by Kyle Golik
One of my favorite cinematic comedies is the 2008 Adam McKay film Step Brothers starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Ferrell and Reilly portray characters who are man-children who seemingly haven’t grown up. The scene in question is the dinner scene early on when Reilly questions Ferrell’s claim as being the “songbird of my generation,” where Reilly sings poorly and insults Ferrell. Ferrell replies after the poor attempt at humor, “That’s cute, I remember when I had my first beer.’ That reply from Ferrell is how I feel about Colorado fans storming the field against Baylor.
This isn’t a Baylor team that has Mike Singletary or RGIII. This isn’t a Baylor team that is competing for a Big XII championship, or is ranked at all. Many had Baylor fighting for a bowl game appearance, something head coach Dave Aranda has to achieve, in my eyes, to save his job at Baylor.
During their encounter on Saturday, Baylor led for most of regulation and leading 31-24 in the final moments of the game, it came down to a Shedeur Sanders Hail Mary attempt to force overtime. Colorado fans know a thing or two about the Hail Mary—see one Kordell Stewart against Michigan thirty years ago for reference—and while it might not have been Sanders’ best or prettiest throw, it got the job done.
In overtime, when it seemed like Baylor was going to get the touchdown, Colorado’s all-around star, Travis Hunter, forced Baylor running back Dominic Richardson to fumble at the goal line and this is where this story picks up.
Was Colorado’s return to the Big XII worthy of storming the field? Nope. But this fan base might be one of the most oblivious I have seen in a long time. So much so that when head coach Deion Sanders had to apologize—a man who gives very few apologies for anything—you know the fans have to collectively say in unison, “We got this one, Coach.”
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Sanders said following the euphoria at Folsom Field, “I want to apologize to Baylor for the way we stormed the field, I didn’t get a chance to shake Coach Aranda’s hand, but I tried to wait by the locker room to meet him. That’s not professional, and I wanted to show respect.”
Respect is exactly what the Colorado fans lacked in that moment. I get that the game’s ending was filled with drama and excitement, but even before the game was officially over, Colorado fans began storming the field. It’s almost as if they didn’t realize all turnovers are reviewed—especially at such a critical juncture.
After the play was confirmed, the fans lost their minds.
Considering Colorado has had six losing seasons in the last seven years, success is a foreign concept in Boulder. It is a concept they need to learn quickly, Ohio State doesn’t storm the field after beating Purdue, and quite frankly Alabama likes to boast they have never stormed the field. These programs have a history of success, but there’s a saying many coaches tell their players when they score a touchdown: act like you’ve been there before.
“I don’t like what transpired after the game, but I love what transpired at the end of the game,” Sanders said after his apology. “We have a fan base that’s phenomenal. We have some young kids on this campus that loves and breathes CU football. And I’m thankful. I walk to campus every day and they give us so much love and respect and honor.”
Colorado has a rich history—they won a national championship in the 1990s, won 10 games in 2016, and even have a Heisman Trophy winner. So this concept of success isn’t new to them. And now, at 3-1 (which I didn’t expect), the fans need to understand their role: don’t be the story, and remember when they had their first beer.
