Deion Sanders didn't mince words when it came to his Colorado Buffaloes' struggles in their 41-7 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday night.

Sanders is going through the fourth season of his head coaching career. Besides securing a bowl game appearance in 2024, Sanders has dealt with numerous challenges of trying to keep Colorado in the winning status and the conversation of bowl eligibility.

Colorado did start solid after beating Georgia Tech and Weber State. However, they took a step back after being unable to find a lot of weaknesses on the Northwestern squad. Sanders reflected on the loss after the game, showing his respect for the Wildcats' coaches before pointing out Colorado's mistakes.

“David Braun came over and spoke to me before the game. Such a wonderful man, such a wonderful coach, doing a phenomenal job with this school, with this team, and my old buddy Chip Kelly. We shared some tremendous moments before and after the game. Caught a heck of a game, flat out butt kicking. I'm going to try my best to explain everything that I need to explain to you in the most polite manner I can,” Sanders said.

“We didn’t play the type of offensive and defensive football we’re capable of playing, we didn’t. And hats off to them for forcing us into that… they did a great job of coaching over there, better than we did.”

Coach Prime on the loss to Northwestern:

“Flat out butt kicking” pic.twitter.com/aBQN4lRFMB

— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) September 20, 2026

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How Deion Sanders, Colorado performed against Northwestern

Deion Sanders knows he will need better performances from his Colorado side. Suffering a blowout loss to Northwestern won't fly under his standards with the program.

Northwestern controlled the game from start to finish. They boasted a 21-0 lead at halftime as Colorado scored its lone touchdown in the third quarter. Julian Lewis struggled as he only mustered up 19 out of 29 completions for 168 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions.

The Buffaloes will look to bounce back in their next matchup, being on the road. They take on the Baylor Bears in Week 4 as kickoff commences on Sept. 26 at 12 p.m. ET.