Deion Sanders making play-caller change ahead of Oregon State matchup: reports

The Colorado Buffaloes have lost two straight games and four of their last five after starting the year 3-0, and head coach Deion Sanders is reportedly making a change to his staff. 

Sanders will elevate analyst Pat Shurmur to an on-field role to call plays, stripping offensive coordinator Sean Lewis of play-calling duties, according to ESPN.  

Offensive coordinator Sean Lewis claps after a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the USC Trojans at Folsom Field Sept. 30, 2023, in Boulder, Colo.  (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Shurmur and Lewis will be co-offensive coordinators, per the report. 

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Action Network was first to report the play-calling change. 

Lewis joined Sanders’ staff at Colorado after five seasons as head coach of Kent State, where he led the Golden Flashes to two bowl game appearances and reached the MAC Championship Game in 2021. 

Shurmur has 20 years experience in the NFL and was head coach of the New York Giants for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. 

New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles Dec. 29, 2019, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The move comes nearly a week after Colorado dropped its second straight game in a loss to UCLA. Against the Bruins, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, was sacked seven times while being pressured 24 times and hit 17 times, per the New York Post. 

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"The big picture, you go get new linemen," Deion Sanders said afterward. "That’s the picture, and I’m gonna paint if perfectly."

The Buffaloes rushed for just 25 yards against UCLA and are dead last in the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game (78.6). 

Head coach Deion Sanders of the Colorado Buffaloes prior to a game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl Stadium Oct. 28, 2023, in Pasadena, Calif. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

After getting off to a 3-0 start in Sanders’ first season, reality has set in for Colorado. Following a blowout loss to Oregon on the road, the Buffaloes lost a shootout to USC before losing two of the next three. 

Against Stanford in Week 7, the Buffaloes blew a 29-0 lead, losing 46-43 in double overtime as Stanford earned its first Pac-12 win of the season. 

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After the game, Sanders told his players all the praise and fawning over their season was about to turn. 

"What we just did today was pathetic," Sanders told his team. "All the love that you received, all the love that we received, oh you about ready to see that slip. And don’t get beside yourself on social media and start responding to the foolishness because they’re right. They’re right."

Colorado needs to win two of its last four games to reach bowl eligibility.

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