Deion Sanders calls Kansas State's alleged fake injuries "brilliant"

Coach Prime walked the line and wouldn't say whether it was a tactical approach

CU Buffs

Deion Sanders hinted at potential gamesmanship from Kansas State in Colorado’s close 31-28 loss to the Wildcats. In his weekly radio show, Sanders touched on a curious sequence during the third quarter when three Kansas State players went down with injuries in quick succession, right after Colorado had executed big offensive plays. This string of injuries drew boos from the crowd, as Buffaloes fans suspected the Wildcats were using the stoppages as a tactical move to slow down Colorado’s offensive momentum.

While Sanders stopped short of directly accusing Kansas State of faking injuries, he left little doubt that he shared the suspicions. “I don’t know if they were hurt or not,” Sanders said, adding with a smile, “It was funny to me. I thought it was really brilliant. I really thought it was brilliant.” His comments seemed to acknowledge the possibility of strategic injury delays, even if he was careful to maintain some ambiguity about his stance.

Notably, several of the Kansas State players who were injured during that drive did not return to the game, adding some legitimacy to their conditions. However, Keenan Garber, one of the Wildcats who went down, returned to the field after it was determined that his injury was due to cramps, which fueled further speculation among fans about the validity of the injuries.

Meanwhile, Colorado dealt with injuries of their own, with several key players leaving the game. Star receiver Travis Hunter exited late in the first half and did not return, though Sanders did not provide a detailed update on his status. More significantly, two of Colorado’s other wide receivers, Omarion Miller and Terrell Timmons, were confirmed to be unavailable for the next game. Miller is out for the season with a leg injury, while Timmons is expected to miss at least the upcoming week.

Despite these challenges, Colorado had a chance to win or tie the game late, but their final drive ended in a turnover on downs with just over a minute left on the clock. Many people, including Coach Prime, believe the Big 12 refs missed a pass interference call on the final play for CU. The Buffaloes will now turn their attention to Arizona, hoping to rebound from the narrow defeat when they face the Wildcats this Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on FOX.