BOULDER — Deion Sanders wasn’t at a loss for words.

He was just lost for an explanation.

After a 53-7 beatdown at the hands of Utah on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Colorado coach has tried to figure out just why — with an extra week to prepare and get healthy — the Buffaloes could deliver a performance so thoroughly embarrassing, especially off the heels of what felt like a breakthrough win over No. 22 Iowa State.

“That’s two different teams,” Coach Prime said of his CU squad the past two games.

After watching the game the next morning with his coaching staff, Sanders said he has found the answers to the many ‘Why?’s he had in the immediate aftermath of the blowout loss. He prefers not to share them.

“It’s not just one area that I’m concerned about. I’m concerned about all areas,” Sanders said Tuesday.

But later in his weekly press conference ahead of Saturday’s game (5 p.m., FS1) against Arizona (4-4, 1-3 Big 12), Coach Prime may have revealed one of the things he learned about his team when watching the film from the demoralizing defeat in Salt Lake City.

As Sanders rattled off his recollection of the first quarter, he mentioned the touchdown Utah scored on the second play of the game. Then, he brought up the immediate three-and-out that followed from the Buffs’ offense. He mentioned the other 10 points the Utes scored and the two more punts and the CU (3-5, 1-4) interception before the end of the first quarter.

In Coach Prime’s eyes, the first 15 minutes may have been enough to break the spirit of his team.

“That kind of stuff, you gotta have the strength to stand up to that and to bounce back and to fight back,” Sanders said. “You gotta have that mentality that no matter what happens that we’re gonna be all right and we can’t break. We can bend, but we can’t break. Unfortunately, we broke.”

The response in the days since has been what he’s wanted to see, though.

“Hats off to the young men, as well as the staff, because we teach our young men to put things behind them and go to the next play,” Sanders said. “Now, you gotta put a whole game behind you and go to the next opportunity and that’s practice. These young men have responded tremendously and I’m proud of them that they’re putting it aside and saying, ‘You know what? We’re better than this. We gotta focus and lock in.’”

It started on the quiet plane ride back to Colorado, something Sanders wanted. The Buffs have four games, with a bye week between, to right the ship and flip the narrative of their 2025 season. They still believe they’re better than their record. With three double-digit blown leads among the five losses, it’s easy to see why.

But after a noncompetitive effort Saturday at Utah, that’s what they’ll be known for — until they change the conversation with how they play in the final month of the season. 

“I didn’t want to hear a peep on the way back,” Coach Prime said. “These guys understand the assignment, they understand the mission. It was one of those days that it just didn’t work. You got your butt kicked. Don’t sugarcoat (it), don’t placate it. It is what it is. Now, guess what? Let’s flush the darn toilet and move on. And that’s what we’ve done.”