Two games, two wins, two very different Deion Sanders post-game press conferences.
After calling out a reporter last week for not believing in his team, Sanders was not as animated after the No. 22-ranked Buffs' 36-14 win over Nebraska on Saturday at Folsom Field.
He did talk about belief, though, and said he's seeing it grow within his own building first and foremost.
"I keep saying, more and more young men as well as coaches are believing. I think we're up to probably 80 percent now of young men in that locker room as well as staff and support staff truly believing what we're capable of doing," Sanders said. "It's not believing in me -- it's believing in what we're capable of doing. That was the question I posed last week -- it wasn't about me, it was about the young men and what we possess."
Sanders also said he felt his team "hasn't scratched the surface of what it's capable of doing."
He talked about the defensive improvement this week, about QB Shedeur Sanders' play and Travis Hunter's two-way ability and many other matters over nearly 20 minutes after the win.
Watch the press conference here and scroll down for a complete transcript of his comments.
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Opening comments ...
"Good win. Started off slow, played like hot garbage in the first half. Probably 5 minutes left in the first half we started picking it up quite a bit and doing what we were capable of doing. Hats off to the defense and how they were steadfast today. They atoned for the disappointment that we were last week defensively. We still gave up a few plays, but overall I think we forced [four] turnovers and we didn't give up explosion until the end. So I'm really proud of the defense. Special teams stepped it up. We didn't have anything crazy that transpired and Jace Feely is who he is -- he's unbelievable, kicking the ball and then he kicked it off in the end zone. We punted the ball really too -- I think we got a couple inside the 10. Coaches did a great job, they called a great game. Some things that they're were calling we're just not [executed], the kid was in the wrong gap or not feeling like he's supposed to or not blocking, running the wrong route. So overall, it was a win. Just think that we played like we played and we won by that margin, that's a good feeling for any coach and I think for you all to see what we're capable of doing.
"I keep saying, more and more young men as well as coaches are believing. I think we're up to probably 80 percent now of young men in that locker room as well as staff and support staff truly believing what we're capable of doing. It's not believing in me -- it's believing in what we're capable of doing. That was the question I posed last week -- it wasn't about me, it was about the young men and what we possess."
After the us-against-the-world mentality after the win last week, what is the mindset after a more decisive win this week?
"We didn't just want to win -- we wanted to dominate. The first half, we weren't dominant. The second half we got it together and we began to dominate. But we wanted to really impose our will because the whole theme of the week was it's personal. One of the funniest moments in the darn game, after Shedeur took his helmet off after he made the tremendous scramble like a Heisman-type play, I went over and said 'You cannot do that. You cannot take your helmet off.' He said, 'Dad, it's personal.' I just bent over and laughed by butt off because it was in the moment and I was really upset, and he broke the monotony up with 'It's personal.' So they really took it to heart, that theme of the week."
As a father and a coach how proud are you when you watch Shedeur take on leadership moments?
"As a father, I'm really proud of him. I'm proud of Shilo as well and Jr. as well doing what he does for social media. He's very mature, he's always been very mature, very astute -- he studies his butt off and he's prepared. I'm not happy that we surrendered 7 sacks, I believe, today, but once we got it going and he got his rhythm he performed greatly. But to take the onus on himself when someone talks about me, that's how he grew up. If someone talked about my kids, I handled it. That's the expectation of a father -- not a baby daddy, a father, a real father who takes pride in that. And I tried to teach my sons to do the same. But overall as a coach and a father, I'm truly proud of all three of my sons and what they contribute on a daily basis."
What did you think of the scene in the stadium?
"Beautiful. A lot of this stuff is new to me, you've got to understand, so I know I've been to the highest level -- World Series as well as Super Bowls -- but in the coaching aspect, just to see I think it was sellout last week, broke the attendance record at TCU, what we accomplished today, to see that many people that came to see us perform it was tremendous. Not just the number but the energy and the love and the expectation. I love that, I really did. Driving over to the set for the Big Noon Kickoff, it was phenomenal just feeling the energy of the student body as well as the fan base here unbelievable. That was my first time -- we didn't get to really feel it in the spring because it was snow, I didn't want to go out there and it was cold, so we didn't really get to feel it. But we felt it today and I'm sure the kids are going to have a good time. Hopefully they go get a nap and wake up with some energy and can celebrate with their families."
No one has been able to measure the financial impact you've had on Boulder since you got here, can you talk about that?
"I think we're going to measure the impact. That's business, so we're going to measure the impact. It's hard to say what that means or what that is. We're just happy. The thing about it, I'm not really thinking about the economical impact -- really I'm thinking about the social impact. I'm seeing more African-Americans than I've ever seen before sprinkling throughout the stands and the stadium restaurants and everything, and I absolutely love it. The thing about sports, the thing about competition, when Shedeur's out there doing what he's doing and Travis and all those guys, they're not Black Colorado Buffaloes, they're just Colorado Buffaloes. I think we're bringing people together. We're uniting, and that's the part of it I adore. I truly do."
Does it help with the belief aspect when guys like Cam'Ron who didn't play much last week make an impact today?
"Well, you've got to practice. You've got to practice and prepare in order to get your shot. You can't just think you're going to get your shot and you're out there meandering around practice. [Tar'Varish Dawson] is really good in the playbook. He's a Fort Myers boy so you know I have a vested in interest in him -- I want to see him do well, coming from my home town. And shoot, Cam played for me in high school, so I definitely want to see these young men go and perform. But they had to get it together at practice before we were able to put them on display for the whole world to see and both of them came up big. And [Dawson] was darn near in tears at halftime thanking me for giving him an opportunity, and I'm like, 'You earned that, my man. You earned that and I'm proud of you.' So I love those type of stories."
