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Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Shilo Sanders caught flak from college football viewers for his “dirty” play on the field against North Dakota State.
The defender was seen on multiple occasions delivering unnecessary hits to Bison ball carriers. One of those instances proved costly as it helped lead to a NDSU touchdown.
Sanders’ label as a headhunter was well-known prior to that season opening matchup. Last Thursday, he proved the narrative right.
The safety delivered blow after blow to his opponent, though he took things a bit too far on a handful of plays.
On a third-down situation, the Buffs defense made a stop, appearing to hold NDSU to a field goal attempt in the red zone. Shilo Sanders had other plans.
He laid a shoulder into a defenseless receiver after the pass had already fallen to the turf, resulting in a penalty and a fresh set of downs. The Bison would later score a touchdown on the drive.
@buffsmafia shilo sanders boomed lil bro🤣 #cubuffs #cubuffsfootball #coloradofootball ♬ original sound – Colorado Buffaloes Football🦬
It wouldn’t be his only instance of foul play.
Shilo Sanders shoved two players after they’d stepped out of bounds.
On one occasion, he pushed a Bison player into the bench after escorting him across the sidelines. On another, he shoved the ball carrier into the stadium wall well after the whistle.
Neither would garner a penalty flag, but they did little to remove that “dirty player” tag.
@flockturnxt Crazy work ll #flockturnxt #goofynfl #college #colarado #shilo #football #fyp ♬ MENACING SOUND – nflrjay
Shilo Sanders’ brother noticed the extracurricular activity, which he commented on ahead of Colorado’s rivalry matchup vs. Nebraska.
Deion Sanders Jr. called his brother out.
While speaking on the Zero 2 Sixty podcast, Bucky told Shilo to “chill” with the reckless play.
“Stupid a– penalties, Shilo was playing like a crash dummy at times. I get it, it sucks on the defense because you’ve got to go seek out the action, but you’ve got to wait til the action comes to you. So, it’s like bro just chill. It’s going to happen…
The same stupid s— from last year. Stupid a– penalties on third down… That just frustrates you… You’ve just gotta be smarter.”
-Deion Sanders Jr.
Bucky seems fed up with the unnecessary activity, and he wants to see it come to an end this week.
The road doesn’t get any easier with a trip to Lincoln on the books where they’ll face a Nebraska team looking for a statement win. Tensions were high in last year’s meeting, which Colorado won 36-14.
The Cornhuskers surely haven’t forgotten about the disrespect, and they’ll be on a mission to get even on Saturday. We’ll see if Sanders and Co. can keep their cool.