The Rocky Mountain Showdown hasn’t been much of a rivalry over the years, with Colorado owning a 68-22-2 series lead over Colorado State. However, off the field, the Buffaloes’ Deion Sanders and the Rams’ Jay Norvell have embodied the animosity between the fanbases. And at Mountain West Media Days, Norvell showed there’s still no love lost.
Colorado State Head Coach Jay Norvell Not Losing Sleep Over Rival
“I don’t have any feelings for Deion Sanders, I really don’t,” Norvell answered when asked if his relationship has changed with the CU head coach since last season. “I don’t think about Deion Sanders unless you guys ask me a question about him. No, nothing’s changed.”
The two entered a bit of a media sparring match in 2023, with Norvell uncharacteristically taking the first shot. Sanders’ brash personality conduct at news conferences rubbed him the wrong way.
In an interview prior to the rivalry matchup, Norvell said, “I sat down with ESPN today. I don’t care if they hear it in Boulder. I told them, I took my hat off and I took my glasses off. I said when I talk to grown-ups, I take my hat off and my glasses off. That’s what my mother taught me. (Colorado’s) not going to like us no matter what we say or do.”
Sanders, known for keeping receipts, addressed the comments with his team at practice.
“I’m minding my own business watching some film, trying to get ready, trying to get out here and be the best coach that I could be, and I look up, and I read some bull junk that they had said about us, once again,” Sanders announced. “Why would you want to talk about us when we don’t talk about nobody? All we do is go out here, work our butts off, and do our job on Saturday. But when they give us ammunition, they done messed around and made it (personal).”
Yet, Norvell wasn’t completely negative when speaking about the Buffs last September. He complimented the job Sanders had done in a short period of time and even praised QB Shedeur Sanders’ play.
“Deion Sanders has had a lot of public critics. I’m not one of them,” Norvell told reporters. “I really respect all head coaches and the sacrifices they’ve had to make to become head coaches, and I appreciate the path they have to go through to get there — especially African American coaches. I was happy to see Deion get his opportunity. I had to wait a long time to get mine.
“They got a good football team, and their quarterback has been the difference. He’s playing at a very high level. We’re gonna have to slow him down.”
But the time for public jabs was over — game time. Colorado entered the contest fresh off two upset victories over TCU and Nebraska and were all the media could talk about. Meanwhile, Colorado State dropped their first game of the season in epic fashion, losing 50-24 to Washington State.
The Buffaloes were 23-point favorites at home and had all the ammunition they needed to keep the gas on the pedal. But Norvell’s Rams weren’t going down without a fight. It took 43 points and double overtime for Sanders’ squad to take home the win, but the victory wasn’t even the biggest storyline from the game.
In the third quarter, CSU safety Henry Blackburn, from Boulder, delivered a late hit along the sideline on an unsuspecting Travis Hunter, CU’s two-way superstar. Hunter had to leave the game for the hospital and was diagnosed with a lacerated liver, which kept him out of multiple games.
Blackburn was penalized for the hit and, unbeknownst to him, had already begun to receive death threats.
On the Tuesday following the contest, Sanders defended the senior defender, stating, “Henry Blackburn is a good player who played a phenomenal game. He made a tremendous hit on Travis on the sideline. You could call it dirty, you could call it, ‘He was just playing the game of football.’ But whatever it was, it does not constitute that he should be receiving death threats.
“That this is still a young man trying to make it in life — a guy that’s trying to live his dream and hopefully graduate with honors or degree, committed to excellence and go to the NFL. He does not deserve a death threat over a game.”
At that point, Colorado was 3-0 and on top of the world after ending the 2022 campaign at 1-11. Then, it all came crumbling down. The Buffs fell on their faces, going 1-8 the rest of the year. Meanwhile, the Rams picked themselves up after beginning the year 0-2, finishing 5-5 down the stretch.
Both teams are aiming higher in 2024, making their Sept. 14 dual all the more worthy of being must-watch TV. The battle for the Centennial Cup was an annual event from 1995-2019 but is now a periodic one.
The rivalry returns to Fort Collins for the first time since 2015, and the Rams are desperate for a win after being on the wrong side of the last six matchups. At the MWC Media Days, Norvell expressed his excitement for the game to be held annually.
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“I do wish we played ‘em every year because it’s a rivalry game. I think it’s something the fans love, and the players love to play in those kind of games. We get to get ‘em in our stadium this year. It should be awesome.”
After this year, the programs won’t face off until 2029. They have six games scheduled between 2029-38, but there are large gaps in between.
The anticipation for this year’s showdown is palpable, with both teams eager to prove themselves and continue their reignited historic rivalry. The underlying tension between Norvell and Sanders only adds fuel to the fire.
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