Kenny Dillingham praises Colorado ahead of their week 13 matchup

2 hours ago7 min read1 comments

The mutual admiration society between Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham and Colorado's Deion Sanders is a refreshing subplot in the often-cutthroat world of college football, offering a narrative that feels more like a buddy cop movie than a pre-game press conference. Ahead of their Week 13 showdown in Boulder, Dillingham didn’t just offer the usual coach-speak platitudes; he delivered a full-throated endorsement of the cultural revolution Sanders is engineering, framing Colorado’s 4-7 record not as a failure but as a monumental leap forward.'Life is about relativity,' Dillingham mused, putting his analyst's cap on. 'Relative to when he took over that program, that program is 300% better.' That perspective is a gut punch to the casual observer who only sees the win-loss column, ignoring the fact that Sanders has made Colorado the talk of the sport, a place where recruits actually want to go and where a dormant fanbase has been violently resuscitated. Dillingham, who shared a 'Big 12 rookies together' bond with Coach Prime, peeled back the layers on the challenges, noting Sanders has 'battled a bunch,' a nod to the relentless scrutiny and injury woes that have plagued the Buffaloes, yet highlighting the coach's core identity as a 'fighter and a winner.' On the field, the Sun Devils' coach broke down the X's and O's with the casual insight of someone watching tape with friends, praising Colorado's defensive line for how they 'get off the ball' and acknowledging the pro-style, four-down scheme that's 'literally straight from the NFL,' a system he sees similarities with in his own squad. He even gave a shout-out to freshman quarterback Julian Lewis, a player he once recruited at Oregon, noting his ability to 'locate the ball, especially vertically,' a scary thought for any defensive coordinator.For Arizona State, sitting fifth in the Big 12 and needing to win out against Colorado and Arizona to climb, this game is about playoff positioning and proving they can finally put together that complete game Dillingham insists has eluded them all season. For Colorado, it’s a pride play, a chance to avoid the worst record of the Sanders era and build momentum around their new QB1. When these two friends-turned-foes clash under the ESPN2 lights, it’s more than just a game; it’s a testament to the fact that in the hyper-competitive landscape of modern college athletics, respect doesn’t have to be a casualty of war.

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