If Coach Prime was looking for an extra spark to fire up his team ahead of Friday night’s season opener at home against Georgia Tech, he’s got it. And he can thank Yellow Jackets starting safety Clayton Powell-Lee.
Asked this week about playing in Boulder—where the thin air and rowdy atmosphere are always factors—Powell-Lee had a chance to play it safe. A simple nod of respect toward Colorado’s home-field advantage would have done the job. Instead, he went another route, downplaying the challenge and taking an unnecessary jab at everything surrounding Deion Sanders’ program.
“Everybody says it’s a different experience, but I’ve experienced some crazy stadiums since being here,” Powell-Lee said. “Knowing that, just trying not to overhype it. It’s another game. I know they bring out celebrities, they do all this crazy stuff, but we’re playing football. None of them are playing. They can hype you up all they want to, but you on the field, not them.”
Shots fired. And unnecessary ones at that.
You can bet Brent Key, Georgia Tech’s head coach, wasn’t thrilled to hear his starting safety hand Colorado bulletin-board material on a silver platter. Coaches preach all the time about not giving opponents extra motivation. Powell-Lee just did exactly that.
For whatever reason, opponents can’t seem to resist poking at Deion Sanders and Colorado, no matter how small the opening. But make no mistake: Folsom Field is a difficult place to play for reasons that go far beyond any celebrities sitting in the stands.
Last year, Colorado went 5–1 at home, with the lone loss coming by just three points to Kansas State. Every team that traveled to Boulder left knowing it was a grind.
Now Powell-Lee and the Yellow Jackets will walk into an even tougher situation Friday night. Because you can be sure Coach Prime is already looping that clip in the locker room, using it to squeeze every ounce of motivation out of his players before kickoff.
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