What Deion Sanders Said About Delaware Blue Hens, Colorado Buffaloes' Standards

BOULDER — After coming up just short against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Week 1, the Colorado Buffaloes have an excellent opportunity to bounce back on Saturday with the Delaware Blue Hens coming to Boulder.

Delaware, led by fourth-year coach Ryan Carty, is navigating its first season at the FBS level as a member of the Conference USA. In Delaware's opener last week, the Blue Hens struggled to stop the run but still took coach DeSean Jackson's Delaware State Hornets, 35-17.

Coach Deion Sanders and the Buffs, of course, can't overlook Delaware if they want to make Saturday the blowout it should be. Colorado still has plenty to prove on both sides of the ball, setting up an important opportunity for the Buffs to get right.

Deion Sanders Previews Delaware Blue Hens Matchup

Deion Sanders Said Delaware Blue Hens Colorado Buffaloes Confidence Julian Lewis Kaidon Salter Nick Minicucci Football Folsom — Delaware tight end Connor Witthoft celebrates a first down in the second quarter of the Blue Hens' 35-17 win against Delaware State at Delaware Stadium, August 28, 2025. | William Bretzger-Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Coach Prime" shared his initial thoughts on Delaware during a press conference on Tuesday.

"They did well (against Delaware State) with their second quarterback (Nick Minicucci)," Sanders said. "This team is tough. They're gonna spin the ball, throw it. They're gonna try to run it because of what they just saw on film. We just got to go out there and do what we're capable of doing, passing as well as running the football effectively. We got the guys that can get the job done, and we got to stop the run defensively and create plays."

Sanders also shared his respect for Carty, a former Blue Hens quarterback who has yet to win fewer than eight games in his head coaching tenure at his alma mater.

"Coach Carty comes from a coaching family — his dad (Kevin) coached," Sanders said. "I have the utmost respect for him. I read up on him a little bit. He was a quarterback at Delaware as well, so most quarterbacks tend to make pretty good coaches."

Setting The Standard

In response to placekicker Alejandro Mata calling the Georgia Tech loss a "wake-up call," Sanders said the Buffs are still working to meet certain standards.

"A lot of guys don't understand the standard," Sanders said. "You got Cam (Silmon-Craig) on the sideline, Jimmy (Horn Jr.) and some of the guys that played last year. They understand the standard. You should've heard those guys getting on the guys. Now that was good because it's a certain standard. It's a certain level that we have expectations, and some may not understand that."

About 50 newcomers are on the roster, including seven who started on offense against Georgia Tech.

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With Kaidon Salter and freshman Julian "JuJu" Lewis both expected to see time at quarterback on Saturday, Colorado's Week 2 game against Delaware will kick off at 1:30 p.m. MT on Fox.