"We can't do stupid stuff" - When Deion Sanders called out Colorado players over a flurry of penalties in 28-10 loss vs. Nebraska

Deion Sanders started his second year at Colorado in 2024 on a good note, defeating FCS North Dakota State 31-26 at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes had started the season geared up to get their first bowl qualification under Coach Prime, after finishing with a 4-8 record in 2023.

However, that goal met its first hurdle in Week 2 when Colorado came up against Nebraska in September at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. The Buffaloes were hoping to overcome the Cornhuskers again, having defeated them in 2023, but suffered a 28-10 loss instead.

One of the aspects of the Buffaloes' game that didn't impress Deion Sanders was the number of yards lost to penalties. They were flagged nine times by the official in the game, losing a total of 104 yards. Coach Prime expressed his displeasure in the postgame press conference.

“We can't do stupid stuff; we've got to stop the foolishness,” Sanders said. “I'm not going to say we ended up well, because we ended up nine for 104, and they were 12 for 105, but they won decisively. (10:25 onwards) “It seemed like it was a flag fest at one point. Come on, guys, come on. It's like, ‘Okay, I'm going to take care of you, I'm going to take care of you’ … That one, you can always question things, but the officials do a great job.”

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Deion Sanders believes his team should have capitalized on Nebraska’s penalties

The 2024 encounter between Nebraska and Colorado was far different from 2023 in terms of penalties. The Cornhuskers were flagged by the officials 12 times in the encounter, losing 105 yards in the process. Deion Sanders believed that was something his team should have capitalized on to get a win in Lincoln.

"I'm not happy about nine penalties for 104 yards whatsoever,” Sanders said. “The game got truly sloppy at the end of it. It seems like it was just flag after flag after flag. They had 12 for 105 (yards). Normally, with that type of output of flags and penalties, you usually come out victorious, but both of us were horrible in that aspect.” (2:25 onwards)

The defeat was a wake-up call to Deion Sanders and his team as they navigated their first season after returning to the Big 12. The Buffaloes would go on a three-game winning streak after that, before losing to Kansas State in Week 7. They finished the season with a 9-4 record, losing the Alamo Bowl to BYU.

Edited by Dipayan Moitra