Less than 9 months since Alamo Bowl, Colorado 'ain't with that get-back stuff' with BYU

PROVO — Just over nine months after meeting on a neutral-site field at the Alamo Bowl, BYU and Colorado will face off for just the 14th time in both programs' limited shared history.

Don't think Colorado coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders has forgotten about what happened in San Antonio before the Cougars open Big 12 play against the Buffaloes on Saturday night (8:15 p.m. MDT, ESPN).

"Every game means a lot. It's a conference game, it means more," Sanders told Colorado media Tuesday. "We ain't with that get-back stuff. I ain't with that get-back stuff. I'm with that let's-get-them stuff.

"They played their butts off, kicked our butts in the bowl game," he added. "Now we have a whole new team, and they have a similar new team as well — under new management, meaning a new quarterback."

More than 30 years passed between a meeting between the two schools separated by less than 500 miles, two programs that once shared a brief history in the Rocky Mountain and Mountain States conferences from through the 1940s.

But Colorado (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) what transpired at the Alamodome, when BYU whipped quarterback Shadeur Sanders, two-way Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and the Buffs 36-14 for just their fourth win over CU all-time.

And Sanders hasn't forgotten about his interactions with and respect for BYU's Kalani Sitake, either. Just don't call Saturday's conference lid lifter for the Cougars a "marquee game." Not yet, at least.

"I love him that much. He's a great human being," he said of Sitake.

"Marquee games are based on wins; if one team is undefeated or another team is undefeated," Sanders added. "You can't have a marquee game and not touted to be anything. We haven't earned that respect, as of yet."

A lot has transpired since the two teams ended last season together, including Sanders' recovery from bladder cancer — though you may still notice the former NFL superstar's porta potty on the sideline at Folsom Field, complete with a Depends advertisement the coach hopes serves as a reminder for middle-aged and older men to receive regular check-ups for the illness.

Both quarterbacks will be different, too — "new management," Sanders calls it — with his son now with the NFL's Cleveland Browns and former BYU starter Jake Retzlaff at Tulane.

"There's always some carryover, but the players aren't the same, on both sides," Sitake said. "You're always trying to find ways to get a competitive advantage; that's the fun part of the game prep during the week … You have to kind of prep for all of it, and then make adjustments based on what happens Saturday night."

And for Sitake, the feeling towards Sanders is mutual.

"I have tons of respect and admiration for him," he said, "what he's done as a coach, as a father, and as a disciple of Christ."

Ditto for his staff, too.

"I was a huge fan of him as a player, and I'm a big fan of him as a coach," BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said of the former "Prime Time." "I'm super impressed with everything that he's done there (at Colorado).

"He was a flashy player, but he's an old-school coach and he's running an old-school program. His guys are tough, and they play hard."

BYU could potentially prepare for three quarterbacks this weekend, but signs seem to be pointing toward the Buffs leaning on senior Kaidon Salter. The Liberty transfer threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 86 yards and a score in a 37-20 win over Wyoming a week ago.

There are plenty of similarities, particularly with both team's defenses. But the quarterback change will make for a unique battle — even if it didn't take more than 30 years between meetings.

"We're a different team than back at the Alamo Bowl, and they're a different team, as well," Sitake said.

Added Roderick: "They have some really good players. This will be the most talented team we've played yet this year. A lot of team speed, they're tough, and really well coached."

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