BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders has turned the page on a playbook that was reportedly lost and dismissed any kind of bearing it could have had on a loss to Texas Tech.
The Colorado coach minimized the incident in which pages of his team's game plan were supposedly left behind at the hotel where the Buffaloes stay before home games. It was posted on a Red Raider Sports message board before the Buffaloes lost 29-7 to No. 10 Texas Tech on Oct. 3 and gained traction on social media in the aftermath.
There won't be any further digging into what may or may not have transpired, Sanders said Tuesday.
“Why would we? It’s over. Game’s over,” Sanders said as his team prepares to play No. 11 Utah (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) on Saturday night at Folsom Field. “We probably know a lot more you think we do. But a whole playbook?"
Or portions of the play script, in this supposed case.
“That happens sometimes," Sanders said. "I’ve seen that, heard of that on the pro level as well as the collegiate level. But I think we scored on the first drive, so I guess it didn’t work.”
Colorado (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) did indeed score on a nine-play, 75-yard drive to open the game. The Red Raiders responded, however, with 29 straight points.
“If someone had left that, they left it. Mistake,” Sanders said. "What are we going to do about it? It’s over. Let’s go. Let's go. Let's go.
“We could have the opposing team’s first 10 or 15 plays, and you still got to go stop it.”
Plus, Sanders maintained, there's a decision of whether to trust the credibility of the play script in the first place.
“As an opposing coach, if somebody called us and said, ‘Hey, Utah left the play script of the first 20 plays,’ I wouldn’t believe that,” Sanders said. "Ain’t no way. And then you've got to match it up and then they score on the first drive? Don’t make sense to me.
"I don’t major on the minors, man. I try to major on the major.”
More pressing for Sanders is fixing the offense. The Buffaloes are averaging 18.6 points a game — last in the conference — under offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and his “Go-Go” system.
Sanders is sticking with quarterback Isaac Wilson, who will face his former team on Saturday. Sanders recounted a story of riding the elevator with Wilson the other day and just as Wilson was about to step out, Sanders offered him some friendly advice.
“I said, ‘Isaac, make sure you throw the ball to the guys on our team,’” Sanders cracked.
It was a little playful banter after Wilson threw three interceptions, including a pick-6, against the Red Raiders. It's just the nature of their relationship.
“He ain’t taking that to heart,” said Sanders, whose team is on a three-game skid. "We can get down like that. When he does something, he'll be like, ‘Yeah, what have you got to say now?’
“That’s how Isaac gets down with me: ‘What do you have to say about that, coach? What do you got?’ So that’s how he is.”
Sanders pushed back on the idea that special teams needs any sort of overhaul. The Buffaloes missed two field goals and failed on a fake punt against Texas Tech.
“So if a kicker misses the field goal, is it the team or was it the kicker?” Sanders asked. “Give the kid another shot. Let’s go. Don’t indict the whole darn team."
There have been some punt return concerns, too.
“There are some things that are major that we need to really focus on. That’s not it. That’s not that,” Sanders aid. “We’re going to get that right. That’s just a fix in personnel. It's not schematic.”
Colorado receiver Joseph Williams recently gifted his twin sisters with a Nissan car.
“I'm going to get them another one,” Williams said with a smile when asked if they will share.
Williams is fourth in the Big 12 with 454 yards receiving. He also has five TDs.
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