In 2018, Mike Sanford tore his left meniscus while celebrating an interception. Then the head coach at Western Kentucky despite being just 36 years old at the time, Sanford had those old-man knees reminding him to play it cool on the sidelines.

Well, now Sanford is 40 and the interim head coach for Colorado — taking over after CU dismissed Karl Dorrell. The left knee still bothers him, so he keeps it in a brace. As the Buffs sit at 0-5 and Sanford charts a way out of the doldrums, he apparently has his eye on a matching brace for his right knee.

“I told (the team) my full intention is to tear my right meniscus at some point in the next seven games,” he said earlier this week, according to BuffZone’s Brian Howell.

Incredible.

Sanford was the team’s offensive coordinator. He could only do so much. Now, as the leading man, Colorado has experienced an uptick in energy that has been noticeable to both the team and the folks tasked with covering the team.

How that translates to winning and losing football games is another story, but with the Buffs at 0-5 and noncompetitive, they needed to hit the reset button. They needed a jolt, and Sanford certainly seems to be providing it. They have this week off before hosting Cal on Oct. 15. What’s that energy worth? Maybe the cost of another meniscus repair.