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Deion Sanders opts for respect of Matt Rhule ahead of Week 2 rivalry showdown

Sean Labar

By Sean Labar

Published:

Deion Sanders is taking a different approach from last season while preparing to face Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Last season ahead of the rivalry game, Sanders chose to make it personal in his public comments leading up to the clash between the Buffaloes and Cornhuskers.

“I’ve learned the severity, the serious nature of this rivalry and I’m embracing it 100 percent. This is personal. That’s the message of the week,” Sanders said before Colorado beat Nebraska in a commanding 36-14 win.

But with Colorado slated to head to Lincoln on Saturday night, the Buffaloes head coach made a point to praise Rhule in his Tuesday press conference and even said he views him as part of a fraternity as they were both hired to revive struggling programs in the same year.

“I have a ton of respect for Matt Rhule,” Sanders said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “He’s in, I call it, our class of coaches. … So I root for that class of head coaches that came in that year. He was a professional, did a phenomenal job, 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.”

Both Colorado and Nebraska are entering Saturday night’s primetime clash coming off impressive Week 1 wins. The Buffaloes were able to outlast North Dakota State 31-26 due to an explosive effort from their offense, while Nebraska and true freshman QB Dylan Raiola handled UTEP with ease in a commanding 40-7 victory.

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 P.M. ET on NBC.

Sean Labar