For the first time since a booklet full of Colorado offensive plays and notes was found by fans at the team hotel before the Buffaloes’ game against Texas Tech on Oct. 3, Deion Sanders was asked about his level of concern about how that could happen.
In short: Colorado’s head coach is not distressed.
“I don’t major on the minors, man,” Sanders said. “I try to major on the majors.”
Before Colorado (2-3) lost to Texas Tech 29-7 at home, visiting Texas Tech fans staying at the Buffs’ team hotel in nearby Broomfield, Colo., posted the script found on a fan message board. As Colorado’s offense once again struggled mightily, the script being left behind in the hotel became ripe for mockery.
As the Buffaloes prepare to host undefeated No. 11 Utah on Saturday night, Sanders pushed back Tuesday on the narrative that it was an egregious mishap.
“If someone had left that, they left it. Mistake. What (are) we going to do about it? It’s over. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,” Sanders said. “Like, we could have the opposing team’s first 10 or 15 plays, but we still gotta stop it.”
Colorado’s head coach went as far as to question the validity of the booklet of plays, hinting it might have been planted.
“When you get something like that, do you really trust it as a coach? Like if we get something, ‘Oh, man, somebody left their plays.’ So was that a dummy script? Or was that real? Like that’s what you’re thinking as a coach,” Sanders continued. “As the opposing coach, if somebody called us and said, ‘Hey, Utah left the play script of the first 20 plays, I wouldn’t believe that. Like, ain’t no way. And then, you gotta match it up and then they score on the first drive? Don’t make sense to me.”
The script did include plays that matched up with several on Colorado’s first drive against the Red Raiders — the only drive the Buffaloes scored on in the loss. When asked about the similarities, Sanders said this isn’t a mistake isolated to his team.
“That happens sometimes,” he 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.”
Sanders balked when asked if he plans to investigate further to find out how a script of plays was able to be seen by the general public before a game against an undefeated conference rival at home.
“Why would we? It’s over. Game’s over,” Sanders said. “Why would we do that? We probably know a lot more than you think we do. But a whole playbook? Come on, man.”
Sanders confirmed that junior quarterback Isaac Wilson will start against his former team Saturday night in Boulder. Wilson spent two years at Utah before entering the transfer portal and signing with the Buffaloes last offseason. During his time with the Utes, Wilson appeared in 10 games, starting seven.
The loss to Texas Tech was Wilson’s first career start for the Buffaloes. He went 26-of-44 for 290 yards but threw three interceptions after the opening-drive score against the Red Raiders.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.