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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is “day-by-day” according to his father, coach Deion Sanders, and it’s unclear whether he will play in the Buffaloes’ season finale at Utah on Saturday.
“Shedeur is not feeling well right now,” Deion Sanders said. “We are praying that he gets healthy and he’s able to play because he is who he is, and when he’s on the field, we have a tremendous chance to win.”
Sanders left Friday’s 56-14 loss at Washington State with numbness in his hand and was held out the rest of the game for precautionary reasons. He ranks No. 10 in FBS with 3,230 passing yards and a 27-to-3 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio, but has also been sacked nine more times than any other quarterback (52).
Unable to reach the six-win mark for bowl eligibility, Sanders was asked whether Saturday’s game is about playing for pride.
“I don’t know about pride. You got to play to win. You got to play to the best of your ability,” he said. “You got to play because this is the life you chose. Nobody’s forcing you to go out there to play.
“You may not have the same amount of hand claps that you had at the beginning. You may not have the same amount of noise and the same amount of fans or the same amount of passion. But you got to figure this thing out and you got to play.”
Sanders also heaped heavy praise on Utes coach Kyle Whittingham, who is the third-longest-tenured coach in FBS, having guided Utah since 2005.
“He’s a legend, man. He’s a darn legend,” Sanders said. “He’s a guy that I truly respect. I truly admire.”
Colorado (4-7, 1-7 Pac-12), a 22-point underdog, needs a win to avoid finishing alone in last place in the Pac-12 standings.