd. It's one of the most beautiful things that you ever want to see standing on that side, looking behind our bench and looking across to see over 50,000 radical, passionate fans. I love these kids and these adults and everybody that's fanbase to life. . . ."

"Phenomenal, phenomenal day. It doesn't seem like it, but I'm so darn happy for these young men and the staff and everybody involved in our program. We fought for this one throughout the week, staying on their butts, making sure we're not accepting mediocrity, because that can happen when you lose a couple games straight. . . Great day, I'm happy," Sanders continued.

On The Win's Importance:

"It's very important. It's kind of vital. Your season could go this way or that way, and the most frustrating part about it is that we're good. And I know this sounds crazy, especially when you say the record aloud, but we're good. We haven't really gotten our butts kicked."

"I grew up taking a good whooping, so I don't mind that, but when we're losing with self-inflicted wounds, it bothers you, but today, right before we completed that third down pass, we said, guys, this is it. This is game. We get this first down, we're gonna win. We don't, we put it on the defense. Anything can happen. And I think they had two, two or three timeouts at the time, so it was gonna be tough, but we got it. We persevered."

On The Fans Rushing The Field:

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes fans celebrate defeating the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"I love it. I want to see the kids rush the field. I absolutely love it. Hats off to our security team. They do a good job ushering me in. But I love to see it. I really do."

On The Impending Big 12 Fine:

"That ain't right. I mean, these kids, well, we have 50,000 right there. We can chip in. Let's chip in."

On Kaidon Salter's Performance:

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Kaidon Salter (3) passes the ball in the first quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"We challenge everybody, not just Kaidon. He stood up and stood out. He did his thing. I don't think it was a play in the game bigger than that third-down throw. And to stand in there. First of all, we gave him a clean pocket to line, hats off to the darn line. They're blocking their butts off running as well as pass."

"And [Salter] stood in there, and he delivered a great ball. Joseph [Williams] went up and got that thing. It was a great execution of what we practice. And I'm happy for him. I'm happy for him. I truly am."

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On If This Win Can Turn The Season Around:

"We should have been winning, man, and we're still upset with that. The locker room has a different vibe today, and it's a different challenge given at the conclusion of the matter, but we're better than what our record says, and sometimes it's coaching. You analyze everything. You're still in that mode, that competitive mode," said Sanders.

"I'm still thinking about games and what I could have done better, what we could have done better. And I'm thinking about these yards rushing that we've given up. So when you've given up those types of numbers, that's clock, that's possessions, and that's taking possessions out of the hands of the offense. . . . We can't have three-and-outs, not with the capability of what we have in that locker room. But coaches got it right. We fixed it, and we went out there and overcame adversity."

On Overcoming Second-Half Struggles:

"I like that when you put in the work and you see the results, then you understand what triggered everything. It's the work, and they put in the work. And we went over situational football quite a bit this week, as well as last week, and we did better with some things that happened in the TCU game this week. We did much better in some of those things. So when you put in the work, you're going to see the results, ultimately, in some form or fashion."

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive lineman Alexander McPherson (98) celebrates a defensive play in the first quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"Situational football and challenging guys to step up. When you're trying to get it together and you're trying to win games that you've lost, and you're rallying these guys up, and one guy wants to stand up and talk, it's hard for him to talk when he's not doing his job."

"So those guys understand, don't say nothing unless you're balling. You can't say it. So that was a challenge to them by their teammates as but as by the coaching staff, and they got it right. So now they can stand up proudly and profess what we need to do."

On Joseph Williams:

"Joseph's been doing his thing. We've got to get it to him. That's it, straight up. We've got to get it to him. We got a great receiving corps man. These guys can play. And we got balance running during football. I think we were 39 rushing plays, 25 passing. . . But Joseph is a dog man. He was a dog where he played a year ago. We're happy to get him, and I've been knowing him for years, his family for years, so I'm glad he chose us."