The last time Colorado faced Nebraska in 2023, Colorado coach Deion Sanders preached to his team beforehand about just how “personal” that game was going to be − a nationally televised game between two longtime football rivals with little side grudges stacked up along the way.
The motivational strategy worked. Colorado won at home, 36-14. But here they are one year later, getting ready to play at Nebraska on Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. ET game on NBC.
And now Sanders is singing a slightly different pregame tune, at least as it relates to Matt Rhule, Nebraska’s head coach.
“I have a ton of respect for Matt Rhule,” Sanders said at his news conference Tuesday in Boulder. “He’s in − I call it our class of coaches. We all took on a tremendous task that year along with (Arizona State) coach (Kenny) Dillingham and several others. So I feel like we’re a fraternity. So I root for that class of head coaches that came in that year.”
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field.
This is the same Matt Rhule whom Sanders’ son Shedeur took issue with before the game last year when he stood on Colorado’s midfield logo.
It’s also the same Matt Rhule who vaguely seemed to criticize the way Sanders was building his roster with transfer players instead of coaching up high school recruits (even though Rhule never mentioned him by name).
So is it no longer personal?
It always will be for some, even if the coaches for both teams aren’t saying so this week. Both coaches are in their second seasons on the job after getting hired in late 2022. Both are 1-0 after winning their season openers last week.
“My wife and I went skiing this year in Beaver Creek (Colo.),” Rhule said Monday. “We took the kids up and met some friends. We were sitting down and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/deion-sanders-takes-show-nebraska-204846184.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-09-03 20:48:46
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