Deion Sanders assesses the progress of the program reconstruction

Deion Sanders now has 17 games under his belt as Colorado's head coach. The most recent of those 17 games was the Buffaloes' best performance under his leadership.

For one, the Buffs held UCF to 177 yards on the ground. The Knights, led by the running back RJ Harveyentered the matchup ranked first nationally with 375.7 rushing yards per game. But Harvey failed to reach the century mark for the first time this season, and UCF suffered a 48-21 home loss to a 15-point underdog Colorado team that is now 4-1, including 2-0 in the Big 12.

In other words, Colorado already has twice as many league wins as it did last year, when it finished 4-8 overall and 1-8 in conference competition. Granted, the Buffaloes were in the Pac-12 at the time, but their improvement as a sophomore is still significant, especially since they were questionable after a 28-10 setback at Nebraska in Week 2.

But an overtime win over Baylor and a win over UCF last week in Orlando have captured the nation's attention in a more serious way than Sanders' 3-1 start to the 2023 season.

“I feel like we’re trending in the right direction,” Sanders said after the game last week. “I feel like you're seeing the result of a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication and great hires. Great, I don't want to say acquisitions – it's almost like we're in the pros, but when it comes to money and things like that at NIL, that's pretty much the case – but you get the right people in with the right settings , the right work ethic. I love where we are as a program. I really do.

“Could we be better? Naturally. I think anyone can do that. But I know we’re trending in the right direction.”

Not only was Colorado's defense up to the challenge against UCF, but so was the Buffaloes' offensive line. After allowing 16 sacks in the first four games of the season, Colorado conceded just two against the Knights. Additionally, the Buffaloes totaled a season-high 128 yards rushing.

Of course, Colorado's stars continued to do their thing. quarterback Shedeur Sanders completed 80% of his passes, threw for 290 yards and posted a 3:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Travis Hunter Completed nine passes for 89 yards and a touchdown at wide receiver and recorded his second interception of the season at cornerback.

But individual outstanding performances are nothing new for Colorado. A complete game, however, does. That's why the Buffaloes raised eyebrows last week.

They enter this week knowing they are one of three Big 12 teams entering Week 6 with a 2-0 record in conference play this season.

They also know that, as Sanders said, they are “trending in the right direction.”