Jay Norvell effed around. On Saturday night, he’s likely going to find out.
The Colorado State coach, with goofy criticism of 2-0 Colorado coach Deion Sanders, has given Deion an easy way to get his players even more ready for the annual game between in-state rivals.
Norvell called out the Pro Football Hall of Famer for his attire during interviews and press conferences. “When I talk to grownups, I take my hat and my glasses off,” Norvell said. “That’s what my mother taught me.”
His mother apparently didn’t teach him not to stand under a hornets’ nest and throw a rock into it.
Deion pounced on the chance to, yet again, make it personal.
“I’m minding my own business watching some film, trying to get ready,” Deion told his players. “Trying to get out here and be the best coach I can be. And I look up and I read some bulljunk that they done say about us. Once again, why would you wanna talk about us when we don’t talk about nobody? All we do is go out here, work our butts off, and do our jobs on Saturday. But when they give us ammunition, they done messed around and made it, what?”
“Personal,” his players said.
“It was just gonna be a good game. They done messed around and made it . . . .”
“Personal,” his players said.
“It was gonna be a great test, a battle of Colorado. But they done messed around and made it . . . .”
“Personal.”
Deion smiled after that one. He knew it worked. He knew the message had been sent. He knew his players would be even more motivated to stick it to Colorado State on Saturday night.
ESPN is surely smiling, too. It has the game that kicks off at 10:00 p.m. ET.
