Colorado’s Deion Sanders praises opposing coach Matt Rhule before Nebraska game

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A year ago Deion Sanders made the adjustment with fellow coach Matt Rhule and Nebraska personal.

This season we’ve heard nothing but praise.

The Colorado coach praised his rival just days before the Buffaloes travel to Lincoln, Neb., for the final meeting between the teams for the foreseeable future. Sanders said he feels the two are part of the same coaching fraternity because they arrived at about the same time and both were tasked with turning around their programs.

Both coaches struggled in their first year — Sanders and the Buffaloes finished the season with a 4-8 record, while Rhule and the Cornhuskers went 5-7.

“I have a ton of respect for Matt Rhule,” Sanders said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “He’s in what I call our coaching class. … So I root for that class of head coaches that came in last year. He was a professional, he did a phenomenal job, maybe not what he aspired to do, but he’s got a ton of experience and I love what he’s accomplished in his college coaching career.”

It’s a stark contrast from last season, when Nebraska’s theme of the week for the Buffaloes was, “It’s personal.” It was a nod to the history of the rivalry and the Buffaloes noticing Lincoln’s critical comments this spring. Rhule, in particular, drew the Buffaloes’ ire when he said he was excited to coach the players he inherited when he took over the program, while others seemed more concerned about players coming through the transfer portal.

Things heated up in early September last year when Shedeur Sanders led Colorado to 36-14 victory over Nebraska. Before the game, Shedeur Sanders took offense when Rhule gathered his players during pregame warmups Buffaloes midfield logo. Sanders came up and broke up the huddle.

On Monday, Rhule sidestepped a question about whether the game was in some way a clash of cultures.

“I think they have a culture of competition,” Rhule said. whose team defeated UTEP 40-7 behind the big afternoon of prized recruit Dylan Raiola. “They go out recruiting and get the best players they can. They do well in school. They don’t get in trouble off the field and they compete. I respect that in what they do.”

Colorado and Nebraska were longtime rivals when both played in some version of the Big 12. The Cornhuskers moved up to the Big Ten in 2011, and the Buffaloes made the run to the Pac-12. But Colorado returned to the Big 12 this season.

Deion Sanders has already begun preparing his team for the noise that awaits them from the sea of ​​red at the stadium. He also said that Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, has addressed the team.

“I’m pretty sure you won’t see anyone on the team in red this week because he’s kindly let us know that’s a no-no,” said Sanders, whose team beat North Dakota State 31-26 in its season opener. “I love it. I think that’s what college football is all about, whether we’re in the same conference or not. It’s an incredible rivalry, and I’m looking forward to it.”

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AP college football writer Eric Olson contributed to this report.

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