The Colorado Buffaloes’ marching band has been sidelined from playing the school’s traditional fight song after Shedeur Sanders touchdowns, and the reason comes directly from head coach Deion Sanders. According to Jake Shapiro from Denver’s 104.3 The Fan, Sanders made the decision to replace the fight song with a more personal tune: his son Shedeur’s rap song “Perfect Timing.”
Shapiro reported that Deion Sanders instructed the band not to play when Shedeur, the team’s quarterback, scored a touchdown so that “Perfect Timing” could instead blast over the stadium’s loudspeakers.
The revelation came in the aftermath of Colorado’s 28-10 loss to Nebraska, raising eyebrows as the decision added a layer of controversy to an already tough night for the Buffaloes.
In their matchup against the Huskers, Colorado struggled from the start. The Buffaloes found themselves trailing 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and went into halftime down 28-0. Although they performed better in the second half, they never posed a real threat in the game. Shedeur Sanders finished with a mixed performance, going 23-of-38 for 244 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception. Following the loss, Shedeur openly expressed his frustration, pointing to his offensive line as a significant reason for the team’s poor showing.
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While Shedeur deflected blame, his father Deion took a more balanced approach. Coach Sanders acknowledged his son’s early mistake, a pick-six that set the tone for the game, but also found some silver linings in the team’s second-half effort.
“Tough game for us,” Deion Sanders said postgame. “Starting out, felt good about matchups and what we brought to the table. After the Shedeur pick six, we were trying to play catch up. Overall, certainly not happy with the outcome. Positive things, the way we competed in the second half. We gotta do a better job offensively in protection and trying to establish a run game and be consistent with that.”
The Buffaloes’ loss was a stark reminder of the challenges facing the team. Colorado’s inability to block, establish a running game, or pressure Nebraska’s freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who was making just his second career start, exposed the flaws that many analysts had warned about leading into the season.
The decision to silence the band in favor of Shedeur’s rap song has drawn its own share of criticism, especially in the context of college football’s deep-rooted traditions. College marching bands have long been integral to the game-day experience, and replacing a fight song with a personal track from the coach’s son struck some fans as a questionable move. While Deion Sanders is known for his unconventional style and star power, the move to replace the fight song after touchdowns with his son’s song seemed to rub some the wrong way.
Interestingly, Colorado is not the only program facing such band-related controversy. Florida State University recently attempted to stop its band from playing the iconic “War Chant” on key third-down plays, a move that was also met with backlash from fans and alumni.
However, at least in Florida State’s case, the chant wasn’t replaced with a personal song tied to a player or coach.
As the Buffaloes look to rebound from the tough loss, Deion Sanders and his son Shedeur will have plenty to focus on, from fixing offensive line issues to rebuilding team morale.
Whether the decision to silence the band in favor of a rap track will persist remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the Sanders family’s influence on Colorado football continues to make waves—both on and off the field.
