Gus Malzahn butters up Shedeur Sanders, Colorado football defense

Gus Malzahn was, as usual, his sweetest southern self talking about Shedeur Sanders and Robert Livingston's Colorado football defense ahead of a crucial Week 5 clash in Orlando against his UCF Knights.

Malzahn complimented Colorado's playmakers on both sides of the ball in one of the more predictable pregame assessments a coach has ever given.

"Colorado, watched them Saturday night, real impressive win (vs. Baylor) and the way they won," Malzahn said (h/t The Coloradoan). "You look at their offense, they have playmakers. I think it starts with their quarterback (Shedeur Sanders). He does a good job of throwing the ball vertically down the field and he can extend plays. He's been very impressive throwing to his right and his left. He's got speed at receiver and some playmakers at the skill positions.

"Defensively, they're an aggressive defense. They challenge you and I guess they have two NFL coordinators so it's going to be a good test for us. Obviously, a big game for us being at home. Real excited for our fanbase and it's a really good opportunity for our program."

Colorado football contending with a different level of competition against UCF

Needless to say, as nice as Malzahn is, his team has the potential to stomp on the throats of Coach Prime's Buffs.

UCF has put up no less than 35 points every game and has the No. 17-ranked offense in the country per SportsGrid. Given the difficulties CU faced against Baylor's run game (166 rushing yards), it's fair to say that KJ Jefferson, RJ Harvey, Penny Boone, and Myles Montgomery could march down the field with little resistance.

The narrative would be a lot different right now for Colorado if they didn't pull off a miracle in Week 4. While Shedeur shouldn't have issues with UCF's defense, he may just have to score on nearly every possession to pull off this win.