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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
Colorado coach Deion Sanders threw cold water on the idea that the Buffaloes’ game this week against Nebraska would again be “personal.” Instead, he praised Nebraska coach Matt Rhule ahead of the rivalry game.
“I have a ton of respect for Matt Rhule,” Sanders said. “He’s in — I call it our class of coaches. We all took on a tremendous test last 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.”
It’s a different approach than Sanders took ahead of the Nebraska game last year, when he proclaimed, “This is personal. That’s the message of the week: This is personal.”
Colorado won last year’s game in Boulder 36-14 after which quarterback Shedeur Sanders said he took issue with Rhule and several Nebraska players standing on the Buffaloes’ logo at midfield before the game.
Shedeur Sanders also said after the game he felt Rhule had been disrespectful with comments he made in the offseason about not wanting to be followed around by cameras, a perceived swipe at Sanders and Colorado.
“The coach said a lot of things about my pops, about the program, but now that he want to act nice — I don’t respect that because you’re hating on another man, you shouldn’t do that,” Shedeur Sanders said. “It was just, all respect was gone for them and their program. I like playing against their DC, I like playing against them, but the respect level, it ain’t there cause you disrespected us first.”
After both teams finished with losing records last season, the animosity has appeared to die down.
“[Rhule] was a professional, did a phenomenal job,” Coach Sanders said. “Maybe not the job that he aspired to do, but he has a ton of experience and I love what he’s accomplished in his college coaching career.”
Colorado won its season opener against North Dakota State last week 31-26. Nebraska started with a 40-7 win against UTEP.