College Football

Colorado State star QB, WR call out Deion Sanders, Colorado ahead of rivalry game

Published Sep. 12, 2024 3:07 p.m. ET

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Colorado State is preparing for this season's matchup with Colorado similar to how it did with last year's game — with more rivalry trash talk against Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders' squad.

Starting quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and wide receiver Tory Horton called out Sanders and Colorado ahead of Saturday's game with their in-state rivals, with the former pointing out the hype that the then Buffaloes had around their program after starting 2-0 with convincing wins over TCU and Nebraska. Colorado was a three-touchdown favorite but needed double overtime to win against the Rams in Boulder.

"They came out with that attitude and thought it was going to be a cakewalk," Fowler-Nicolosi told CBS Colorado of the 2023 Colorado State-Colorado game. "They got a rude, rude awakening real quick. I think it goes to show the hype, the media train, all that only gets you so far. At the end of the day, you have to line up 11 guys against our 11 guys and we'll find out who wants it more. 

"We'll see how far Instagram followers gets them."

Colorado's win over Colorado State improved its record to 3-0, but the close game against an opponent who many outsiders thought they would dominate ended up serving as a warning for things to come, as the Buffaloes got blown out at Oregon the following week and finished the season 1-8. Horton, though, believed that Colorado State should've ended the hype train surrounding Colorado in last season's matchup.

"We owe them one. That's been sittin' on everybody's minds since we came back from break. We owe them," Horton told CBS Colorado. "I don't feel like we left it all on the field because we should have murdered them guys. They came out with that attitude as they were on top of the world. This ain't no Cinderella story."

Colorado State had a No. 18-ranked Colorado squad on the ropes in last season's matchup, and the Rams took a 28-17 lead with just over 11 minutes left in regulation. They gave the Buffaloes the ball back with an eight-point lead and just over two minutes left, pinning Colorado at its own 2-yard line following a punt. However, quarterback Shedeur Sanders led Colorado on a seven-play, 98-yard touchdown drive to tie the game with 36 seconds left. 

Shedeur Sanders stiff-arms an opponent during last season's Colorado win over Colorado state. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

While the end of last year's game was eventful, there were even more dramatics that preceded the closing minutes. Ahead of the matchup, Colorado State coach Jay Norvell called out Deion Sanders for his attire.

"When I talk to grown-ups, I take my hat off and my glasses off," Norvell said prior to the 2023 game. "That's what my mother taught me."

Following Norvell's comment, Sanders said Colorado State made that game "personal." Sanders also said he was a "grown man" before issuing his players their own pairs of the sunglasses he wears on the sideline.

When the coaches shook hands after the game, Norvell told Sanders that he wasn't talking about his family with this pregame quote.

"Oh, you was talking about my momma," Sanders replied, which was captured by cameras from Amazon's "Coach Prime."

"No, I was not," Norvell said.

"Yes, you were. You were. You were,' Sanders said as the two coaches walked away.

Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell during last season's rivalry loss to Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

Some drama carried onto the field in that matchup as well. Two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter suffered a lacerated liver following a late hit from Colorado State defensive back Henry Blackburn in the third quarter, which was penalized. Hunter missed the remainder of that game and the following three games for Colorado. However, he made amends with Blackburn after the Colorado State defensive back received death threats, making a YouTube video together at a bowling alley to raise money for charity.

Even though Hunter and Blackburn were cool with each other after last season's matchup, it's hard to say many other players on both sides have similar feelings toward their rival. Horton, who had 16 receptions for 133 yards in the 2023 matchup and is questionable for Saturday's game with a groin injury, is hoping Colorado State can quiet the hype surrounding Colorado this year.

"The millions of followers and fans they produced and got and celebrities that jumped on their side because of who Deion Sanders is," Horton told CBS News Colorado. "End of the day Deion Sanders ain't playing. It's those players playing. So those players better back up what they speak about."

Colorado enters Saturday's matchup in Fort Collins with a 1-1 record after losing on the road to Nebraska, 28-10, last week. Colorado State is also 1-1, defeating Northern Colorado after suffering a blowout loss to Texas. 

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