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Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule learned the hard way in 2023 that the Sanders family isn’t quick to forget criticism. Rhule “made it personal” ahead of last season’s loss, but it seems he’s doing his best to avoid a repeat in Round 2.
The Buffs and Huskers boast a heated rivalry that’s only grown with Sanders and Rhule taking over at the helm. The teams met for the first time in four years last season as each coach kicked off Year 1 with their respective squads.
Prior to that matchup, Rhule was heard jabbing Sanders due to his recruiting approach – which heavily weighed on the transfer portal as opposed to the roster that was inherited.
Sanders famously “brought his own luggage” to Boulder, which he said was Louis Vuitton – suggesting that the squad needed immediate upgrades at essentially every position.
Coach Prime encouraged current players to hit the portal, seeking a quick fix and a speedy turnaround.
Matt Rhule took a different approach. He believed developing the players that were already on campus was the top priority as opposed to snatching scholarships and playing time.
In explaining that point of view during the offseason, many believed he took a swipe at Colorado.
“I hear other schools say they can’t wait for the portal to open, they can’t wait to go out [and recruit],” Rhule said during an offseason press conference. “I can’t wait to coach my guys, let me tell you that. I’m not thinking about anybody else but this team out here.”
Shedeur Sanders remembered the comment, and after leading his team to a 36-14 win, he called the coach out.
@cbssportscfb Shedeur calls out Nebraska 🗣️ #cfb #collegefootball #disrespect #buffaloes #colorado #shedeursanders #deionsanders ♬ original sound – Football Town
“He said a lot of things about my pops, about the program, but now that he wants to act nice… I don’t respect that because you’re hating on another man. You shouldn’t do that. All respect was gone.”
Matt Rhule isn’t making the same mistake twice!
The Nebraska leader recently sat down with Joel Klatt to talk about the season to come. That rivalry game with Colorado was a topic of conversation.
Rhule had nothing but nice things to say about the program, and more notably, quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
“The one thing we always have to remember when we talk about Colorado is how great Shedeur is,” the head coach said. “He is one of the best football players I’ve ever coached against. We blitzed him, I think we sacked him 10 times, and we hit him a ton, and he stood in there.
“I know everyone sees Shedeur on commercials. They see the swagger that he plays with, but he is an unbelievable competitor. He’s tough. To me, you take Shedeur, you take Travis Hunter, you take all the players that they have, you take obviously Coach Sanders – they’re going to come into our place. They’re a really good football team.”
It offered a stark contrast to the pregame rhetoric from a year ago, though Rhule still insists he wasn’t taking a shot at the Buffs with those transfer portal comments.
Last season’s matchup produced a number of storylines, one of which revolved around Shedeur Sanders’ pregame antics at midfield, which further highlighted the hate the programs share for one another.
We can only hope the next matchup delivers the same drama!