Deion Sanders Says Colorado Is 'Fine' After Loss, 'Not Like We Got Our Butts Kicked'

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said Friday night he isn't worried about starting off the 2025-26 season with a 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech.

"We're definitely gonna be fine. I'm not concerned about that," Sanders said. "We could have won that game. It's not like we got our butts kicked. We could have won that game.

"They ran the heck out of the ball. They did that. But we had opportunities... if we take advantage of those opportunities, I have a whole different mood up here right now. So, we've got to get that fixed, and we will get that fixed."

Sanders also responded to concerns about clock management after failing to use his timeouts on the Buffaloes' final drive:

Colorado was unable to take advantage of a series of early turnovers by Georgia Tech, and the Yellow Jackets ultimately outgrained their hosts by 463 yards to 305 yards.

The game marked Sanders' first game since the departures of a host of key players from his 2024 team, including quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter.

Shedeur offered his father a vote of confidence after the loss:

In his debut as Colorado's starting quarterback, Kaidon Salter went 17-for-28 for 159 yards with one touchdown and no picks, adding 43 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

Salter also missed what appeared to be multiple opportunities to run for a first down, and was ultimately unable to lead the Buffaloes into scoring position on a pair of drives in the fourth quarter.

"Couple times I think he should've ran, and he threw," Sanders said about Salter's performance (h/t DNVR Buffs). "I don't want him to prove to us that he can throw the ball. We know he can throw the ball. We wanted you because he's a dual threat, and we wanted him to be a dual threat.

"But I don't think we lost the game because of Kaidon Salter, but any means. He put us in a situation to win."

Sanders also addressed his clock management on the final drive. Colorado ended the game with two timeouts remaining as time expired.

The Colorado head coach said that decision was made because the Buffaloes had made a "good play" that got the team within a yard of a first down.

"I don't want to go home with timeouts. They don't do me no good. But you've got to be strategic as well," Sanders said (h/t DNVR Buffs). "Just burning timeouts just to burn them, just so you guys won't say that, that don't make sense."

Sanders will have one week to prepare his team before the Buffaloes return to action next Saturday against visiting Delaware in the Blue Hens' first FBS season.