Colorado’s season is falling apart, and the pressure on Deion Sanders is mounting. With the offense struggling and wins slipping away, questions about OC Brennan Marion’s play-calling are growing louder. But Sanders isn’t backing down. He has no intention of making a change.
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During Tuesday’s news conference via 9NEWS, Sanders was asked whether he had considered handing play-calling duties to someone else. His response was a firm, one-word answer: “No.”
However, Sanders acknowledged that discussions are happening behind closed doors, suggesting adjustments could be coming even if Marion remains in charge.
“It’s a lot of conversations,” he said. “I can’t divulge everything. They’re not malicious or anything. I love Brennan. I respect the heck out of them. Some things we may just have to do a little different.”
Colorado sits at 3-6 following a 20-10 defeat to Arizona State, and its bowl hopes are hanging by a thread. The Buffs must win their remaining three games, starting with Friday night’s matchup against No. 14 Houston (7-2), to reach six wins.
The offensive numbers explain why Marion is under scrutiny. Colorado averages just 19.8 points per game, the lowest mark in the Big 12 and among the bottom 15 nationally.
Marion arrived with an impressive track record. Before joining Colorado from Sacramento State, his offenses had averaged more than 30 points per game across six seasons as a college play-caller. Sanders had repeatedly emphasized that same scoring benchmark, and the numbers backed him up. During his first three seasons, Colorado went 13-3 when scoring at least 30 points but just 3-18 when falling short.
Yet the Buffs have reached that mark only once this season, in a 52-21 victory over FCS opponent Weber State in Week 2. Against tougher competition, the offense has consistently struggled.
Still, Sanders refused to place the blame entirely on Marion. When asked whether averaging 30 points would have changed Colorado’s record, he pointed to problems on the other side of the ball.
“We gave up points as well,” he said.
“I walked into the room, I put in how many points we score a game and how many we give up. And I’m saying this don’t work,” he explained. “I got to do better. I gotta do better. It don’t work. The formula don’t work. When you’re giving up this and you’re scoring that, it don’t work. It don’t equate.”
Colorado has lost four conference games despite allowing 29 points or fewer, highlighting how costly its offensive struggles have become. Sanders, however, maintained confidence in his staff while accepting responsibility for the team’s record.
“I have confidence in Brennan, Marv, and everybody in that locker room. I really do,” he said.
And when asked whether Marion could turn things around with more time, Sanders rejected the idea of looking ahead to the offseason.
“We ain’t thinking about the offseason right now,” he said. “We thinking about day by day… I’m a now guy. Let’s focus on the now. I know what you’re getting at, and I applaud it, but nah. I love the job the coordinators are doing. I gotta do better.”
For now, the focus shifts to Houston. The Cougars enter Friday’s matchup as heavy favorites, leaving Colorado facing an uphill battle to keep its postseason hopes alive.