Colorado State Coach Throws Shade At Deion Sanders Ahead Of Matchup
By Jason Hall
September 14, 2023
Colorado State coach Jay Norvell threw shade at Colorado head coach Deion Sanders ahead of their in-state rivalry game on Saturday (September 16).
Novell addressed prior media appearances during his weekly radio show Wednesday (September 13) night and said his team was "tired" of the hype surrounding the upcoming game before making an obvious comparison to the Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback turned head coach.
"I don't care if they hear this in Boulder. I told them [ESPN] -- I took my hat off, and I took my glasses off. I said, 'When I talk to grown-ups, I take my hat and my glasses off. That's what my mother taught me,'" Novell said, referencing Sanders' flashy demeanor.
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
The comments were met with applause from the live audience, as well as approval from the show's host, Colorado State radio play-by-play man Brian Roth. Norvell had initially said he didn't "really want to talk about" Sanders "right now," but opened up about the media attention the game was generating, which includes ESPN's College GameDay and FOX's Big Noon Kickoff -- which will be in Boulder for the third consecutive week -- airing their traveling live shows from the campus on Saturday.
"It was great. I loved it," Norvell said of the extra attention the team has received. "But our kids came out of those [interviews] really with a chip on their shoulder. They're tired of all that stuff. They really are tired of it.
"[Colorado's] not gonna like us no matter what we say or do. It doesn't matter. So, let's go up there and play. That's just how I feel about it."
Sanders, who had previously coached Jackson State, a historically Black college, from 2020 to 2022, has already led the Buffaloes -- currently a 23-point favorite for Saturday's game -- to a drastic improvement two games into his tenure. Colorado, which went 1-11 (1-8 Pac-12) in 2022 prior to Sanders' hiring, upset College Football Playoff National Champion runner-up TCU, 45-42, in Week 1 and routed Nebraska, 36-14, in Week 2, going from a preseason unranked team to the No. 18 team in college football entering Week 3.
Saturday's game will air live on ESPN at 10:00 p.m. ET.