What Deion Sanders said before Colorado's top-20 matchup with Oregon football
With millions of eyes expected to be focused on Eugene when No. 10 Oregon hosts No. 19 Colorado Saturday afternoon, Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders answered questions about the Ducks at his weekly press conference Tuesday in Boulder.
Here’s what Sanders said about the Ducks ahead of the top-20 matchup.
On Dan Lanning’s comments about Colorado’s success in the Pac-12
All the way back in July, Oregon coach Dan Lanning was asked for his initial thoughts on Colorado leaving the Pac-12 for the Big 12.
This was before the Pac-12’s mass exodus in August, with all but two teams opting to leave the conference for other options, including Oregon’s departure for the Big Ten.
At the time, Lanning said: “I’m trying to remember what they won to affect this conference and I don’t remember. Do you remember them winning anything? I don’t remember them winning anything.”
The Ducks’ second-year coach said Monday at his weekly press conference that he doesn’t regret making those comments.
“I wasn’t talking about Deion’s team,” Lanning said. “I was talking about the past and the future for our team. But if that serves as material for them, great. I don’t think it’s going to have any bearing on the game or the success of the game.”
Sanders, who is not afraid to stir the pot and use just about anything for motivation, responded to a question about Lanning’s comments at his Tuesday presser.
“I respect the heck out of this man, what he’s accomplished, stepping in, taking over a program and keeping it not only rock and steady but accelerating it,” Sanders said. “I respect the heck out of him, I love what he’s accomplishing, I love who he is, the way he runs his team, the way he operates. I got a lot of respect for him.”
On Nike and wearing new uniforms every week
One of Nike’s most prominent athletes when he played in the NFL in the 1990s, Sanders relationship with the company became strained over the last decade when he began a long-term partnership with Under Armour in 2009.
When Sanders took the Colorado job — a Nike-outfitted school — he began working with the company again.
Now he’s working on getting the Buffaloes to wear new uniform combinations for every game this season.
Sound familiar?
“The team that we’re playing, that’s what they’re known for,” Sanders said of Oregon. “They play great football, don’t get me wrong. But the versatility in the uniforms and the flashiness in what they bring. I can remember coaching high school and my kids in the locker room talking about Oregon and their uniforms, which is wonderful. We can simulate that, emulate that and imitate that in a certain way.”
On how Colorado will move forward without star 2-way player Travis Hunter
Colorado’s best player has been ruled out for its top-20 matchup against the Ducks this Saturday.
A rarity in college football in 2023, the Buffs’ Travis Hunter plays extensively on both offense and defense. He’s Colorado’s third-leading receiver with 213 yards and leads the Buffaloes in passes defended with two and has an interception.
After a stellar Week 1 debut against TCU, Hunter was getting Heisman attention.
But after a late hit while attempting to catch a pass against Colorado State last weekend, Hunter was diagnosed with a lacerated liver and will miss at least a few weeks.
Though Colorado’s other receivers have certainly stepped up in his absence — including Xavier Weaver (25 catches, 386 yards, two touchdowns) and Jimmy Horn Jr. (26 catches, 347 yards, two touchdowns) — his presence will certainly be missed in the defensive backfield.
“The plan at corner is corner by committee, it's what we practice, we’re going to see who steps up and takes over the role,” Sanders said.
The Buffs give up 265 passing yards per game, which ranks 107th out of 130 FBS teams in college football. Despite the struggles defending the pass, Colorado co-leads the FBS with 10 turnovers forced through three games.
With Hunter out, the scheme or aggression certainly won’t change, per Sanders.
“We practice getting the football and a certain physicality,” he said. “The way we practice is normally the way we play … but I attribute that to the way we attack when we’re on the field.”
On putting it all together against the Ducks
Though the Buffaloes are undefeated, the path to 3-0 has been rocky.
Colorado won a tight, back-and-forth game against reigning national runners-up TCU to open its season, 45-42, in a defense-optional affair. Then the Buffs handily defeated Nebraska, 36-14, in Week 2.
In Week 3, the Buffaloes needed a dramatic, come-from-behind, double-overtime victory to defeat rival Colorado State in Boulder, 43-35.
In Week 4, the Buffaloes are looking to put it all together against the best team they’ve faced to date.
“We have not played a complete game,” Sanders said. “We have not played a game where offense, defense, as well as special teams have all shown up in the same manner. The offense is playing well, the defense is hot garbage. If the defense is playing well, the offense is horrible. Special teams aren’t special. We have to put it all together to defeat a team like Oregon in that manner. We have to put it together.”
The Ducks and Buffs kick off at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Autzen Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, women's basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @AlecDietz.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: What Deion Sanders said before Colorado's matchup with Oregon
