‘Bark no bite’: KU football players respond to Colorado trash talk after commanding win

Colorado, welcome back to the Big 12.

And, potentially, a new rivalry.

Long before the Kansas Jayhawks took the field against the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, the matchup had plenty of juice. And it started on social media.

In a video that was widely shared on X/Twitter, Colorado defensive analyst and NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp called Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels “a little jitterbug.”

“We are going to lay heavy — we’re going to lay heavy, young man,” Sapp said in the video. “So you might want to pitch it to your running back, because he’s a little more equipped to take this pounding. But if you want some, it’s your choice.”

That was just one of several instances of trash talk before the game.

Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant had the matchup against Heisman contender and two-way phenom Travis Hunter circled all season. Hunter responded, “We let people talk, bro,” while streaming video games on Twitch.

Perhaps Sapp should have followed that advice.

In perhaps its chippiest game of the season, unranked Kansas defeated No. 16 Colorado 37-21 Saturday afternoon at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas (5-6, 4-4 Big 12) can clinch bowl eligibility with a win over Baylor next Saturday.

The usually reserved Devin Neal, who rushed for 207 yards and had four touchdowns, didn’t hold back after KU’s win over the Buffs (8-3, 6-2).

“When you give out bulletin board material and you want to talk — we talk with our pads,” Neal said. “That’s kind of the mindset we had. No, you aren’t going to come into our house and disrespect us. … It was definitely chippy, though, especially in the trenches.”

Wide receiver Luke Grimm responded, too, sharing his thoughts on X.

“Bark no bite,” Grimm tweeted in response to Sapp’s comments.

Several other Jayhawks — current and former — responded to the video on social media after the game.

Daniels finished 14-of-21 passing for 189 yards. He converted a key first down in the first half on a 20-yard run where he shook off multiple Colorado defenders.

“Not bad for a jitterbug,” Daniels said postgame.

The game was filled with plenty of emotions from both sides. It showed up in the form of various penalties.

Kansas defensive end Dean Miller appeared to hit Colorado quarterback Shadeur Sanders low and late but wasn’t called for roughing the passer. Before that, KU’s Jalen Todd was flagged for a horse collar tackle.

In the third quarter, Colorado’s Shilo Sanders was called for a horse-collar tackle. The Buffs were also flagged for targeting in that same quarter, though the flag was overturned on review.

Buffs quarterback Sanders even appeared to push a referee at one point.

Colorado accepted four defensive penalties for 40 yards, while the Jayhawks accepted one defensive penalty for 15 yards. The numbers for both sides would have been much higher if not for multiple instances of offsetting fouls.

“Honestly, every play (felt chippy),” Kansas linebacker Cornell Wheeler said. “You can keep talking, but make sure you get back to the line of scrimmage.”

That manifested in the matchup between Bryant and Hunter. The pair constantly talked between snaps, though they only sometimes matched up against each other.

Hunter finished the game with eight catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns. He was credited with seven tackles and a pass breakup.

“All respect to Travis, man,” Bryant said. “He is a good football player. … On the field, we started going at it, muscling up against each other. It was kind of crazy. He was telling me to keep going and that (I’m) a great football player (and we’ll) see each other in the NFL.”

It was KU and Colorado’s first matchup since 2010, and it was certainly filled with memorable moments — and words.

Bryant even issued a proclamation postgame.

“It was a rivalry, like how K-State is — a rivalry with Colorado,” Bryant said. “We’ve got to start playing them a lot, though. Like every year. It felt like another rivalry to me and the team for real.”