Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter showed promise but missed opportunities to run, according to Deion Sanders.
The Buffaloes’ defense struggled, giving up nearly 500 yards and failing to capitalize on early turnovers.
Sanders remains optimistic despite the loss and looks forward to improvements in the next game against Delaware.
BOULDER, CO – Colorado football coach Deion Sanders admitted he had tears in his eyes before Friday night’s season-opening game against Georgia Tech.
In previous years, he would take a pregame walk on the field with one or two of his sons: quarterback Shedeur and safety Shilo.
But both are gone now, having moved on to other pursuits. So he found it touching when another player, receiver Isaiah Hardge, came up to him before kickoff and said ‘let’s take the walk’ in their place.
‘That was a wonderful moment, man,’ Sanders said after his team lost the game, 27-20. ‘It’s a moment that I will never forget, never, because it was not like I initiated it.
“He came to me and said, ‘Let’s go.’ That’s what this college football thing is about. It’s about love. It’s about peace, forgiveness, trials, tribulations. It’s a tremendous journey that we just want these kids to develop into men. Hopefully what transpired tonight will bring us closer together as a team, as well as challenge us to go to the next level and fix what was broken.”
Deion Sanders has a lot to fix
∎ Colorado gave up a 45-yard touchdown run from Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King with 1:07 remaining, a score that broke a 20-20 tie by exposing the Buffaloes’ new-look defense.
∎ The Buffs gave up 463 total yards, including 320 rushing yards, in front of a sold-out crowd of 52,868 at Folsom Field.
∎ Their new quarterback, Kaidon Salter, also threw the ball at times when he should have run, Sanders said. He finished with 43 rushing yards on 13 carries.
At the same time, this was Sanders’ first game back since having his cancerous bladder removed in May.
He said he “felt darn good during the game” and still liked what he saw from his team.
“I’m optimistic on everything,” Sanders said. “We’re definitely going to be fine. I’m not concerned about that. We could have won that game. It’s not like we got our butts kicked.”
What did Deion Sanders say about his new QB?
He said Salter was a “little nervous” but did well, except for one main thing. Sanders wanted Salter to be the “dual threat” QB Salter was at Liberty, with the ability to burn opponents with his legs and arm.
“Couple times he could have ran, and he decided to throw,” Sanders said. “It was like, dawg, you’re a dual threat, you know what that mean? Like, use your legs. But man, he’s a great kid and he played his butt off. I’m proud of him in a lot of aspects.”
Salter completed 17 of 28 passes for 159 yards and one touchdown, which came on the game’s first possession – an 8-yard throw to receiver DeKalon Taylor. His best drive came in the fourth quarter, when he capped a 75-yard possession with a 7-yard touchdown run to help tie the game at 20-20 with 8:25 left.
Salter was the only quarterback who played for CU. Freshman recruit Julian “JuJu” Lewis did not, even though Sanders previously said Lewis would play occasionally depending on game situations.
Salter agreed with Sanders afterward.
“Most definitely, I feel like I could have used my legs better,” he said.
What happened on Colorado’s final drive?
After King helped put Georgia Tech ahead, 27-20, Salter took over with 1:07 remaining at his own 25-yard line. Colorado had two timeouts left but never used them.
Why not?
“I think we got out of bounds a couple of times so we didn’t have to take ‘em,” Sanders said.
He also said, “We were just really trying to preserve them till we certainly needed them.’
Instead of preserving precious seconds by using those timeouts, Colorado wasted chunks of that final minute by running around and letting the clock tick down. The Buffs ran five plays to get to the 50-yard line − three complete passes, a 5-yard run from Salter on third-and-1 and a deep throw that didn’t connect.
With three seconds left, Salter then tried a final Hail Mary pass from the 50, which fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired.
What happened with the Colorado defense?
The Buffs missed Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who played cornerback and receiver before moving on to the NFL. In his place, cornerback DJ McKinney intercepted a pass from King in the first quarter, but the Buffs couldn’t convert it into points.
The defense actually came up with three straight turnovers to start the game, including two fumbles. The problem for the Buffs was that they netted only one touchdown from all of that– Salter’s touchdown pass on his first possession. It gave Colorado its only lead of the game at 7-0, less than three minutes after kickoff.
After that, the Georgia Tech offense just kept gashing the Buffs with motion, counter plays and guard pulls. By halftime, the Yellow Jackets led 13-10 and had 18 first downs, compared to five for CU.
‘Maybe it messed with our eyes a little bit,’ Colorado linebacker Reggie Hughes said of Georgia Tech’s offense.
Sanders joked that his team turned King into a Heisman Trophy candidate. King scored all three of Georgia Tech’s touchdowns on runs of 4, 17 and 45 yards. He finished with 156 yards on 19 carries. He also threw for 143 yards on 13-of-20 passing.
“It’s hard to applaud the defense when we gave up darn near 500 yards,” Sanders said. “That’s kind of tough.”
His team now faces Delaware at home Sept. 6.
“We will do better next week,” Sanders said.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com