Colorado and Deion Sanders are not taking the program's embarrassing loss at Northwestern lightly.
Sanders made that clear during his weekly press conference Tuesday, taking responsibility for the Buffaloes' 41-7 defeat while detailing changes already underway inside the program. Some of those changes are major, with Sanders revealing that several players are no longer with the team
after repeated conduct issues.The fallout wasn't limited to the roster changes. Safety Ben Finneseth made an unscheduled appearance to apologize for comments he made about Northwestern's temporary stadium and atmosphere. At the same time, Sanders acknowledged that Colorado's offense has fallen well short of expectations through three weeks.
Quarterback Julian Lewis'
development was another major topic after the young signal caller threw the first two interceptions of his college career against the Wildcats.
With nonconference play over and Colorado heading to Waco, Texas, for their Big 12 opener against Baylor, the Buffs are ready to move on to the next.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Sanders' Tuesday press conference ahead of Colorado's matchup against Baylor:
Ben Finneseth apologizes for comment on Northwestern's facilities
The press conference opened with Sanders addressing how his team acted before the game against Northwestern after a video caught safety Ben Finneseth calling the Wildcats' temporary stadium, saying, "it sounded like a library."
Finneseth, who wasn't scheduled to speak to the media, stood behind Sanders and apologized for his actions.
"I just wanted to apologize to everyone tied to the university, to everyone at Northwestern. It was childish. It was a stupid thing that I said. It won’t happen again. The way I handled it was horrible."
Ben Finneseth apologizes for comments he made before the Northwestern game: https://t.co/XUJXJUTzP3 pic.twitter.com/MAbDqzIHIf
— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) September 22, 2026
Coach Prime changing preparation
Colorado clearly was unprepared for its game against Northwestern despite Sanders feeling the preparation was excellent during practice. After the blowout loss, Coach Prime is making changes.
"We're preparing for a little change," Sander said Tuesday. "I felt the preparation was excellent for last week, but we went there and got our but kicked. I'm taking full responsibility for what transpired yesterday, and I will correct it today."
"I don’t care about the margin of loss … it's hard to win a game when you have 4 turnovers and 80 yards of penalties."
Some players are not on the team anymore
Arguably the biggest development from Sanders' weekly press conference was his announcement that several players are no longer with the team after repeated conduct detrimental to the program.
"There are a few guys who aren't on the team anymore," Sanders announced. "A year ago, I didn't put my foot down in it enough. It lingered a bi,d then it imploded. I'm not foing that [again]."
Sanders later added that a few team leaders, including linebacker Tyler Martinez, stepped in and asked who is next on the list of potential players to be cut so they can get ahead of any potential issues.
Coach Prime said there’s “a few guys not on the team anymore” when asked about how players reacted after the Northwestern game pic.twitter.com/5nzMuTYNub
— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) September 22, 2026
Julian Lewis is not quite there yet
Julian Lewis struggled against Northwestern, throwing his first two interceptions of his career while seeming hesitant with his reads. At just 18, Lewis is still viewed as an unfinished product.
"You guys [media] take everything for granted. I tell the truth, and you don't believe me. I said, 'he's [Lewis] coming around the mountain.' What does that mean? He's not there yet. We can't expect that from a person who isn't who he is. He is a football player."
Colorado will need much more from Lewis as the team heads into Big 12 play this week.
The offense is not where it should be
Coach Prime brought in offensive coordinator Brennan Marion to help the offense get close to 30 points per game each week. So far, the offense has fallen well short of the mark and, to be frank, has looked vanilla at times, especially against Northwestern. Against an opportunistic defense like Baylor, Marion's game plan will have to vary its look while also helping Lewis get into the game.
"Offense is not doing what they're supposed to do," Sanders said. "Take away the cupcake game [Weber State]. I think we're averaging 9-10 points a game. It is not good."
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Five takeaways from Deion Sanders' press conference before Baylor
