Colorado Assistant’s Blunt Speech Foreshadowed Embarrassing Loss to Stanford

Dennis Thurman said some Buffaloes players “have some of the most horrific practice habits I’ve ever seen.”

Colorado’s embarrassing loss to Stanford on Friday night was one for the ages. The team squandered a 29-point lead, and the college football world was rightfully shocked, especially considering all the off-the-field hype surrounding coach Deion Sanders and his surprising Buffaloes. 

But a video posted by Deion Sanders Jr. before the loss has gained some traction. The clip clearly shows Buffaloes coaches criticizing players for troubling habits that would manifest in the eventual upset. 

In a video published before the game Friday, the team’s director of quality control for the defense, longtime NFL defensive back Dennis Thurman, gave Buffs players a rude awakening when discussing their chances of playing pro football. 

Thurman, who played in the NFL for nine years and coached in the league for 18 seasons, estimated that 95% of Colorado’s players won’t even get invited to an NFL training camp after college. He pointed out that most of the team’s players want to play in the NFL—but don’t put in the work.  

“The way some of you guys practice, the way some of you don’t study and apply yourselves: you have no chance to play on Sunday. That’s why you’re not playing here,” Thurman said. “Some of you have some of the most horrific practice habits I’ve ever seen. I hear you guys b----ing about your coach. I hear you guys complaining  about him getting after you. I hear all of that.”

Colorado started the season off hot by beating a ranked TCU team on its way to a 3–0 start but has lost three of four games since. Stanford entered Friday’s game 1–4 on a four-game losing streak but somehow was able to pull out the miraculous 46–43 win in double overtime to knock Colorado down to 4–3 on the year. Thurman also harped on the team’s lack of enthusiasm for the sport—something Sanders tried to hammer home after the loss. 

“You guys say you love to [play football], but then you complain about the work that you have to put in,” Thurman continued. “You don’t love it.” 

Sanders offered a similar message to his team after the loss. 

“What I just said in the locker room to the team is they gotta make up in their mind: Are they in love with this game or in like with it? Because when you love something, you give to it unconditionally,” Sanders said. “I’m truly 100% in love with this thing, and I just want people to match me.”

"They gotta make up in their mind are they in love with this game or in like with it?... I'm truly 100% in love with this thing and I just want people to match me."

Deion Sanders speaks about his love for the game after Colorado's loss tonight ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/tj14EhihnZ

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 14, 2023