Colorado coach Deion Sanders is blunt about Buffs’ offensive line struggles in loss to No. 23 UCLA
Colorado’s offensive play was again a factor in the Buffaloes’ loss to then-No. 23 UCLA on Saturday night.
Coach Deion Sanders said after the game that QB Sheder Sanders had to take a painkiller shot at halftime in the loss and spent most of the postgame press conference talking about the Buffaloes’ issues.
Asked about the offensive line, Sanders said, “We have to improve the line and we’re not there.” “The network needs to improve.”
Sheeder sacked Sanders seven times during UCLA’s 28-16 win over Colorado and the Buffaloes couldn’t run the football.
The inability to execute the run game has been a constant theme for Colorado in 2023.
Colorado State had 24 carries for 25 yards Saturday night, including a team-high seven sacks.
Overall, Colorado has rushed for just 604 yards through the first eight games of the season.
Freshman Dylan Edwards is the team’s leading rusher with 250 yards.
“It’s not just depth, it’s depth, killer instinct, drive, desire, will, athleticism,” Sanders said of the stakes.
“The most difficult thing is the lining. So when things are good, you rarely see refs jumping ship to other schools.
I think there are a few guys who could do well with a little spice, but overall we just don’t have the drive or passion to do what we want.
“I’m not biased because I’m his dad, but I think we have the best quarterback in the country.
I don’t think any other quarterback can get to him or stay in there and make shots on him like I do every week. And we have to solve it.
We need to solve this problem schematically, we need to solve the problems we face functionally, and we need to do it better. We will.”
Colorado (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) quadrupled its winning streak through 2022 thanks to Deion Sanders and a roster overhaul via the transfer portal.
Sanders brought in dozens of new players and replaced dozens of players from last year’s team, with Scheder and two-time All-Star Travis Hunter following suit at Jackson State.
The improvements and talent upgrades Colorado has made are undeniable.
But there is one place where you can see that Colorado is still participating in the recovery program. The Buffaloes have dominated most Pac-12 games at the line of scrimmage. Deion Sanders spoke candidly when asked a “big” question about the network.
“The big picture is getting new referees,” Sanders said.
“I will draw this picture perfectly.”
