Deion Sanders, head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, took the field Friday night following surgery earlier this year. The team faced Georgia Tech in their season opener at Folsom Field, losing 27-20.

Despite the loss, Sanders expressed optimism about the season, while acknowledging the need for improvement, especially on defense.

Sanders, who is 58, had a portable toilet placed near the team bench for his use during the game. He was seen tapping his players in prayer before the game.

Reflecting on his health,Sanders said he “felt good” during the game,despite not feeling great overall.

Game Recap adn Sanders’ Reaction

Sanders voiced his frustration that the team did not fully capitalize on early turnovers or convert offensive opportunities against georgia Tech.

“Defensively, no, there’s no way you can say you’re physical when you got your butt kicked like that,” Sanders said. “But offensively, you problably were sitting out there saying, ‘Dang, they should keep running the ball’ because you saw the physicality we’ve been talking about.”

“It’s hard to applaud the defense right now.”

The Buffaloes’ defense struggled against Georgia Tech’s rushing attack, allowing 320 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winning 45-yard run by quarterback Haynes king.

Reginald Hughes, Colorado linebacker, noted that Georgia Tech’s gap scheme caused confusion, leading to missed assignments in run defense. “We’re at a good pace, inclining to be the defense that we want,” Hughes said. “We’re not quite there yet. It’s really more so execution with us.”

Offensive Performance and Future Expectations

Kaidon Salter, the quarterback transfer from Liberty, made his first start for Colorado, passing for 159 yards and rushing for 43. Sanders believes Salter has the potential to be even more of a dual-threat.

Salter acknowledged the opportunities to run more but focused on passing plays. “Most definitely, I feel like I had those opportunities,” Salter said, “but me being a dual-threat quarterback, keeping my eyes down the field, I felt like I had chances to throw the ball downfield and make some plays.”

Despite key personnel losses, Sanders maintains that the offense should perform well immediately.”We’ve got to go get it and do it right now,” Sanders stated.

Sanders remains confident in the team’s potential for a strong season.”We’re definitely going to 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. They ran the heck out of the ball, they did that, but we had opportunities.”