Ahead of Colorado’s clash with Texas Tech, a plethora of players have given insight at the podium into the team’s mindset this week.
The No. 12 Red Raiders (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) roll into town for the Buffs' (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) homecoming game as clear favorites. Better on paper and undefeated, they will present a tough challenge at Folsom Field.
Colorado, riding a two-game losing skid, desperately needs a win before the bye week. TTU is the first of three straight ranked opponents (Utah, Oklahoma State) it will face in October. An upset could shift their season outlook. A loss would put them below .500 to start the toughest slate of the year.
But even through early-season adversity, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ leaders aren’t wavering. Two receivers and three defensive linemen explained Colorado’s mentality.
Joseph Williams
“We feel like we could play with anybody. So regardless of what jersey you got on, regardless of who's out there, we feel like we could play with whatever.
All the leaders, all the guys that we say are leaders and things like that, we got to keep pushing that same mindset. Keep pushing the standard to be able to keep everybody on that same page.”
DeAndre Moore Jr.
“It's another home game, so we got to protect the house first and foremost. But it's a really great opportunity, and everything that we want for this season is still there for us to be had. We just got to take everything one week at a time and continue to work and continue to get better.”
Santana Hopper
“If we want to win the game, we got to win up front (D/O-line). We got to win one-on-ones and just be dominant. Everything starts up front.”
Toby Anene
“The energy's up for sure. It's like a chip on our shoulders. We've had two games that we thought were very winnable that we didn't win. So [we’re] just trying to correct our wrongs.”
Dylan Manuel
“It's very important [to win], especially against these guys. These are supposedly the top dogs, so going against them and winning before we go into the bye would mean a lot. Because then we've got a couple of big games after that as well, so it'll mean a lot to us.”
The core of Colorado’s starters remain bought in, but their words will have to show on Saturday.
Players Mentioned
