Colorado taking throwback approach to Nebraska rivalry; Deion Sanders weighs in on Dylan Raiola

Colorado players and coaches are taking a throwback approach to the Nebraska rivalry this week.

No red clothing in or out of the team facility. Plus a few extra in-house reasons why the Buffaloes should want to beat their old border enemies Saturday night in Lincoln according to the team’s unofficial spokesperson, walk-on long snapper Camden Dempsey.

“Some things that should impact us passionately about this rivalry,” CU coach Deion Sanders said. “I’m pretty sure you’re not going to see anybody on the team wearing red anywhere this week because he (Dempsey) politely allowed us to know that’s a no-no.

“I love it; I think that’s what college football is all about. Whether we’re in the same conferences or not, this is a tremendous rivalry and I look forward to it.”

Sanders, as usual, opened his weekly news conference by reading facts of interest. He noted a peak of 5.6 million viewers watching their game against North Dakota State last weekend — “Whether you like it or not, you want to see it,” Sanders said. He praised receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. (nine catches for 198 yards), lamenting that he didn’t know in the moment how close Horn was to 200 yards. Receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is “the definition of ‘him’” after logging 131 total snaps.

The second-year head coach — hired at Colorado less than a week after Nebraska brought in Matt Rhule in November 2022 — said he has a “ton of respect” for Rhule and pulls for every coach from his hiring cycle.

“I look for them to be physically tough, imposing, try to run the football,” Sanders said of Nebraska. “They have a freshman quarterback that had a pretty good day last week. But we gotta do what we do. We gotta go in there and do what we’re capable of doing. I think we showed glimpses of that in the second half of our first game against a formidable opponent.”

Sanders praised NU’s Dylan Raiola, who completed 19 of 27 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns Saturday against UTEP. Asked whether the Buffs would attack an inexperienced QB, the coach said he attacks weaknesses. Raiola wasn’t that, making “darn good throws” and plays throughout.

“I love what he showed in his first college game ever,” Sanders said of Raiola. “I love what he showed.”

Other notes

* Starting safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig may be cleared Wednesday after suffering an injury early in the NDSU game.

Silmon-Craig — one of the team leaders and the defense’s best communicator, Sanders said — was replaced last week by Vanderbilt transfer Savion Riley.

* Sanders cut off the first question of his press conference from a male reporter so a female media member could open the gathering. “Can we start off from now on with one of the ladies?” Sanders said. “It’s just being gentlemanlike.”

* Left guard Justin Mayers, a transfer from UTEP, said he texted with some former teammates for “insight” on Nebraska after the Miners played in Lincoln. The Huskers’ clear strength on both sides of the ball, he said, is on the lines.

As for crowd noise, Mayers said a retooled offensive line consisting of two transfers, a true freshman and two former CU reserves as starters aren’t shying away from the challenge of a raucous Memorial Stadium.

“You can use it to your advantage,” Mayers said. “You can silence the crowd when you’re running down their throats and scoring. That’s what we want to do. But the fans, we’re not worried about it. I think it’ll just hype us up a little more.”