What Baylor coach Dave Aranda said about Deion Sanders, Colorado football

Deion Sanders and the Colorado football team open Big 12 play on Saturday night (6 p.m. MT) against Baylor.

The Buffaloes (2-1) played a complete game in Week 3 to beat rival Colorado State while the Bears (2-1) took care of Air Force with their backup quarterback.

Baylor starting quarterback Dequan Finn (Toledo transfer) suffered a shoulder injury in Week 2 that cost him a game. Junior QB Sawyer Robertson started in place of Finn during the win over Air Force, throwing for 248 yards and rushing for a touchdown.

Head coach Dave Aranda said Monday that Finn was back at practice to start the week and considered "day-to-day."

Here's what else the Baylor coach said about Sanders and the Colorado football team ahead of Saturday's Big 12 opener:

Baylor head coach Dave Aranda on Colorado football team

"Lot of work to do for this next week," Aranda said . "Lot of respect for our opponent. The skill they have, the improved line of scrimmage play, it's a team that looks like they're trending up and it's going to be a tough environment for us. Lot of positives for us in this game, too, but it's going to take our best."

Dave Aranda on status of Baylor quarterback Dequan Finn

"We're going, right now, day-to-day. Dequan is out of his sling and so we had practice this morning and he was able to move around better. There's limitations on what we can do per day but I think we're in a good spot. We had the player of the game award that we do when we win and Sawyer (Robertson) won that award so the team is really fired up and excited for him. I'm going to see what tomorrow brings and what Dequan can do and see how we progress. We hope to have an idea of what it's going to be probably Saturday."

Dave Aranda on quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Colorado skill players

"I have a lot of respect offensively for what they do. The quarterback makes some really hard throws. If he knows what you're in, he eats you up and the throws are out before the turns are made and before the coverage has a chance to work a leverage or any of that. Once he knows, it's bad for the defense. And then I think the skill (players) is to where you can only double cover so many people. In the past, people have tried to mitigate all of that by trying to get to him (Shedeur) before they can get to you and I think there is improvement on that side of it. You can see the talking and the communication up front where they are able to hold off and then you're getting the quarterback stepping in, taking hits as he's getting the ball out. That's a whole NFL thing right there. So I have a lot of respect and it's going to take our best. We've been playing a lot of running teams and so to go from one end to the other end is our task. It's a lot of work that needs to happen for us."

Dave Aranda on if blitzing Colorado is the way to slow them down

"The formation is such that there's been a lot of 10 personnel (four receivers, no tight ends) and even five wide (receivers), so zero-zero personnel is what we would call it, early in the year. They have the ability to go 11 personnel (three receivers, one tight end) but that is limited. In this last game, it showed up a little bit more and they ran the ball some more than they usually do but outside of that, it's been four wide, five wide. So the formation gets to where they're counting on a five-man (defensive) box and if there aren't five guys in there, then they know something is up (blitz) and the ball is kicked out quick and you have to make a tackle in space. There's all these things that, to get the pressure, you have to say 'yes' to and you have to make sure your people are in the right spot so when you say 'yes,' it's what you're asking for."

Dave Aranda on Deion Sanders

"I have a lot of respect for him. The energy, notoriety and the juice that he's brought to that program. We're going into a homecoming game for them and it's going to be packed. It's nationally televised and it's probably not for us, it's probably for them. He's doing a great job. I have a lot of respect for him."

Follow Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter on X .

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: What Baylor coach Dave Aranda said about Deion Sanders, Colorado football