Boo Carter introduced himself to Colorado by blocking a potential game-winning field goal. Two weeks later, Deion Sanders was using him as a real-life example in a lesson on self-control.
The Colorado Buffaloes' 41-7 loss to Northwestern featured nine penalties, four turnovers, and one particularly costly mistake from Carter. His unsportsmanlike conduct penalty late in the second quarter turned what would have been third-and-long into a Northwestern first down. The Wildcats scored five plays later to make it 21-0.
Sanders revisited the problem during a team meeting, repeatedly directing his message toward Carter.
"(Discipline is) the ability to control one's own behavior, right Boo?" Sanders said. "You've got to control your behavior, right Boo? Control your behavior, right Boo? You've got to control your behavior, no matter what's going on, to reach your goal."
Sanders eventually drove the point home: "You can't be undisciplined off the field and expect to be disciplined on the field."
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The public coaching session produced very different interpretations.
One fan wrote , "If Deion is having to go over a Webster's dictionary side of discipline, he's already lost."
Another fan took the opposite view, writing , "Good for Coach Prime trying to right the ship and get rid of the cancers. Any player that gets caught laughing after a loss, albeit right behind the head coach, has a low IQ and doesn't give af about the team or respect the head coach."
Another added , "Carter's a punk and Sanders knew it."
Carter's history made Sanders' choice of example impossible to ignore. The former Tennessee defensive back arrived in Boulder after a turbulent end in Knoxville, but Sanders spent the offseason talking up his versatility and NFL potential. Colorado had also tightened standards after last year's 3-9 finish.
One fan found some humor in Carter being singled out, writing , "I know momma boo saw this and is spamming private Facebook groups."
Another kept the assessment much simpler: "Boo needs that," the fan wrote .
Not everybody believed Carter would take Sanders' criticism personally. One user responded , "But that's… Deion Sanders?. He took no offense to that, I guarantee you."
Colorado is still 2-1, but Saturday exposed considerably more than Carter's temper. PFN's current Defense Impact rankings give the Buffaloes a 76.0 DEFi grade, No. 68 nationally, after Northwestern hung 41 points on them.
Carter made the play that saved Colorado's opener. Against Northwestern, his penalty helped turn a bad first half into a 21-point hole.
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Sanders' message was that both moments can belong to the same talented player. His job now is to make sure one becomes considerably less common.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
