Deion Sanders did not spend Sunday explaining why his team lost to Texas Tech in Week 5, or his decision to replace his starting QB. Instead, Coach Prime wants to look ahead.
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“Today is a new day,” Sanders wrote on X on Oct. 4. “Let’s try our best to make today the best possible day it could be. Yesterday is gone.”
The post arrived less than a day after Colorado’s most confusing quarterback situation of the season became even more difficult to ignore. Julian Lewis, the former five-star who started Colorado’s first four games, didn’t play Saturday against No. 12 Texas Tech.
Isaac Wilson started instead, while Kaneal Sweetwyne also took snaps. The Buffaloes lost 29-7 at Folsom Field, dropping to 2-3 and 0-2 in Big 12 play. The quarterback question is not going away.
Lewis entered the season as one of the biggest pieces of Colorado’s rebuild. He was the No. 3 quarterback in his high school class. Colorado got him in the 2025 class.
The program was coming off a 9-4 record built around Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Lewis then showed enough during his freshman season to become viewed as the obvious quarterback of the future.
This season started with another reminder of why. Against Georgia Tech, Lewis threw the winning touchdown to Charlie Williams with 37 seconds left in a 14-13 victory.
Against Weber State, he exploded for 366 passing yards and four touchdowns, adding another score on the ground. Then the season turned. Lewis threw two interceptions in Colorado’s loss at Northwestern.
He struggled again against Baylor and was replaced at halftime after completing 11 of 16 passes for 75 yards. Wilson came in and gave the offense a spark, although Colorado still lost 23-13. Wilson then got the start against Texas Tech.
In truth, Wilson is not exactly the answer Colorado was looking for. He completed 26 of 44 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown, but threw three interceptions. Colorado led 7-3 at halftime before Texas Tech turned the game around.
The Red Raiders scored 26 unanswered points, and all three of Colorado’s major drives ended with interceptions. Lewis still never entered the game. That’s why the questions became unavoidable after the game.
Sanders rejected the idea that Lewis had simply been demoted to third string.“It didn’t happen like that,” Sanders said.
When asked what had happened, Sanders said he would rather Lewis explain it himself. He also pushed back on the idea that reporters were trying to single out one player when the larger problem was Colorado’s 29-7 defeat.
There is a fair point in that argument. Colorado’s problems are not confined to the quarterback position. The offense has struggled badly, and Sanders called the unit “horrible” after the Texas Tech loss.
Colorado’s line has also struggled to give the QBs a clean pocket, and the running game has been almost nonexistent at times. The Buffaloes averaged just 2.4 yards per carry against Texas Tech.
Their inability to run has made life harder for whoever is playing quarterback. That puts some pressure on OC Brennan Marion as well. Sanders hired Marion to run the offense after his success at UNLV and Sacramento State.
But Colorado has not looked like a team with a clear offensive identity. The motion and RPO plays have not given Colorado many easy throws, and the ground game has been just as inconsistent.
Sanders admitted as much after the Texas Tech game. “I don’t think we fared well running the ball,” he said. Then there were the questionable decisions.
Colorado missed two field goals Saturday, including a 29-yarder. Sanders also admitted the failed fake punt was a mistake. Texas Tech eventually turned the game into a rout after Colorado’s turnovers gave the Red Raiders extra opportunities.
The Buffaloes have now lost three consecutive games after opening the season 2-0. Still, Lewis being left on the sideline while two other quarterbacks played naturally changes the conversation.
The defense has also dealt with its own turmoil, including Sanders removing three defensive backs from the team following the Northwestern loss for what Colorado described as conduct detrimental to the team.
Will CU’s fortunes eventually turn this year? Deion Sanders has much tougher opponents in Utah, ASU, Houston, UCF, and Cincinnati.