In his first game back from injury, Colorado defensive back Shilo Sanders did not impress. In fact, Deion Sanders, Shilo's father and Colorado football head coach, went a step further in his criticism of Shilo's return.

“I thought he played horrible,” Deion said [h/t On3]. “I thought he was rusty. I thought he didn’t have his footing. I thought he wasn’t breaking down. He was coming up trying to make the play but open field, one-on-one tackle, with that kind of [running] back, that ain’t an easy task. But, he’s gonna do better. I know what he has in him.”

Shilo went down with an injury during Colorado's 28-10 loss to Nebraska. After telling the Cornhuskers captains before the coin toss that the Buffaloes were “about to roll [their] a**es,” Sanders suffered a broken forearm while making a tackle early in the game.

Following surgery to repair his forearm, Sanders missed the next three games, which would turn out to be all wins for Colorado. Unfortunately, his return, as Coach Prime bluntly explained, was less than stellar.

In particular, one play stands out — for all the wrong reasons. While coming up and trying to make a tackle on DJ Giddens, the talented K-State running back juked out Sanders, who was forced to his knees by the move as Giddens, who gained 217 total yards yesterday, slid to the next level.

Related Colorado Football NewsArticle continues below
Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Kyle Field.
Texas A&M QB pulls off massive private jet NIL move
Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell leads his team out of the tunnel before the game against the California Golden Bears at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.
Mike Norvell puts ‘great’ spin on season-opening Florida State-Alabama clash
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) runs in an obstacle drill during Spring Practice in Clemson, S.C.
Bruce Feldman picks Texas vs. Clemson national championship game

Sanders and the Colorado defense will have to play better as the season progresses to give the Buffaloes more chances at victories. Last night, the Buffs allowed 6.1 yards per play (second-highest for the team this season) and a season-high 185 rushing yards.

Additionally, the Buffaloes' defense allowed three long touchdown drives and, near the end of the game, surrendered two massive plays that cost them the game.

Moments after Shilo's brother Shedeur Sanders threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to give Colorado a 28-24 lead with 3:12 remaining in the game, Avery Johnson connected with Giddens on a 34-yard pass to reach midfield before going deep to Jayce Brown for a 50-yard touchdown pass that put K-State back on top.

Colorado (4-2, 2-1 in Big 12) still is on track for a major year-over-year improvement. Despite dropping another close game — CU has now lost six games by one score or less under Deion — the Buffs should still be able to win at least a few more games left on their schedule to reach a bowl game.

Next week, Colorado travels to Arizona, which was trounced by Kansas State earlier in the year and has lost two in a row.