BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders certainly enjoyed the spoof of Deion Sanders in a recent skit on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Actor Kenan Thompson’s parody of the Colorado coach was spot-on, from the attire – white Colorado sweatshirt pulled over his CU hat, shades and a whistle dangling from his neck — to the larger-than-life attitude.
“I’m a fan of Kenan, let’s get that straight,” Sanders said Tuesday at his weekly news conference of the “SNL” comedy sketch. “It was good.”
Sanders said his son, CU defensive back Shilo Sanders, does a better impersonation.
The Buffaloes face No. 23 UCLA (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday at sold-out Rose Bowl Stadium, and Sanders is a big fan of Bruins coach Chip Kelly.
“I really admire his accomplishments thus far in the game of football,” Sanders said. “Not just college but pros as well.”
The Buffaloes (4-3, 1-3 Pac-12) have had a long time to stew over blowing a 29-0 lead to Stanford in a 46-43 double-overtime home loss. Sanders hasn’t stopped reflecting on it — or the season, which might explain why he showed up Tuesday with a new beard, complete with gray whiskers, to go with his cowboy hat.
“I don’t stop thinking. That’s my darn problem,” Sanders said. “That’s why we can’t rest as humans sometimes. We’ve got to learn how to turn our mind off. It’s hard for me to shut this off because I enjoy it so much and I want to dominate it.”
Thompson, playing the role of Sanders in the “SNL” skit that aired the night after the Stanford loss, imitated the confidence of Sanders, saying, “We just keep winning, man. Every game. Every minute. We’re winning at life.”
To which “Weekend Update” anchor Colin Jost replied, “Well, yeah, you’re also 4-3. So you have lost a few.”