Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders boldly criticized Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule after the Buffaloes’ 36–14 win over the Huskers on Saturday.
The Buffaloes quarterback said “all respect was gone for them [Nebraska] and their program” after Rhule spoke poorly of his father, coach Deion Sanders, ahead of the matchup.
Rhule disagreed with the quarterback’s comment, saying he’s “never disrespected an opponent a day in my life,” per the Omaha World-Herald’s Sam McKewon.
The younger Sanders specifically didn’t appreciate the Cornhuskers’ meeting on the Buffs’ midfield logo prior to the game. Rhule addressed the meeting Monday by stating that it was a moment of prayer for the team, and he even invited Sanders to join them.
Shedeur Sanders hasn’t yet responded to Rhule’s explanation, but here’s what he had to say after Saturday’s game.
“It was extremely personal,” Sanders said. “We go out there and warm up, you’ve got the head coach of the other team trying to stand out in the middle of the Buff. It’s O.K. if, like, a couple players do it, it’s fine. Like, just enjoy the scenery. But when you’ve got the whole team trying to disrespect it, I’m not going for that at all. I went in there and disrupted it. So they knew I’m for real. The Buffaloes mean a lot to me. Personally, that’s what I was saying pregame and that’s when I knew it was just extreme disrespect.”
"It was extremely personal... The coach said a lot of things about my Pops, about the program- but now he wanna act nice. I don't respect that."
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 9, 2023
Shedeur Sanders didn't hold back when asked about if the Nebraska rivalry was personal for him and Colorado ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/yZfQr2SzX9
That seemed to be the sentiment in the Buffaloes’ locker room all week before the matchup, too. Coach Sanders said he was embracing the rivalry “100%” and that the regional rivalry with Nebraska it was “personal.”
