Deion Sanders Explains Decision to Bench Julian Lewis in Colorado's Loss to Baylor

University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders explained why he benched quarterback Julian Lewis in favor of Isaac Wilson during the second half of Saturday's 23-13 road loss to Baylor.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Coach Prime said, "I'll take the responsibility. It was a decision that I made because I was trying to get us going. That's it, just based on let's go, we gotta get going. We gotta score some points. Isaac came in—a little shaky, nervous, I don't know what—then he calmed down a little bit and got us down the field. Did his job. That's all we wanted."

With Lewis under center, Colorado mustered just three points in the first half, prompting Sanders to hand the keys over to Wilson at the start of the second half.

Lewis went 11-of-16 for 75 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, while also taking a pair of sacks.

Colorado punted on each of its first three offensive possessions in the second half with Wilson at the controls, but the Buffs suddenly came to life after that.

Wilson led a field goal drive late in the third quarter, and then threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Williams early in the fourth, capping a 12-play, 95-yard drive, and tying the score at 13-13.

The Bears took back control with a touchdown and field goal on their next two drives, though, while the Buffs' final three drives ended with a punt, lost fumble and turnover on downs.

Despite the poor finish, Wilson undoubtedly outplayed Lewis on Saturday, going 12-of-25 for 156 yards with one touchdown and no picks.

The junior signal-caller, who is the brother of New Orleans Saints quarterback Zach Wilson, has given Sanders something to think about as it relates to the quarterback situation moving forward.

Wilson does have some previous starting experience, as he appeared in nine games for Utah as a freshman in 2024, completing 56.4 percent of his passing attempts for 1,510 yards with 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Lewis entered this season as the starter after throwing for 589 yards, four touchdowns and no picks in four games as a freshman in 2025, but the Colorado offense has largely been listless.

Aside from a 52-21 win over FCS Weber State, the Buffaloes have averaged 11.3 points per game in their other three contests.

Next week, Colorado will host a Texas Tech team that is ranked No. 11 in the nation and has a 4-0 record after winning the Big 12 title last season.

That figures to be a tough task for whichever quarterback Sanders decides to start, but a strong showing against the Red Raiders could help either Wilson or Lewis stake their claim to the QB1 spot for the remainder of the season.