Robert Livingston may be a pro, as Deion Sanders calls him, but everything around him this fall feels a little new.

The longtime Cincinnati Bengals assistant is back in the college ranks for the first time since 2011 when he was a quality control coach at Vanderbilt. When the Buffs take on North Dakota State on Thursday, Livingston will also be debuting as a defensive play caller, a role he has never held before.

However, one part of Colorado’s season opener will be familiar to the new defensive coordinator, who once played FCS football himself. In the 2009 season opener, Livingston’s William & Mary Tribe knocked off Virginia in Charlottesville, and the senior safety had five tackles in the win.

“The funny thing is I was these guys,” Livingston said. “My senior year at William & Mary, dirtbag average player, really just made 11 on the field. We opened up with Virginia and it was our Super Bowl. A lot of games I’ve played, I’ll never forget that one. A young man named B.W. Webb came in, his first college game, had three interceptions and we won. So I know exactly what it’s like to be on the other side. It is, hey, burn the boats, we're coming hell or high water. So that’s not lost on me because I was them.”