Deion Sanders’ fourth season at the helm of Colorado has begun on a positive note, with the Buffaloes opening the campaign 1-0 following a narrow 14-13 victory over Georgia Tech.
The win came at an important time for Colorado after the program faced a wave of criticism during the offseason. After the Week 0 win, the Buffaloes’ assistant strength coach, Morgen Cote, took the opportunity to fire a shot at the detractors.
Morgen Cote Responds to Critics after Deion Sanders’ Colorado Opened the Season with a Win
The College Football Playoff is still unfamiliar territory for Colorado, with the Buffaloes’ best season under Sanders coming in 2024, when they finished 9-4.
That momentum disappeared last year as Colorado stumbled to a 3-9 record. However, the team’s victory over Georgia Tech provided a much-needed spark and renewed optimism around the program.
The win triggered an upbeat message from Cote, who is known as Coach “Mo” around Boulder.
“Do your job. Do it well. And do it with PRIDE. So proud of this team. What we got is special. A lot has been said about me, and I’ll talk about it soon, but for now… I’m on assignment. Back to work. To all my girls out there watching and chasing that dream.. KEEP GOING,” Cote tweeted.
“Do your job. Do it well. And do it with PRIDE.” So proud of this team. What we got is special
A lot has been said about me and I’ll talk about it soon but for now…I’m on assignment. Back to work.
To all my girls out there watching and chasing that dream..KEEP GOING #motivate pic.twitter.com/6BtNt7Iz2c
— Coach Motivate | Strength Coach (@_mo_tivate) September 5, 2026
Cote’s message came after she faced some criticism over a viral locker-room speech.
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During Colorado’s offseason workouts, she attempted to motivate the players by encouraging them to embrace the program’s identity and reminding them that Colorado has “one of the most well-known” logos in college football.
The speech quickly drew attention, with former LSU defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko among those criticizing her remarks.
Fehoko questioned whether Cote’s speech could motivate anyone, even joking that he would not be persuaded to perform basic tasks, despite the extreme conditions. At the same time, he felt the need to clarify that he supports women in sports.
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Fehoko went as far as to suggest that Colorado could finish 0-12, but the Georgia Tech victory immediately hollowed out that prediction.
The Buffaloes entered Week 1 as an underdog against the Yellow Jackets, largely due to questions surrounding the team’s revamped roster and coaching staff. The win provided some answers and offered the Buffaloes an encouraging start.
Sanders also had a message for those who have criticized the program following the win.
“I don’t shake a shadow. We know what we (are) doing here. We don’t shatter. We let y’all talk. You got to sell some papers. You got to get some clicks. You got to do that. So talk your talking, pop it. Just don’t get sensitive when I talk back,” Sanders told the media.
Colorado will now turn its attention to Week 2, when the Buffaloes face Weber State, as Sanders and his team will look to build on the momentum.
