Renck: With his salary, CU’s Deion Sanders doesn’t have luxury of rebuilding. This mess is his to fix

BOULDER Leave it to Deion Sanders to refer to a Brazilian butt lift when trying to explain how his organization got its bleep kicked last weekend He was citing society s obsession with instant gratification pizza with a phone call dinner dashed to our doorstep You know how nobody has patience anymore It is fair after watching what unfolded Saturday night if that patience is starting to wear thin with Coach Prime He was the largest part celebrated hire in school history He made CU relevant attracting TV networks to the games NFL Hall of Famers to the sidelines Three years into this experiment the reality no longer matches the hype The Buffs are a laughingstock again And let s be honest in the current college landscape coaches making million per year don t get the luxury of rebuilding seasons or failing to qualify for a bowl even a bad one CU requires victories in its final three games at West Virginia against Arizona State and on the road versus Kansas State to be eligible for the postseason Good luck Arizona mauled the Buffs - on a chilly night before fans at Folsom Field The first smattering of boos cascaded down after CU s second offensive play Half of those in attendance never wandered back to their seats after halftime It is getting harder to see the whippings as an aberration When a organization gets outscored - in the first half in back-to-back weeks it seems like what is happening on the field is a symptom of larger dysfunction The Buffs have one conference win Only Oklahoma State which canned legendary coach Mike Gundy in September is worse Coach Prime handpicked this coaching staff and this overhauled roster And the Buffs have done nothing well over the past two games They fall behind they miss tackles they turn the ball over and they lack discipline which spawns visible anger and on-field arguments At halftime CU trailed by and had more penalties nine than points seven A loss like this it goes looking for people to blame and it does not go wanting The only hard part is where to start A sequence in the second quarter captured problems that go far beyond the personnel to the leadership of the initiative Quarterback Kaidon Salter who was mercifully benched delivered a -yard scoring strike to Sincere Brown when CU still had hope The touchdown and assumed point after would have cut the deficit to - But a scan of the field proved as much yellow as black and gold Omarion Miller was ruled an ineligible receiver downfield suggesting he lined up wrong since well he is a receiver How does that happen Worse the Buffs were pushed back another yards for offensive lineman Yahya Attia brandishing a weapon while taunting an Arizona performer Finger guns Really Arizona wide receiver Tre Spivey runs for a touchdown after catching a pass as Colorado defensive end Arden Walker pursues in the first half of an NCAA college football challenge Saturday Nov in Boulder Colo AP Photo David Zalubowski The offense was terrible collecting yards in the first half while receiving a Bronx cheer when it made its initial first down Coordinator Pat Shurmur has been something less than competent for years so we really should not start the finger-pointing there What about Salter He has been a disappointment since the season opener and stayed true to form As did backup Ryan Staub whose first two passes were interceptions Those who stuck around in the second half witnessed five-star prospect Julian Lewis connect on a -yard strike to Miller for the first touchdown of his career But even that created questions namely is he going to play the final three games and burn his redshirt season If so why Defensive boss Robert Livingston must be held accountable for his unit s shortcomings He lacks beef up front a trademark of all of the teams under Coach Prime leaving CU susceptible to any club that likes to run the ball But the poor tackling the lack of physicality the bad angles the blown assignments remain jarring All of the improvement Livingston fostered last season seemed like a long time ago when Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita stepped up into a pressure-free pocket and discovered Javin Whatley streaking wide open for a touchdown with seconds left in the half The referee on the goal line shrugged and slowly raised his arms in the air unsure if he was inbounds It is invariably best to assume the worst against this defense No this loss wasn t the fault of Shurmur Livingston Salter Staub or any forgettable defender It is on the man who hired them recruited them and coaches them Sanders talks about practice more than Allen Iverson He promised things would change after getting walloped - by Utah He was right The Buffs got worse Sanders brought in the latest gold jacket to campus this week with Ray Lewis questioning the players If you guys don t believe in each other how do you win and pleading for them to improve communication and take their preparation seriously Lewis was not wrong But eventually the message is just background noise in a lost season Colorado safety John Slaughter left upends Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita after a short gain in the first half of an NCAA college football competition Saturday Nov in Boulder Colo AP Photo David Zalubowski The sobering truth is that these are not the good old days like when Coach Prime could stack the roster with skill players notably his son Shedeur and Heisman Trophy-winner Travis Hunter and deliver a winning record Related Articles Renck DU to West Coast Conference is ideal fit represents huge win for Pioneers Renck File Dre Greenlaw s body let him down Then he let down Broncos Time to change that Sunday Renck Avs deal with Martin Necas is easy to evaluate The payoff must come in playoffs Renck Thank you DeMeco Ryans for going to Houston Broncos would not be contender again without Sean Payton Renck vs Keeler Can Broncos extend win streak at Houston without Pat Surtain II Without generational talent on offense the details become amplified College has become the NFL with the money paid to players and coaches You cannot miss on evaluations especially at quarterback running back and the offensive line Prime gets guys who want to work and play for him But what is he doing for them in terms of Xs and Os Coaching matters Schemes matter Improving during the week is non-negotiable The Buffs stink right now And it is not just on the players and assistants Coach Prime has to own this mess or there is no reason to believe it will get fixed Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams