“This Ain’t the NFL”: Coach Prime Teaches Colorado Defense a Valuable Lesson in Keeping Possession

The flaws that led to the downfall of the Buffs offense last season were still somewhere hindering the progress the Buffs team was making – Their defense. Since the losses started piling up on the Buffs board last season, its defense had to bear the smacks of being called mediocre. Even the score charts embarrassed them. While they bedazzled the CFB with their popularity, the team ended up near the bottom in almost all categories. The worst among all those were the points allowed per game. Per CU Buffs, the team allowed nearly 35 points per game, the price of which they ended up paying in losses.

But there’s the spirit of a fresh debut in the air keeping the Buffs going. Deion Sanders has yet not given up on perfecting the flaws of his team. The best part for him is that coach Robert Livingston joins him to smooth out the process. Now, entering the Folsom Field means strict business for the players. And whenever they blunder in that, it either results in some grim reprimands from Coach Prime or another ‘teacher moment’.

During the play, when the Buffs’ defense hurriedly started running after getting possession of the ball, the alarms blared off for Deion Sanders. Prime was quick to stop the play mid-way to pull out an excellent masterclass for the defense.

Transitioning seamlessly into his role as head coach, Deion Sanders stormed right into the field in all his assertiveness, to impart a precious on-field lesson to bolster his defense. Demonstrating along the way, Deion Sanders started explaining why the other members of defense needed to cover up the one on the ground with the possession of the ball. “That’s how we do this. He can’t get up and run, this ain’t the NFL. Somebody cover him up so we retain the possession of the ball,” Deion Sanders stressed. Thanks to his hiring astuteness, Prime has secured a DC who is on the same page.

DC Robert Livingston’s strategy for Buffs defense

The metrics of points allowed per game are a state of turmoil for Livingston, something that he pledged to change the moment he put on the cap of the Buffs DC. His action plan for it moving forward: be great situationally.

“If you want to be a great defense, you have to play great situationally,” Livingston said. This also means giving up a few yards to keep the opponent out of the end zone when the situation requires. To make the fans understand his point further, Livingston iterated an instance that reflects the same.

“Think about it — let’s say there’s 1:25 left (in the half), they’re on our 40 and it’s third-and-long,” Livingston said. “Do you go get them? Do you bring pressure so now all of a sudden you knock them out of field goal range and they have to punt? Then Travis (Hunter) and Shedeur (Sanders) and the offense can go to work. They score, they get the ball in the second half and maybe it’s a 10- to 14-point swing. We have to be great situationally.”

READ ALSO: After Deion Sanders Jr.’s Shiny $79K Purchase, Shedeur & Shilo Follow Their Brother’s Footsteps to Flaunt New Beast

Livingston has practically hit a treasure chest in terms of talent in the defensive line. Taurean Carter, Brandon-Davis Swain, and Preston Hodge are lining up the defensive line of the Buffs, which are also some of the most discussed names in the CFB defense. If Livingston can set these linemen in his strategy and if all of it works out at the end, the Buffs might as well conclude one of their best-ever seasons.

READ MORE: “Don’t Have a Playbook”: Coach Prime’s Defensive Weapon Opens Up About Working With Deion Sanders Brick by Brick