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Deion Sanders appears to have responded to CSU head coach Jay Norvell’s recent jab. The rival coach took a shot at Prime’s swag ahead of a matchup between Colorado and Colorado State.
Norvell has suddenly given the Buffs some bulletin board material in a game the Rams enter as three-score underdogs. The energy should be at an all-time high at Folsom Field on Saturday.
The Rocky Mountain Showdown will kick off in Boulder on Saturday night as the two sides line up for the 92nd all-time meeting. The Buffs lead this historic series by an advantage of 67-22-2, and they’ll be looking for a sixth straight win in the rivalry.
For the first time since 2009 the game will be held in Folsom Field, and College GameDay will be on hand to take in the sights and sounds. Each of the previous 10 meetings had been held in Denver.
Excitement for the upcoming contest is through the roof – look no further than the insane measures Colorado students are taking in order to secure tickets.
After ripping off back-to-back wins to open the season, Deion Sanders has the train rolling as CSU comes to town.
The Buffs, after taking down TCU and Nebraska, are starting to gain some respect nationally. The sportsbooks have taken note, too, pegging CU as a 23.5-point favorite.
With that being said, you’d think Colorado State would look to enter the matchup as quietly as possible in hopes of sneaking up on the home team. After all, they find themselves in the perfect position for an upset, sandwiched between an emotional Buffs win over the Cornhuskers and a PAC 12 opener against Oregon.
Instead, head coach Jay Norvell singled Deion Sanders out just two days before kickoff.
MORE SHOTS AT COACH PRIME: Colorado State Head Coach Jay Norvell Takes SHOTS at Deion Sanders and Colorado “When I talk to grownups, I take my hat and glasses off, that’s what my mother taught me” #CUBuffs pic.twitter.com/IWFWkVKqsS
— Ice Cold Sports w/ Tommy Gahan (@IceColdSprts) September 14, 2023
“When I talk to grownups, I take my hat and glasses off, that’s what my mother taught me,” the CSU head coach said, a direct reference to Coach Prime.
Deion Sanders hasn’t responded publicly to the jab, but he did post a cryptic message on social media about tuning out outside opinion just hours after the comments went viral.
Forget what they think or say about u because the only thing that matters is what u think & say about yourself. I need u to stay Positive & Persistent. Today will be better than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow. Believe that! #CoachPrime
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) September 14, 2023
Coach Prime later commented with a less subtle response.
While at practice, he addressed the remarks with his team, saying, “It’s personal again!”
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Facing a program that’s kept the receipts all season long, it might not have been the smartest idea for Norvell to give his opponent added motivation.
Deion Sanders uses poker to prep team for CSU.
“All in.” It’s a popular reference in sports these days. Coach Prime is using the term and its origin to motivate this week.
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“I’m not a gambler, whatsoever, but I enjoy watching poker even though I don’t know how to play. I don’t even know the concept of poker. I don’t even know what’s what… But one particular thing about the game I truly love is when they go ‘All In.’
“You don’t have to know too much about poker to understand, when they go ‘All In,’ what are they saying? I’m putting everything on the table. I ain’t got no more. I believe what I’ve got is better than what you’ve got… I love that moment.
“The thought process that derives before you go ‘All In’ has to be dynamic. You’ve got to measure your opponent. You’ve got to go over his signs, and his tendencies, and his shortcomings, and his tells, and his tips to provoke you to say, ‘I’m all in, I’ve got you.'”
Confidence in your abilities seems to be the point Coach Prime is driving across, as well as the ability to study your opponent to better exploit their weaknesses when the time comes.
That will certainly key in this game, which most see as the easiest remaining on the Colorado schedule.
Deion Sanders is confident in his team’s chances against an overmatched CSU, but not being prepared can prove detrimental. He’s been doing his best not to let the media hype surrounding his program creep into the heads of his players.
We’ll see if the Buffs come into this rivalry matchup with the same focus we’ve seen over the first two weeks.