What Deion Sanders Told Locker Room After Colorado's Loss To Houston

The Colorado Buffaloes are 1-2 after suffering a tough loss against the Houston Cougars. After the poor performance, Colorado coach Deion Sanders addressed the team in the locker room, giving a candid speech. What did Sanders say to his team following a Big 12 conference loss?

Sep 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Colorado Buffaloes suffered a 36-20 loss against the Houston Cougars on Friday night. Colorado coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes are now 1-2, a tough start to the season, and 0-1 in Big 12 play.

Colorado played well in the second quarter, outscoring the Cougars, but the team struggled to get anything going against Houston in the remainder of the matchup.

What Deion Sanders Said To Team After Loss

Sep 6, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the second half against the Delaware Fightin Blue Hens at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The team struggled on all cylinders, and after the game, Sanders addressed the team with a candid speech.

“Right now, to be honest with you, I’m lost for words,” Sanders said. “Because there’s no way anybody could have told me that we were gonna come down here and get our butts kicked. When I’m talking about getting your buts kicked when we give up 209 yards rushing, that means we were outphysicaled. When we only gain 96 yards running the ball, that means we weren’t physical.”

“We keep doing the same old things we’ve always done,” Sanders continued. “And we gonna get the same old things we always got.”

What Went Wrong For Colorado?

Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the first quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado quarterback Ryan Staub could not get anything going against the Houston Cougars, whose defense put on a physical performance. He did have two drives with the offense that showed the same flash as in his week 2 performance against Delaware. 

To close out the first half, Staub hit a shovel pass to wide receiver Omarion Miller that went for 36 yards, followed by a 25-yard strike to running back Micah Welch. Colorado may have to decide if the program will continue to develop Staub or make another quarterback switch.

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The run game for Colorado has been better than in the past two seasons, but the Buffaloes could not get the ground game going against Houston. Running back Simeon Price has been a big playmaker for Colorado with 135 rushing yards. If Colorado can feed Price the ball, the run game could potentially find the spark it needs this season.

Sep 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running back Simeon Price (26) scores a touchdown during the second quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

One of the biggest challenges for the Buffaloes through the first three weeks has been stopping the run, including when the quarterback takes the ball himself. This issue occurred in week one against Georgia Tech and once again in the Houston loss.

Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns. After the game against Houston, Cougars coach Willie Fritz acknowledged the team saw Colorado’s struggles against Georgia Tech and took advantage of that.

Apr 4, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders speaks to the media at the University of Colorado NFL Showcase at the CU Indoor Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ciaglo-Imagn Images | Michael Ciaglo-Imagn Images

Not being able to stop the run helps the opposing team control time of possession. When playing from behind and not able to control the clock, it is challenging to find the time to turn the score around and win a game.

Sanders understands that there are issues surrounding the team, and changes must be made. The Colorado coach did not sugarcoat it for his team and expects more from them. Whether it is the kickoff time, coaching issues, or players not stepping up, the Buffaloes have a lot to work on this season.

Colorado has a chance to fix some of their mistakes in the Buffaloes' next matchup against the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday, Sept. 20.