Sometimes, the best way to understand the present is to revisit a chapter from the past. For Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, that page comes from Clemson’s 2014 season. A run that shows how a season without titles can still teach resilience. In 2014, Clemson started with two losses in the first three games against Georgia and Florida State, and went out of the title contention early on. But they finished with 10 wins and might have made it to the 12-team playoff if it were in place. Coach Prime, too, this year is 1-2 after losses against Georgia Tech (20-27) and Houston (20-36). The Buffs’ head coach is thus leaning on Clemson’s Dabo Swinney for inspiration.

Coach Prime has three QBs in true freshman Julian Lewis, Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, and sophomore Ryan Staub. Where other teams had declared their QB1s already before the season, Coach Prime chose not to do it yet, experimenting with all three in the previous three games. That indecisiveness largely backfired, since Staub managed to complete just 19 of the 35 passes for 204 yards in Week 3 against Houston. Whereas Kaidon Salter showed beginner mistakes against Georgia Tech in Week 1, throwing inaccurate passes and struggling under pressure, highlighting composure issues. Moreover, this has come at a time when the O-line has been surprisingly exceptional, ranked 10th nationally in PFF’s blocking grade. That hope has probably made Coach Prime lean on Dabo Swinney’s 2014 season.

Well Off Media posted a recent video where Coach Prime is instilling confidence in his players, signaling a statement comeback. “I saw a statistic after Clemson lost, and Dabo Swinney, that’s one of my favorite coaches. That was when he took on the sidelines, and he said the last time they were one and two, they went on to finish, I believe, 10 and two. Why not us? Why not us? Cuz there are simplistic things that’re going on that we can fix,” announced Coach Prime. Notably, Dabo Swinney, who is on a $132 million contract, this year again has been 1-2 after losing to LSU and Georgia Tech, and might mount a comeback, considering the team’s quality. But for Colorado, it will be easier said than done.

Against Georgia Tech, Salter looked indecisive at times, struggling to maintain the levels that are needed in a Power 4 conference. For instance, Salter failed to capitalize on crucial turnovers in the first quarter, as the Buffs scored just 7 points from 2 fumbles and an interception. Changing QBs later to Ryan Staub, too, didn’t work on the road against Houston, with Houston a 2.2-point favorite already in the game. The secondary also struggled against big plays and faltered in critical moments.

For instance, against Georgia Tech, despite the Buffs getting an early interception, the secondary still gave away a 45-yard touchdown run late by Haynes King, highlighting poor gap coverage. The run support, too, was minuscule, with defense giving up 400 rushing yards against Georgia Tech while Houston scored three touchdowns through their run game. As for other units, the WRs and RBs showed a lack of cohesion with the offense and QBs, as we saw the Buffs with a lack of a clear offensive identity. Now, can these woes still be overcome by Deion Sanders? Or is it too late?

Deion Sanders lays out a blueprint for the upcoming weeks to his players

The main regression we saw with Colorado was its lack of experience on the field. The WR room had lost veterans like Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Wester, and Jimmy Horn Jr., giving the Buffs a relatively new receiving corps. The QB room, too, has been facing the same crises since no QB has spent much time in the offense. In this situation, it becomes imperative for the team to rally around their seniors, with the veterans stepping up to lead from the front. That’s exactly what Deion Sanders demanded from his players.

“Every time we’re on the way home, we think about what we could have done more. We think about the effort that we could have exerted more. We think about those little plays that we missed, mistakes that we wish we had back, but we can’t. You seniors are on schedule, and we have 10-1 on schedule. You’ve got to do something about that. That means you have 10 more opportunities to reach your pinnacle. To make sure you are in a situation to take care of yourself and your family for the rest of your life,” announced Deion Sanders. Colorado sure has its fair share of veterans to lead from the front.

Jordan Seaton is already emerging to be the leader on the O-line, returning after earning All-American honors last year. Arden Walker is another player on the D-line who led the Big 12 with 33 sacks last year. Apart from them, the team has Reginald Hughes, who can step up in his LB role and cut those excessive rushing yards that Colorado tends to concede. DJ McKinney can then lead in the secondary and mentor young players like Teon Parks, making things quite favorable for Deion Sanders. It seems all is not lost in Boulder for now!!