Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders has settled on Isaac Wilson as his starting quarterback after the Buffaloes’ bye week following a 29-7 loss to Texas Tech on Oct. 3.
Sanders confirmed Tuesday that Wilson will make his second consecutive start when Colorado hosts No. 11 Utah on Saturday, keeping the former Utes quarterback ahead of Julian Lewis.
“OK, Isaac’s starting. Isaac’s starting,” Sanders said. “You knew darn well Isaac was starting. Isaac is always up to the test. This isn’t any different. Isaac is the same Isaac, man. He doesn’t flinch.”
Wilson started against Texas Tech after replacing Lewis in the second half of Colorado’s previous loss to Baylor. Against the Red Raiders, Wilson completed 26 of 44 passes for 290 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
Sanders still backed Wilson after the turnover-heavy performance and said there should not have been much doubt about who would start against Utah. That said, the Colorado coach did offer Wilson one piece of advice after the three interceptions.
“Isaac, make sure you throw the ball to the guys on our team,” Sanders said he told Wilson. “We could joke like that because Isaac is one of those kids that — Isaac is Isaac, man. He ain’t taking that to heart; he’s not going to cry. That’s the balance of our relationship; we could get down like that.”
Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
More tellingly, Sanders acknowledged that Colorado does not want Wilson throwing nearly as often as he did against Texas Tech.
“We don’t want to throw the ball 40-some times,” Sanders said. “We want to keep the ball in between 17 and 24 pass attempts, but it dictates how the game is flowing.”
Colorado has lost three consecutive games and sits at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in Big 12 play. The Buffaloes host No. 11 Utah on Saturday at 10:15 p.m. ET.
