A loss, a win, then another loss. That’s the rollercoaster ride Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes are on right now. And the Colorado fans can’t help but wonder: Is that brutal beatdown against Houston a glimpse of life without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter? The past offers mixed signals. Just last year, the Buffs dropped one of their first three but still clawed their way to a 9-4 finish. Go back to Coach Prime’s much-hyped 2023 debut, and they came out blazing with a three-game win streak, only to collapse into a 4-8 season. The common thread? Back then, Deion still had Shedeur and Hunter to lean on. Now, with his two stars out of the picture, frustration is boiling over in Boulder. And one Buffalo has already made it clear he’s not happy with the state of things.

That’s none other than the tight end, Zach Atkins. Following a tough loss to the Houston Cougars, the latest Big 12 Football Power Index (FPI) has been updated. The Buffaloes dropped four spots and are now sitting near the bottom, with a 2.5 power index. As other college head coaches make bad comments about Colorado, Deion stands firm to protect his boys from the backlash and comes up with a bold comment. Forget others, your own boys are not happy with how things are. What do you do then?    

On September 17, Buffs insider Scott Procter tweeted, “Colorado TE Zach Atkins: ‘I’m not happy with how things are going right now … I’m a winner.’ ‘We need to turn it around.’” Deion’s program failed to spread its terror on both sides of the ball. Definitely, they did not put 100% of their efforts. And what stirred the pot more is the fact that Deion is yet to get clarity at the quarterback position, which surely questions Colorado’s hopes of turning things around offensively.

Atkins, the Division II transfer from Northwest Missouri State, was blunt about Deion and Co.’s struggles. Well, the Buffaloes traveled to Houston for a matchup with the Cougars to open their conference slate, and got worked on both sides. The offense was neutral while Deion’s defense was left bleeding. After Delaware State, hopes loomed high for third-string quarterback Ryan Staub, who made the most out of an unexpected opportunity, throwing for 157 yards and two touchdowns. But against Houston, Deion’s new hope did not match the hype.

Staub came up with a 54% completion, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Talking about the running backs? Well, Coastal Carolina transfer Simeon Price has been a stellar performer who racked up 51 yards and a touchdown on five rushing attempts. But barring him, Deion’s running backs fell flat and only gained 45 yards and no touchdowns on 18 rushing attempts. All these combined, surely made Deion’s Colorado a hot topic for conversation.

Deion Sanders fires back with a bold defense

Not just Atkins, Colorado safety Tawfiq Byard also went vocal about their faults. “For the most part, it’s the stuff we’re missing on, missing tackles, guys not being in the right gap and stuff like that,” Byard said. “As far as identity, you can say we haven’t found our identity, but within the team, we just got to clean up the little stuff.” If Deion’s own squad finds so many faults, think about the rival head coaches? 

The attack came straight from the head of the team, who landed their recent blow on the Buffs, Houston HC Willie Fritz. “You look at the plays that were called, and just the little bit I’ve been watching, you know, and you’re right, they played all three guys this past game against Delaware. I think it’s kind of similar to what they’re running,” said Fritz. Now, this is not something Deion had signed up for.

He has too many things on his plate and is still figuring out how to deal with things without his favorite duo. So, roasts are something not welcomed. Deion thus took a firm stand in his defense. Coach Prime is not putting himself in the rat race, running after identity. To him, a victory is all that matters. “I don’t care what kind of car we pull up in, long as we pull out of here with a W, I’m good. So I don’t really get into the identity thing, not whatsoever,” he said.  

It’s not wrong to only care about W’s. However, Deion Sanders’ Colorado is not showing up to turn their head coach’s words into reality. Let’s see how quickly they cast their net and reel in the doubters as believers.