Deion Sanders Explains Puzzling Personnel Decision in Loss to Arizona State

Shadows shrouded the most empty Folsom Field of coach Deion Sanders' tenure on Saturday.

It poetically entrapped the Colorado Buffaloes' 2025 season: a hollow, bleak amalgamation of hope and potential. The Buffs fell to 3-8 after a home loss to the Arizona State Sun Devils and are poised to finish with their worst record of the "Coach Prime" era.

Sanders discussed the defeat's woefully familiar causes, its few bright spots and how he'll handle a year that has felt over for several weeks.

What Deion Sanders Said After Colorado Buffaloes Loss:

Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"The goal was not to inflict any wounds on ourselves, and we did that. The goal was to stop the running game because we figured they wouldn't profound a pass, and we gave up 355 yards rushing. Four turnovers, three points off the turnovers," said Sanders.

"Injuries, [safety Taqfiq] Byard, he didn't break [his hand], I don't believe, is what they said. So he's going to be okay. Two plays, to me, changed the whole course of the game: a fumble and explosion, right after the fumble. The gentleman [running back Ronald Coleman] who fumbled, that's on me. I put him in the game to try to have a change of pace. Figured he was going to hit it, and he hit it, and he fumbled it. It is what it is."

"Defensively, we've got to do much better. We forced turnovers, and offensively, we got to score. Didn't do any of that."

"It's tough. It's tough to think that we don't have more in the tank to come up with some things to take advantage of those situations. And that's situational football, we got to be much better than that, and we weren't. We weren't, and we aren't."

On What He'd Seen From Ronald Coleman To Give Him A Carry:

Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Ronald Coleman (45) fumbles the football in the fourth quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"Very explosive. Even the play he was in, he hit it. He was free. Nobody touched him. He hit it. He did what we thought he would do."

On Julian Lewis' Night:

"He wasn't settled. Never got settled. We've got to do better."

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On Evaluating Where Coach Kenny Dillingham Is Compared To Him:

"You're not happy with where we are. Not at all. I'm not going to compare myself to any other person. I let you guys do that. You guys do it really well, so I'm going to let you guys do that. I'm happy for him. I consider him a friend. I consider him a heck of a coach. He's coaching some heck of a players. They won. In the first half, you saw a team that was out there fighting and competing that should have had the upper hand, but we didn't."

"So I'm not going to just shower opposing teams with roses. When we were right there in the game, we were right there in the game, we we shot ourselves in the foot. . . We're doing a good job of beating ourselves."

On How To Address The Run Defense:

"I can't really disclose that, where you start, but the process is already started."

On Honoring Colorado's Seniors:

"[It was] tough, [I] love those guys. I have different relationships with all these young men. And I get an opportunity to walk out with a gentleman [center Zarian McGill] as well, because his parents couldn't make it due to some difficulties and all that. But it's tough letting them go out like that. You want to send them out with a win. You want to send them out in style and fashion. You want to send them out in the proper way. But we couldn't get it done."

On If Injuries Made This Season More Difficult:

Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running back Dallan Hayden (7) runs for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"Yeah, but there's no excuse. Everybody got injuries. I'm not gonna sit here and say we're not winning because half the darn team in the training room. We've got to coach better. We've got to do better. We've got to plan better. We've got to be better all the way around."

"It's had nothing to do with the training. It has something to do with the men. We just played a team that didn't have its starting quarterback, and they were missing a few other young men as well. So we're not the only ones with an injury. I'm not gonna make an excuse for that. We've got to do a better job. We compile the roster. We've got to do a better job of roster management and so forth, because you've got a plan for this kind of stuff.

On Julian Lewis's Connection With Omarion Miller:

Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) scrambles in the first quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"They're wonderful. I tease Omarion every day, like, I don't know how you do it. I always mess with him because he's not a 4.3 [speed] guy, but he knows how to run routes, to use his leverage, you know, to get out the jam. He knows how to place his body. If he has a step, normally, he makes the catch. The kid can play, and they will have a connection. And prayerfully, that stands."

On If He's Seen Enough To Say Julian Lewis Is Quarterback Of Future:

"He's a good kid, he's a good young man. He has a bright future ahead of him. We can't just take this game and berate him or whatever, because I think he did some wonderful things last week. He did some wonderful things this week, but you got to understand, he's a freshman playing against a really good football team, and we've just got to do better at capitalizing on certain downs."

On If He'll Redshirt Julian Lewis:

"No, these kids ain't thinking about redshirting these days. They think about being three and done. They want to go pro. They want to play. If they came to me and they wanted that, I would oblige them. But I don't know if they're the kind of family that wants that. I think they want to play and attain experience."