Deion Sanders Reveals Colorado Buffaloes' Mindset Heading Into Utah Battle

Building on newfound momentum will be key for the Colorado Buffaloes in their Saturday matchup against the Utah Utes, according to coach Deion Sanders. As always, "Coach Prime" wants to see his Buffs "dominate" against a challenging Big 12 opponent.

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the first quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

BOULDER — Refreshed and energized from the bye week, the 3-4 Colorado Buffaloes now have their attention on the 5-2 Utah Utes, who they'll visit on Saturday

Coach Deion Sanders led the Buffs to an upset win over the Iowa State Cyclones last time out and now hopes to capitalize on their newfound momentum in Salt Lake City. Ahead of this weekend's matchup, "Coach Prime" spoke on Colorado's bye week and the mindset within his locker room.

"They're a good team (Utah), a well-coached team, and I love everything about them, but we're going in there with one thing in mind and that's to dominate," Sanders said Tuesday.

Check out Sanders' best quotes from Tuesday's pre-Utah press conference:

Praise For Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham

Sep 27, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham celebrates with fans after defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

"Coach Whittingham, unbelievable. He's a pillar of consistency, one of my heroes in this coaching realm. He's been doing it for quite some time. I wish I could have the tenure here at CU that he's had in Utah. His team resembles who he is as a man, how he played the game — physical, tough, consistent. I love what they're doing."

On Slowing Utah's Rushing Attack

"We've been physical all week. We've been doing some things all week that, prayerfully, we prevent that and force them to be uncomfortable. They have a quarterback (Devon Dampier) that can get it done through the air as well as on the ground."

Colorado Already "Sparked"

"I don't know if I'd say it (beating Iowa State) sparked this team; I think we're sparked. I didn't think we needed a spark. You need to win and be consistent in what you did to win those particular games, what we did to lose those games, identify it and try to invoke change. I'm happy with the young men that choose to do right when wrong is so present. I'm happy with the way they're practicing, the way they're in the meetings, how tentative they are. I'm seeing some changes of personalities in the practice habits and how physical they are and what they're going through in practice."

On Colorado's Toughness

Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Tawfiq Byard (7) pulls in an interception in the fourth quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"One thing that I really love about our guys, you don't see our guys laying around on the field. They get up and they get off the darn field regardless of how hurt they are. That's something that us coaches implemented. We don't want to see you laying on the field because we have a rule: If you lay down there, we come out there to get you. You ain't going back in."

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Importance of Momentum

"You gotta understand, you believe. The thing about it, we played this team a year ago and we were successful, so let's start right there. We believe. It's not like we're going into that game not believing that we can win because we've done it. We're going to try our best to do it again with a greater margin. That's the game plan."

On Preparing For Utah's Quarterback Situation

Sep 6, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Byrd Ficklin (15) runs for a touchdown against Cal Poly Mustangs linebacker Troy Bean (2) during the second half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

"We're preparing for their scheme. We're preparing for what they've done consistently and what they've done well consistently. You don't want to get into that... Yeah, we'll make adjustments if that happens (Byrd Ficklin starts at quarterback) and do research and a study on this particular quarterback. But right now, we're just preparing for what they do well."

Post-Bye Week Improvements

"I don't want to identify those positions, but probably the same ones you've been criticizing. I'm looking for improvement in those positions, consistency in certain positions, and I give them statistics all the time. When we do this, we win. When we don't do that, we win. When we do this, we win. They understand in its totality of where we are and how we feel and what I'm thinking."

Evaluation of Team After Bye Week

"I know where we want to be, I know what we should be. You know what we could be, but I know what we should be. Am I ecstatic right now with where we are? No, but I'm not upset, either, because I know what we have in that locker room and on this coaching staff. Could we be better? So much. Should we have won several of the games that we lost? Yes. I can't identify one game that that team was better than us, and they kicked out butts."

Ready To Go

"After a win like that, you want to keep going. You don't want a bye week. You want to keep the momentum going and just keep going, period. I don't need recharging, man. God got me. I know that sounds like a cliché, but I'm not lying. God got me. When I go through things, it's not just for me, it's for others to glean from and say, 'You know what? If he can fight through that, I can fight through this.'"