Stanford’s win against Colorado on Friday night was a massive upset, as the Cardinal got their first Pac-12 win of the season. The victory was extra special for the team, though, because it meant the first conference win for new coach Troy Taylor.
The game featured a battle of first-year coaches, Taylor and Deion Sanders, with different styles. While Sanders heavily utilized the transfer portal to reshape the Buffaloes, Taylor took a different approach by trying to keep the players that were previously there.
After the game, Stanford offensive lineman Fisher Anderson took a swipe at Sanders on social media, calling out the Buffaloes coach for his offseason approach.
“When coach Taylor got hired, he told everyone to stay and believe; Coach prime told everyone to leave,” Anderson wrote. “We are program builders; they are mercenaries.”
A few thoughts on last night: Good always wins out, no matter how bleak it looks. When coach Taylor got hired, he told everyone to stay and believe; Coach prime told everyone to leave. We are program builders; they are mercenaries. I believe in Stanford football; you should too. pic.twitter.com/ZnPHnQRYkv
— Fisher Anderson (@FisherA_) October 14, 2023
Anderson is a sophomore who chose to stay at Stanford after the coaching change, when Stanford hired Taylor away from Sacramento State following the resignation of David Shaw. Anderson has played in all six games this season as the Cardinal’s starting left tackle and clearly believes in the new regime.
Sanders’s program-building approach drew criticism, as early in the offseason he encouraged players to leave via the transfer portal as he was preparing to bring in his own players. Colorado started the season 3-0 but has since gone 1-3 since, falling to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the Pac-12.
With Friday’s 46-43 double-overtime win in Boulder, Stanford improved to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in conference.
