BOULDER — Oh, it’s more than personal now.
The 92nd Rocky Mountain Showdown got off to a rocky start at Folsom Field on Saturday night, as with 90 minutes to go until kickoff, tempers flared at midfield between players and staff from the CU Buffs and CSU Rams.
At approximately 6:35 p.m., a verbal altercation at roughly the 50-yard line accelerated to the point that players from both teams rushed to join in. Order was restored within minutes, but Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders could be seen yelling as both sides were separated.
CU Buffs and CSU Rams athletic officials declined to comment on the scrum, or about any possible cause. One witness said the younger Sanders was seen conducting warm-ups and alleged that some passes appeared to be very close to some CSU players who were also prepping for the tilt. The CSU players reportedly took offense, and things escalated from there.
Tensions became high for the Showdown on Thursday morning, when social media shared a comment made by CSU football coach Jay Norvell on his coaches’ show the night before that appeared to be a direct dig at his counterpart at CU, Deion Sanders.
“When I talk to grownups, I take my hat and my glasses off,” Norvell said.
Coach Prime regularly wears hats — cowboy or baseball — and sunglasses when coaching or while speaking at news conferences.
Sanders and son Shedeur, CU’s starting quarterback, described Norvell’s comments as “personal,” raising the temperature for both programs in a game that Vegas oddsmakers expected the 18th-ranked Buffs to win a rout.
(This is a developing story. Please check back to DenverPost.com for updates.)
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