BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders proclaimed Tuesday as one of Colorado's best practices of the season.
Breaking a five-game skid can generate that kind of boost. Not that the Buffaloes coach viewed it as any sort of dark cloud lifting.
“It's not dark," Sanders said. “The sun is always up.”
No weight suddenly lifted off their shoulders, either.
“We don’t subscribe to that,” said Sanders, whose Buffaloes (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) play at Arizona State (4-4,
2-3) on Saturday. "I started off with talking about how much hope and light these kids are seeing. They’re wonderful. They’re not having a pity party. They’re not saying: ‘Poor little old me. We’re getting our butts kicked.’
“No, let’s go out there and win. Let’s go out there and do what we’re capable of doing. One day, this season, we're going to put it all together."
With four games remaining on the schedule, the Buffaloes have a shot at bowl eligibility. At least, that's the outlook of sixth-year defensive back Ben Finneseth.
“It can seem like a big task, like a daunting task,” Finneseth said. "To be honest with you, we just don't have quit in us. No one's flinched. ...
“You just can’t quit in this game, like, ever. No matter how ugly things get, no matter how hard things get, no matter how banged up people are, how injured the team is, you can never quit.”
Colorado has found what could be a winning blueprint by taking some of the pressure off quarterback Isaac Wilson. The Buffaloes relied on a run-heavy game plan in a 27-24 overtime win against Kansas State, with 43 rushing plays and 21 passes. That paved the way for a big afternoon for Alabama transfer Richard Young, who had 120 yards rushing and two scores.
Wilson, in turn, played within the confines of the system and completed 14 of 21 passes for 185 yards and a score. No interceptions, either.
“Isaac has a propensity to try to play hero ball," Sanders said. "When we just keep him calm and we help him with a tremendous running game, and the way the line protected, he could do some tremendous things. ...
“At one point in the TV timeout, I was just talking to (Wilson) about the game and where we were headed. He was like: ‘Coach, this is easy, man. I ain’t got to do nothing but hand the darn ball off and make my reads.' I said, ‘That’s it, Isaac.’ He's getting it. That game was great for his growth and his development and his vision."
One thing Sanders hasn't seen out of his players are hanging heads. The offense ranks last in the Big 12 Conference at 21 points per game, while the team has been called for a league high in penalties.
“These guys are not giving up,” Sanders said. “Those kids, they don’t have that in them. They don’t have that DNA in them, to give up and to quit. They’re not built like that.”
NOTES: Sanders said he spoke to the father of Julian “JuJu” Lewis on Tuesday and the QB was doing well. Julian Lewis suffered a medical emergency at the school’s athletic facility last week and was taken to the hospital. ... Sanders expressed his condolences to the families impacted by an off-campus shooting on Halloween night. One student died. “Praying for the families and friends," Sanders said at the start of his news conference. ... Banged up running back Micah Welch is getting better, Sanders said, and may be back this weekend.
___
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here
