Deion Sanders has seen a lot in his playing and coaching career, but even he admits nothing prepared him for the second-quarter ritual inside Colorado’s football stadium, per SI. During his weekly coach’s show with CBS News Colorado’s Romi Bean, Sanders revealed he remains stunned by how consistently the smell of marijuana fills the air midway through Buffaloes games. Fans have long dubbed it the “light up quarter,” and the head coach is still wrapping his head around it.
“The smell of weed in the second quarter surprised the heck out of me,” Sanders said with a laugh. “It seems like it’s a light up quarter. You know what I’m saying? It never fails. It’s a TV timeout and all of a sudden I’m like wow, what’s going on? Because I’ve never been high a day in my life, so that’s kind of new to me.”
Sooo the student section in Boulder has their own unique tradition 😂🌲 pic.twitter.com/jAKjg1OvHQ
— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) August 28, 2025
Colorado culture meets college football
Cannabis has been woven into Boulder’s identity long before Sanders arrived. The state made history in 2012 by voting to legalize recreational use, and dispensaries began operating in 2014. That culture bleeds into gameday, even though the university explicitly bans smoking of any kind inside Folsom Field or anywhere on campus.
That hasn’t stopped thousands of students and fans from continuing a tradition that predates Sanders’ tenure. While the Buffaloes are gearing up for a very different season after losing their starting quarterback and last year’s Heisman winner, Sanders knows one thing will remain unchanged.
The second-quarter haze has become as much a part of the game-day atmosphere as the fight song or the roar of the student section. For Sanders, who has repeatedly emphasized he’s never touched marijuana, the experience continues to feel surreal.
“It shocked me my first year here,” he admitted. “And honestly, it still shocks me every game.”
For Colorado fans, though, the ritual has turned into something of an inside joke. Deion Sanders may not ever join them, but his good-natured reaction makes the “light up quarter” one more quirk that sets Buffaloes football apart from the rest of college sports.
