Matt Rhule: Shedeur Sanders is one of the best players I've coached against

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule is looking forward to the chance to face Colorado and Shedeur Sanders again this coming season. The Cornhuskers and Buffaloes met in 2023 with Colorado coming out on top in a 36-14 victory.

Sanders torched the Nebraska defense to the tune of 393 yards passing and three total touchdowns. It was part of a three game winning streak for the Buffaloes to start the season as coach Deion Sanders grabbed the attention of the nation.

Colorado would go on to lose seven of its final eight game following the torrid start but Shedeur Sanders made enough noise to garner NFL Draft buzz entering this season. Rhule joined The Joel Klatt Show recently and heaped praise on the young QB while previewing the rematch on Sept. 7.

“The one thing we always have to remember when we talk about Colorado is how great Shedeur is,” the coach said. “He is one of the best football players I’ve ever coached against. We blitzed him and I think we sacked him like 10 times. We hit him a ton and he stood in there. Everyone sees Shedeur on commercials, the see the swagger that he plays with. But he’s an unbelievable competitor and he’s tough.

“So to me you take Shedeur, you take Travis Hunter, you take all the players that they have. Obviously, coach Sanders and they’re gonna come into our place. They’re a really good football team with dynamic players that you have to compete with.”

Shedeur Sanders would go on to finish with 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions this past season after joining his father in the move from Jackson State. He enters this season as one of the most talked about QBs in the country with some analysts even predicting him to be a top 10 pick.

Nebraska and Colorado have a history together dating back to their time in the Big 12 when they played every season. The Cornhuskers hold a 49-21 advantage in the all-time series but have lost every game since leaving the conference in 2010.

Now both teams meet again as they are each trying to rebuild themselves back up to what they once were. Rhule believes the positive momentum of both programs will lead to an entertaining meeting.

“How good is it for that part of the country to have this game and have it be national TV at night?” he said. “How good is it for the game of football? …What Deion has done in my opinion is he’s made football relevant to people that weren’t watching it. So it’s our chance to come into that game and people are gonna tune in to see them. They’ll have a chance to watch us, too. If we play well, maybe people will have that same energy about us nationally.”