The Colorado-Nebraska rivalry has only gotten stronger since Saturday. And it’s not for anything that happened during the Buffaloes’ 36-14 win.
Huskers coach Matt Rhule defended himself Monday after Shedeur Sanders claimed he disrespected the Buffaloes and Deion Sanders prior to the game.
Nebraska’s first-year head coach said he has a pre-game tradition where he and players come together at midfield to pray for the health and safety of all the players. During this moment at Folsom Field in Boulder, Sanders went over to the group to disrupt the meeting. Sanders was invited to join the group but refused because of the disrespect he’s seen from Nebraska.
“We do that at every stadium,” Rhule said in a news conference. “We go there and pray for blessing. … I want that field to be safe for everybody. No one’s going to tell me who I am.”
After the game, Rhule refused to leave the field before shaking Deion Sanders’ hand despite being told to leave because Colorado students were storming. Rhule said he’s never disrespected an opponent and never will, but the younger Sanders apparently doesn’t agree.
MORE: Colorado fans storm the field in a first for Deion Sanders
Matt Rhule-Shedeur Sanders dispute
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado’s quarterback and son of the head coach, took the Huskers’ gathering at the midfield Buffalo as a sign of disrespect towards the program and his father.
“We go out there to warm up, and you got the head coach for the other team trying to stand in the middle of the Buff,” Sanders said in a postgame press conference. “It’s okay if a couple of players do it, it’s fine. Just enjoy the scenery, but when you’ve got a whole team trying to disrespect it, I’m not going for that at all so I went in there and disrupted it.”
Shedeur holds quite a grudge against Nebraska and Rhule on behalf of his father. A few offseason comments by the Huskers coach took a shot at the new Colorado coach over the media attention he was receiving. Trying to pretend that didn’t happen hasn’t gone well with the QB.
“The coach said a lot of things about my Pops, about the program. But now he wanna act nice. I don’t respect that.”
Shedeur Sanders says this Nebraska game was “personal” calls out HC Matt Rhule 👀
(via @CFBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/edh3IKDjgm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 9, 2023
MORE: Colorado overcomes slow start, rolls past Nebraska
What did Matt Rhule say about Deion Sanders?
In one of Rhule’s first interviews as Nebraska’s head coach, he hinted toward Sanders by saying, “I don’t let cameras in, there won’t be a camera following me around. I want it to always be about the players.”
The two coaches appear to be on friendly terms with each other despite comments, hugging after the game and praising one another prior to it.
Colorado Head Coach Deion Sanders gives his thoughts on the #Huskers & Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule:
“I do admire their coach tremendously…They’re going to come in here and be prepared for a dog fight.” pic.twitter.com/SLnxPYpiH8
— Matt Foster KETV (@MattFosterTV) September 5, 2023