What are Deion Sanders’ thoughts on the contentious ejection of his son?
During Saturday night’s 28-16 loss to UCLA, Colorado safety Shilo Sanders was ejected by referees for a targeting penalty in the second quarter. This decision had significant ramifications for the Buffaloes. Sanders, who had earlier forced a fumble, made shoulder contact with UCLA’s Carsen Ryan after a short pass reception, and the referees promptly blew the whistle.
“He’s got to keep it low. If you keep it low, there’s no question,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “I believe he was not at fault because he turned his shoulder all around. He always does. He knows how to hit. I told him I’m proud of him. He was having a heck of a game. He was being dominant on the defensive side of the ball. I’m sorry this transpired, but I’m proud of his effort. I don’t ask my kids to be the best on the field, I ask them to give their best. And he gave us his best.”
On the play, Shilo Sanders seemed to turn his shoulder, but the crown of his helmet made contact with Ryan’s helmet. According to the NCAA’s definition, targeting is described as “forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow, or shoulder.”
Entering the game, Colorado’s defense was positioned at the bottom of the Power Five rankings for total defense. Despite this, their defense managed to create four turnovers and effectively limited the Bruins’ scoring. However, they fell short in their pursuit of securing their fifth win of the season.
Deion Sanders evaluated his team’s performance on the front lines, especially in light of the constant pressure faced by his other son, Shedeur Sanders, who was subjected to a staggering seven sacks.
“Not only depth, but killer instinct, want, desire, will, athleticism … the hardest thing to acquire is (offensive) line,” Sanders said. “I think we have some guys that are going to be good with a little seasoning, but overall we just don’t have the fight or the passion to do what we want to do. I think we have the best quarterback int he country. I don’t think any other quarterback could put up with standing and delivery like ours do week in and week out.
“We’ve got to address that. We’ve got to address that scheme wise, functionally with what we have on the line and we’ve just got to do a better job. We really do.”
Colorado, currently with a 4-4 record, needs to win two of its remaining four games to become eligible for a bowl game.
