At 3-1, the Colorado Buffaloes are off to a good start to Deion Sanders’ second season as head coach in Boulder.

The Buffs haven’t reached the Coach Prime standard, however, although he admits that’s difficult.

“You’re never going to reach my expectations,” he said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “That’s not going to be garnished. You can’t reach that because I think big. You know, I have big, lofty dreams and lofty aspirations for each and every one of these kids on the field, as well as off the field.”

While the bar is high in the eyes of Coach Prime, he is pleased with the progress of his Buffs (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) as they prepare to visit Central Florida (3-0, 1-0) in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday (1:30 p.m. MT, Fox).

“We’re getting there. We’re getting closer,” he said. “But the one thing I could honestly and wholeheartedly say, we’re getting better every week in different facets of the game. You know darn well you can’t compare last year’s defense to this defense or the offense, as well. You see progress, you see certain positions and you see certain even young guys (playing well). … I know (quarterback Shedeur Sanders) and Travis (Hunter) take the headlines, but it’s a lot of other guys doing some phenomenal jobs out there.”

Much of Buff Nation is still basking in the glow of Saturday’s epic 38-31 come-from-behind overtime win against Baylor. The Buffs, however, have turned the page quickly with a trip to UCF on the horizon.

“Short term memory. Short term memory always — win, lose, draw, no matter what,” defensive lineman Shane Cokes said. “So obviously, Saturday night was crazy. Probably the craziest game I’ve ever played in, for sure, but, you know, enjoy that Sunday, fix mistakes, watch the film, and now today, get ready for UCF. Because, you know, hey, gotta go 1-0 again this week. Big game before the bye week. So focus on them.”

Buffs fans may never forget the dramatic ending on Saturday, including Shedeur’s 43-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to LaJohntay Wester on the final play of regulation and Hunter’s forced fumble on the final play of the game that sealed the win.

The highlights of that game have had a cinematic feel to them, and there’s no question those plays represent some of the progress made by the Buffs.

Their resiliency in the face of adversity was a step forward.

However, Coach Prime said, “We’re thankful, we’re appreciative that the game turned out like it did, but we had to work to come back to get that opportunity. And we had a couple opportunities. We had several plays that we hit, that were called back, that we’re not proud of. We allowed some opportunities to happen defensively that we’re not proud of.

“We feel like we shouldn’t have been in that situation to make that happen. We’re thankful that we did, but we feel like we’re the idiots that put ourselves in that situation to make it happen, and we don’t want to do that again. We feel like we’re better than that. We really do, but we’re extremely thankful and appreciative that our men didn’t give up and they came through.”

Because the players did come through, the Buffs finished the first third of the season in good shape.

The offense has increased its production — in terms of yards and points — in each of the last two games.

The defense, after giving up 449 yards to North Dakota in the opener, has given up 340 or less in the last three games, including a season-best 314 against Baylor.

Now, the challenge is to keep the trajectory moving up and get the second third of the season off to a good start. That won’t be easy as the Buffs go in as 14-point underdogs, as of Wednesday (the line has moved from 11.5 on Sunday).

“No matter what the situation is, you’ve got to go into every game with the mindset of going 1-0 that week,” Cokes said. “Every week is a challenge. They practice too; like they practice plays, they practice to win. So no matter if they’re the favorite, we’re the underdog … it’s about going in that Saturday and playing a full and complete game.”