The Colorado Buffaloes have lost two straight and four of their last five after starting the year 3-0, and coach Deion Sanders is reportedly making a change in 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 applauds 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, according to the report.
FOX SPORTS’ TIM BRANDO WEIGHS IN THE FIRST COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS
Action Network was the first to report the play call change.
Lewis joins Sanders staff in Colorado after five seasons as head coach Kent Statewhere he led the Golden Flashes to two bowl game appearances and a MAC Championship in 2021.
Shurmur has 20 years of experience in the NFL and was its head coach New York Giants for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on December 29, 2019 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The move comes nearly a week after Colorado lost its second straight game in a loss to UCLA. Against the Bruins, Buck of Colorado Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, was sacked seven times while pressured 24 times and hit 17 times, according to the New York Post.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“Big picture, go get new linemen,” Deion Sanders said afterward. “This is the picture, and I will paint if it is perfect.”
The Buffaloes rushed for just 25 yards against UCLA and are dead last in the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game (78.6).
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before a game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl Stadium, Oct. 28, 2023, in Pasadena, California. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
After starting 3-0 in Sanders’ first season, reality has set in for Colorado. After a loss to Oregon on the road, the Buffaloes lost a penalty kick to USC before losing two of their 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.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
After the game, Sanders told his players that all the praise and fawning over their season was about to change.
“What we just did today was pathetic,” Sanders told his team. “All the love you got, all the love we got, oh, you’re ready to see that slide. And don’t get on social media and start responding to the nonsense because they’re right. They’re right.”
Colorado needs to win two of its last four games to reach a bowl game.