Deion Sanders Speaks Candidly on Colorado Buffaloes Run Game Changes

Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders explained the shift in run strategy on Tuesday, and his answer went beyond the yardage.

Deion Sanders said the physicality behind Colorado’s run game has him more excited than the yardage. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Colorado Buffaloes built their offense around Shedeur Sanders’ arm during Deion Sanders’ first two seasons and still did not establish a dependable ground game in year three. The 2026 version ran the ball 49 times in a one-point road win, nearly twice as often as quarterback Julian Lewis threw it.

Sanders was asked about the shift Tuesday during his weekly press conference and did not frame the old approach as something Colorado needed to abandon. He framed the new one around the strengths of the players he has now.

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running back Micah Welch (29) rushes the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Yardage Is Not What Deion Sanders Is Pointing At

The raw number was solid rather than spectacular. Colorado’s 183 rushing yards came at 3.7 per carry, a clear step forward for a program that averaged 125.6 rushing yards per game last season and ranked 104th nationally.

The distribution said more. Sacramento State transfer Damian Henderson II led Colorado with 65 yards on 12 carries. Micah Welch added 58 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, and JaQuail Smith finished with 42 yards on 10 attempts. DeKalon Taylor added 22 yards on four carries, and Colorado held the ball for 34:09.

Dec 28, 2024; Tucson, AZ, USA; Colorado State Rams running back Damian Henderson II (34) against the Miami (OH) RedHawks during the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

No Buffalo cleared 100 yards, and none has since Alex Fontenot ran for 108 at USC on Nov. 11, 2022. Sanders did not sound concerned about that Tuesday. His focus was on the physicality behind the production.

The run game was not perfect. Colorado ran the ball nine times in the red zone and produced one rushing touchdown. Its second red-zone trip ended on a fourth-and-3 stop at the Georgia Tech 3, and another possession ended with a blocked 37-yard field goal.

Colorado still has to turn that physicality into more points near the goal line.

Brent Key Described the Same Thing From the Losing Sideline

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key pointed to the same issue after the game. His defensive front lost ground on several second-quarter drives, but Key focused even more on players leaving their assignments while trying to make a play.

“There were a couple of drives in the second quarter where I thought a couple of the guys on the D-line got knocked off the ball,” Key said. “The amount of times that we tried to make a play instead of doing our job, busted a gap.”

Asked about the cutback lanes Colorado founded in the first half, Key described the same problem from another angle.

“The ball cut back against the grain probably 12, 15 times,” Key said. “And that’s a responsibility thing.”

Sacramento State Hornets head coach Brennan Marion listens to one of the assistant coaches yell at players on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Brennan Marion Built the Offense to Ask for It

The Go-Go offense Colorado offensive coordinator Brennan Marion brought from Sacramento State, is designed to adapt to the players running it. Marion said during fall camp that the offense uses multiple formations and gets the ball to multiple players, while running the football remains a staple built around physicality.

Colorado is doing it with another rebuilt front. The Buffaloes signed eight transfer offensive linemen over the winter as former five-star left tackle Jordan Seaton transferred to LSU in January. Four transfer newcomers started in Atlanta alongside returning lineman Chauncey Gooden.

The line also allowed only one sack, a one-yard loss, against Georgia Tech. That gave Colorado another encouraging sign from a group trying to establish a more physical identity up front.

The starting point makes the change look larger than 183 yards suggests. Colorado finished last nationally in rushing in 2024 at 65.2 yards per game, then improved to 104th at 125.6 yards per game last season.

Sanders framed the shift as an adjustment to Colorado’s strengths, not a rejection of what the offense did with Shedeur Sanders.

Nov 9, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA; The Texas Tech Red Raiders offensive line prepares to block against the Colorado Buffalos in the second half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“Well, it is [nice to see]. You’ve got to go with your strengths as well. I don’t think, at that point in time [2023], the goal was to run for 300 yards when we had a quarterback like we had at the time, and I think we have four receivers still in the NFL because of the way we threw the heck out of the ball."

"I don’t think they would be there if we hadn’t done what we did. But I’m happy. I’m excited about the physicality that accompanies the run game tremendously, and these guys are taking pride in it,” Sanders said.

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