Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes improved their record to 2-1 on Saturday night with a convincing 28-9 victory over in-state rival Colorado State. However, the focus after the game wasn’t solely on Colorado’s win, but on Sanders’ postgame behavior, as he refused to shake hands with Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi.
The tension between the two quarterbacks stemmed from comments Fowler-Nicolosi made leading up to the game. The Colorado State signal-caller criticized Sanders and the Buffaloes for hyping themselves on social media, suggesting that the praise they were receiving wasn’t justified.
“They came out with that attitude and thought it was going to be a cakewalk,” Fowler-Nicolosi said, referring to Colorado’s narrow 43-35 double-overtime win over Colorado State in 2023. In his interview with Romi Bean of CBS Colorado, Fowler-Nicolosi added, “They got a rude awakening real quick. I think it goes to show the hype, the media train, all that only gets you so far. At the end of the day, you have to line up 11 guys against our 11 guys, and we’ll find out who wants it more. We’ll see how far Instagram followers get them.”
Clearly, those remarks didn’t sit well with Sanders, who responded in his own way after leading the Buffaloes to victory. Following the game, he refused to participate in the traditional postgame handshake with Fowler-Nicolosi. The snub immediately sparked debate, with some seeing Sanders’ move as unsportsmanlike, while others defended it as a justified response to pregame trash talk. Reactions to Sanders’ decision were mixed.
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“Shedeur is so amazingly insecure,” one fan commented, interpreting the refusal as a sign of Sanders being rattled by the criticism. Another added, “Love our QB, but he should have shaken the kid’s hand. The dominant win says it all.”
However, not everyone thought Sanders was in the wrong. “Brayden always has the most to say when they win games, but as soon as they lose he’s nowhere to be found,” one fan wrote, suggesting Fowler-Nicolosi’s comments were hollow after the loss. Another supporter backed Sanders, saying, “Love that he does this, especially since he won’t give another team the opportunity when he takes an L. At least Fowler-Nicolosi tried to shake hands.”
Despite the postgame controversy, Shedeur Sanders had a standout performance on the field. He threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Buffaloes to a comfortable win. His strong play further cemented his leadership role, but the handshake snub left fans debating whether he had crossed a line.
While Sanders’ actions certainly added to the rivalry’s intensity, the question remains: was his decision not to shake hands a reasonable response to pregame trash talk, or did it show poor sportsmanship?
