SB Nation - Cody Hawkins

Gameday Buff Bites - Colorado Buffaloes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

irish1611 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:30:38 -0000

Still a game to play today, hoping the guys come out and show us something. I believe Nebraska is beatable but Colorado's offensive line will have to play their best game of the year by far.

Hawkins will coach at CU in 2010 - The Denver Post
I love how "progress" and "competitive" are used by the powers at Colorado. Mike, here is the measure to determine progress, not "being" in games. The Toledo game must have been forgotten by Bohn as well:
2006: 2 - 10
2007: 6 - 7
2008: 5 -7
2009: 3 - 8

Bohn was asked what signs of progress he liked. "Our competitive spirit," he said. "Were there times that we were flat? Yes. But we never quit. We've been in every game. Did we make some mistakes? Yes. Did we make some coaching decisions that maybe could be easily criticized? Sure. "But Dan never lost the team, and we've actually improved as the season went on."

CU president: 'We're going to stay the course' with Dan Hawkins - Boulder Daily Camera
"Benson, chancellor back Hawkins; fans split on decision."

Trust me Vanessa, fans aren't split on the decision. If you want to get really, really pissed off, read the last few lines of this article and just take in some people who just don't really understand. My belief is if you want results in the classroom, hire an advisor, if you want choir boys, hire a life coach, if you want wins, hire a football coach who knows his X's and O's. We have said it before and will say it again, Dan Hawkins is the world's highest paid counselor and his bosses continue to evaluate him on him being a counselor and not a head coach.

Woelk: Start clock on CU`s 2010 season today - Boulder Daily Camera
This is the only reason Dan Hawkins is back, because of the extension given to him by Mike Bohn in 2008:

Remember, this is a school whose top officials have been preaching fiscal responsibility to every corner of every campus for months. Those same officials are in no mood to have one of those corners writing million-dollar checks to change football coaches. Neither are those officials excited at the prospect of going hat in hand to the legislature, pleading poverty and asking for more funding -- and then having those legislators read about a million-dollar check going to a former football coach.

CU says today’s game remains meaningful - The Longmont Times-Call

Turnover in Hawkins’ staff in recent seasons hasn’t been too frequent. But he did lose an offensive line coach in February and an offensive coordinator in May, changes that had an effect on the program’s continuity. The Buffs are last in the league in total yards and, barring a big day today, probably will end that way for the third time in four years.

CU sticks with Hawkins - The Longmont Times-Call

Hawkins, in his fourth season, has acknowledged that his team is younger than it should be at this point of his tenure. Attrition has been steady. Of the 28 players CU signed in February 2007, 13 aren’t on the roster today. Hawkins said he would like to have retained some who left, but not at the cost of sacrificing the program’s principles.

Asked if he was receiving offers from donors to help fund a buyout, Bohn said, "We received a lot of e-mails on both sides, positive and negative. Some expressed interest in helping if we go that direction (a buyout). "My position is we never raise money for such an effort. We put our efforts into capital projects and long-standing assets that help us with our competitive nature over the long term, like the practice bubble or the locker room or the meeting spaces."

So can we expect Dan Hawkins to be here until 2012 because of Bohn's refusal to raise money for such an effort? Such principles you have Mike, such noble principles. We only grant extensions for three more years on 11 - 19 efforts. Sorry guys, I know it is negative on the site right now but they are serving up volleyballs that need to be spiked.

Sizing up the storylines: Nebraska vs. Colorado

2. Sack attack? It’s been tough sledding for the Colorado offensive line. The Buffs are averaging 2.6 yards per rush and rank 117th in the country in sacks allowed, having given up 43. The Blackshirts, meanwhile, rank 14th in the country with 32 sacks. CU quarterback Tyler Hansen (there might be a Cody Hawkins sighting, too) has some mobility, but is similar to what Nebraska saw last week in K-State quarterback Grant Gregory. Expect the Huskers to be able to get consistent pressure.

Scout.com: Lots on the line for NU and CU...no, really

For Colorado, a win could help them sell more season tickets for next season, which might allow them to buy out Hawkins’ contract next time around, something they seem apparently unable to do right now, or how else could you justify bringing a coach back with a losing record each of his four years at the helm.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - 2-minute drill: NU vs. CU

CU PASS OFFENSE vs. NU PASS DEFENSE
Tyler Hansen has won the QB job over Cody Hawkins, though neither has been consistently productive. CU has a talented pass-catcher in Scotty McKnight, who has 69 receptions. He may not get the ball often today, though. Colorado allows an average of 3.91 sacks per game, ranking 117th nationally. Nebraska, the conference's best pass defense at 182.3 yards per game, has allowed four touchdowns through the air all year.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Three things to watch: NU vs. CU

Nebraska has trailed for just nine minutes of action during this four-game winning streak. Who knows? If Colorado can grab and maintain an early lead, maybe this thing gets interesting.

Road ahead appears daunting for Buffaloes - The Denver Post

"You wonder what chance Hawkins has to keep his job next year against that schedule?" asked Buff Club member Mike Novick, owner of Buffalo River Clothing Co. in Boulder.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Key matchup: Suh vs. the CU line

NEBRASKA DT NDAMUKONG SUH VS. COLORADO'S INTERIOR LINEMEN
For the Buffaloes’ offense to have any success, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (above) can’t be creating havoc by bottling up interior runs and by pressuring the quarterback. Obviously, it’s easier said than done. Suh can erupt at any time. He had 1½ sacks and a pass breakup in the final quarter last week.

Three-point stance: All eyes on Texas - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN

3. It could be that Colorado decided to keep Dan Hawkins for a fifth season because the university doesn’t have the money to pay him what it owes him and his staff and hire a new coach and his staff. Or it could be that athletic director Mike Bohn refused to make a knee-jerk decision and wants to give Hawkins every opportunity to succeed. I hope it’s the latter, and that the win-now-if-not-sooner mentality will lose its momentum. But I fear it’s the former.

Brooks: Future Is Now For Hawkins, Buffs - CUBuffs.com
Dan Hawkins can now peer into 2010, but Friday morning will find him focused on the here-and-now of Nebraska, CU's opponent at Folsom Field (1:30 p.m., ABC).

Colorado memories special for Watson

Buffs leave Maui more confident - Boulder Daily Camera

And, more importantly, Higgins had help from Alec Burks, Casey Crawford, Marcus Relphorde, Dufault, Tomlinson and others during the tournament. "It`s completely different," Higgins said. "This team has flipped 180 degrees. Last year I think we would have come out hoping we could compete, hoping we could stay in the game, and just see what happens after 40 minutes. This year we stepped on the court expecting to win."

No shortage of drama in NU-Colorado rivalry
Another trip to Boulder, another day of mayhem.

Under The Hood: Nebraska vs. Colorado Statistical Comparison

Jon Johnston — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:28:37 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Tyler Hansen's favorite pose this season. Hansen has taken 31 sacks, over twice as many as the Huskers total. Part of that can be explained on Colorado throwing the ball all the time. Part of it..... CU Sucks.

Browse more photos »

Statistics are good to know before you head into a game against a team that hates your guts. If they start giving you too much crap, you can just throw statistical information back at them. Unless they've been following along, they have little choice to respond with the phrase common to losers everywhere:

"YOU SUCK!"

Some stats can be dismissed, or made to say whatever you want, but when you're ranked at the bottom of several categories across several facets of football, things aren't going well no matter how much you rationalize.

That's where Colorado is this season. Before I looked, I thought that it would be Colorado's defense near the bottom of the NCAA rankings, but it's not. It's their offense.

Offensive Statistics

	Nebraska	Colorado
Rush YPG	147.73 (62/6)	83.73 (113/11)
Rush YPC	4.18 (65/5)	2.62 (117/12)
Rush TDS	17 (54/7)	14 (81/11)

Pass YPG	197.7 (85/9)	222.5 (53/8)
Pass YPA	7.1 (63/7)	5.7 (109/12)
Pass TDS	14 (75/10)	15 (67/9)
Pass Efficiency	128.82 (62/8)	105.86 (111/12)

Total Offense	345.5 (82/10)	306.3 (108/12)
Scoring Offense	25.4 (73/8)	22.5 (91/10

If you thought our offense was bad, welcome to the Buffs. Rodney Stewart is the Buffs top running back, ranked 67th nationally in averaging 69.4 yards per game. Stewart is averaging 3.92 yards per carry. The very low team per carry average is because of all the sacks and negative plays that Colorado has had this season - Cody Hawkins has lost an average of 12 yards per game (-84 yards rushing). That's icky.

I'm not going to say much about Cody Hawkins or Tyler Hansen because you can read some incredibly in-depth stuff here. Buff receivers Scotty McKnight and Markques Simas are dangerous, but not overwhelming. McKnight averages just over 70 yards per game, and has four TD receptions. Simas has come on strong lately, with 135 and 128 yards receiving against Texas A&M and Iowa State, respectively. He dropped to 92 against Oklahoma State, but I don't think anyone is going to confuse the Blackshirt defense with any one of those teams.

The Huskers don't have a good offense any way you look at it. We're only around average in rushing, and below average everywhere else. i don't know about you, but I'm going to spend the next two games playing the "Shawn Watson has kept the real offense under wraps until the end of the season!' angle. I find it irritates opposing fans when I refuse to listen to reason, which is the only way to make a cruddy offense enjoyable.

Hate to point this out, but the Buffs have more passing touchdowns than we do despite much worse statistics in this area. That speaks volumes about our inability to get in the end zone earlier this season.

Roy Helu is ranked 29th nationally, just under 100 yards per game at 96.09. Not bad considering he's been injured.

Defensive Statistics

	Nebraska	Colorado
Rush YPG	98.09 (13/4)	162.73 (83/10)
Rush YPC	2.85 (8/3)	4.18 (75/9)
Rush TDS	6 (8/2)	15 (58/8)

Pass YPG	182.3 (17/1)	213.5 (57/4)
Pass YPA	5.3 (3/1)	7.3 (75/10)
Pass TDS	4 (1/1)	18 (81/10)

Total Defense	280.4 (8/2)	376.3 (72/9)
Scoring Defense	10.3 (3/1)	28.9 (88/11)

Look at the Huskers defensive stats. If that ain't beauty.... I don't know what you're looking for. Four passing touchdowns given up so far this season.

The Buffaloes on the other hand.... oy vey. Their defensive stats are not beautiful. They're not hideous, though, as they have not dropped to the Nebraska 2007 level (112th total defense - 476.8 yards per game, 114th scoring defense -37.9 points per game) or to Kansas State 2008 (118th total defense - 479.1 yards per game, 111th scoring defense- 35.8 points per game) so those comparisons are inappropriate.

The Huskers have given up 16 pass plays of 25+ yards, compared to the Buffs at 25 of 25+ yards. When watching Colorado football this year, they have a real problem with letting receivers get behind their deepest defenders.That explains poor passing touchdown defense.

The Details

	Nebraska	Colorado
3rd Down Conversions (Pctg)	40.13 (58/8)	35.06 (94/10)
Red Zone Conversions (Score %)	79.55 (72/9)	84.21 (43/6)

Turnover Margin	+2 (53/6)	-4 (82/10)
Sacks	32 (12/5)	24 (43/8)
Tackles for Loss	73 (33/5)	62 (63/9)
Sacks Allowed	15 (31/3)	42 (117/12)
Punting (Avg)	41.12 (51/5)	37.71 (103/11)
Punt Returns	10.15 (47/7)	2.96 (117/12)
Kickoffs (Avg)	68.20 (2/2)	64.86 (22/4)
Kickoff Returns	23.07 (39/5)	24.24 (20/3)
Penalties (Yds/G)	66 (102/7)	79.4 (117/10)

- Both of these teams are awful in picking up penalties. The Huskers haven't gotten any better in November, still ranked 102nd and averaging 64.3 yard per game. But the Buffs have gotten worse (yes, that's possible), dropping to dead last in FBS, 120th at 94.7 yards per game. Both teams have tendencies to pick up personal foul penalties at the worst possible moments. One wonders how sloppy Friday's game will be.

- 117th in sacks allowed? Wow! Insert your jokes about a Jared Crick - Ndamukong Suh feast in the comments section, while I stick with a "turkey shoot" meme. Tyler Hansen has taken 31 sacks so far this year. It'd be nice if he'd take about ten more this game.

- The Buffaloes do have a potential game-breaking weapon in kickoff returns. Brian Lockridge is 61st nationally with a 24.07 average. (By comparison, Niles Paul is 36th with an average of 25.69. 1.62 yards means a huge difference in ranking, but not an enormous difference on the field). Lockridge's sole touchdown came last week against Oklahoma State. The Huskers have done a great job of shutting down kickoffs this season (hence the #2 ranking), thanks largely to Adi Kunalic.

- Colorado's punting average is pretty hideous. There's an understatement for you.

- What did I miss?

Wednesday Buff Bites - The Talk Continues to Center Around Dan Hawkins' Job Status

irish1611 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:00:26 -0000

Hawkins Tells Staff He's Got One More Year - cbs4denver.com

Two sources inside the CU football progam told CBS4's Vic Lombardi that Hawkins recently met with Unversity Chancellor Phil DiStefano and came away from the meeting with the understanding that he's safe for another year no matter what happens on Friday against Nebraska.

What went wrong? - The Longmont Times-Call

The Colorado Buffaloes are already wrestling with their lack of success in 2009. Have been for weeks. But with the end coming after Friday’s Nebraska game (1:30 p.m., ABC) and expectations so far from being met, hard answers are expected soon. No one wants 2010 to resemble 2009. At all. So here’s the key question: What went wrong? Maybe coach Dan Hawkins shouldn’t have publicly said anything —– no matter what it was — about winning 10 games. Maybe changing offensive coordinators after spring drills hurt more than anyone could have expected; four offensive line coaches in five years shows. And maybe a less funky schedule will help. But the consensus is that this team’s biggest problem boiled down to one word.

Confidence.

Huskers Prep For Potent Colorado Offense
Colorado with a potent offense??? News to me.

"He is similar (to guys we've seen). He has a good arm and he's real slippery. He can find his way out of pressure and when he does he is always looking downfield. Again, you have to do a good job in coverage, but you still have to deal with him. That has kind of been the theme of the last few weeks. We've been facing quarterback after quarterback who can run and hurt you with their feet. You have to account for that all the time." Pelini noted that while they know there is a possibility of seeing quarterback Cody Hawkins, the offensive scheme as a whole does not change. He said Colorado boasts one of the biggest offensive lines they have encountered all year. "(They are) one of the better lines we've seen. They are big and athletic, too. They can move their feet really well. They get out and pull on plays and find people in space. It's a good offensive line, they've come a long way."

Much more after the jump...

What would Cody do? | All Things Colorado Sports

The player said he was positive that Cody will return to the Buffaloes for the 2010 season, even if his father, Dan Hawkins, is fired as head coach following this season. "Cody loves this place, and he loves Colorado football," the player said. "I don’t think he’d go anywhere."

Big 12 predictions, Week 13 - Big 12 Blog - ESPN

Nebraska 23, Colorado 10: These two teams have played some great games in recent seasons. But the Cornhuskers’ defense is too solid not to come prepared, even if it did clinch the North title last week. The Colorado team should be poised for an emotional effort in what could be Dan Hawkins’ last game. Despite Colorado’s ‘strong showing at Oklahoma State last week, the Nebraska defense will be ready to throttle Tyler Hansen and whatever offense the Buffaloes can muster. Look for Alex Henery to be a huge factor kicking in the high altitude in Boulder.

Commentary: Win or lose Friday, CU Dan Hawkins coach deserves one more year - KDVR
Stick to the telecasts, not articles...

Here is the reality, though: win or lose Friday against arch rival Nebraska, Hawkins will most likely return to coach CU next year and here is the kicker, the decision has very little to do with football. The bottom line in Boulder is this: wins and losses are secondary to the image of the program.

CU Buffs land 14 on All-Big 12 academic team - Boulder Daily Camera

Fourteen members of the Colorado football team were named to the Academic All-Big 12 team, the conference announced today. Colorado placed nine players on the first team and five on the second team. In order to qualify, a player must have maintained at least a 3.2 GPA and participated in at least 60 percent of his team's games for first-team consideration and a 3.0 GPA for second team honors. Colorado's first team members include Jake Behrens, Ben Burney, Patrick Devenny, Dustin Ebner, Will Pericak, Travis Sandersfeld, Devin Shanahan, Bret Smith and Nate Solder. Second-team Buffs were David Clark, Marquez Herrod, Jon Major, Tyler Sale and Luke Walters. The conference named a total of 170 players from all 12 programs to the team. Nick Florence of Baylor and Austin Cassidy and Sean Fisher of Nebraska were nominated with a 4.00 grade point average.

What to watch for in the Big 12, Week 13 - Big 12 Blog - ESPN

Dan Hawkins' possible last game in Boulder: The embattled Colorado coach’s job has been in question since a slow start after he boldly predicting his team would challenge for the Big 12 North title. Instead, the Buffaloes were the first team in the conference eliminated from bowl consideration. The Buffaloes showed some promise in last week’s narrow loss at Oklahoma State, although they repeatedly made critical mistakes and penalties that kept them from winning. Will the Colorado coach be able to circle the wagons and get his team to play one final strong performance? Or is it already too late for him to save his job after a disappointing 16-32 career record?

A little doom, a little gloom at the holidays for CU football | All Things Colorado Sports

What, you think the economy stinks? Check out what’s going on on the Front Range football front, where …
* The Broncos’ offense considers a field goal a moral touchdown. Or maybe you haven’t noticed that the Local 11 haven’t scored an offensive touchdown at home in November.
* CSU just lost to New Mexico, which hadn’t won a game since New Mexico was a territory. Or seemingly so.
* CU has lost 20 of its last 22 road games and hasn’t won a Big 12 North roadie during the Dan Hawkins era.

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - Beleaguered Buffs won't back down

Colorado players say the uncertainty surrounding coach Dan Hawkins' job status hasn't been a distraction. "There's a lot of stuff being said outside of the program, but you step into our locker room or in meetings or in practice and it's hardly spoken of,'' CU tight end Devenny said.

Wideout Simas gives jolt to the Buffs' offense - The Denver Post

"The chemistry between the wide receivers and tight ends and Tyler has improved over the last few weeks," Simas said. "Tyler knows that if the defense gives us this look, I'm going to be here. And if the defensive gives us that look, I'm going to be there. It's a feel thing we're developing."

Brooks: Seniors' Legacy Better Than 3-8 - CUBuffs.com

The Colorado football program's 17 seniors have so much more to their collective resumes than a disappointing 3-8 record entering Friday's final game against Nebraska (1:30 p.m., Folsom Field, ABC). The Buffaloes' three senior captains - Marcus Burton, Riar Geer, Jeff Smart - are a storyline within the tale, each having persevered through individual hardships to reach the point where their teammates recognized and honored them.

CU's Hagan wants critics to stay patient - Boulder Daily Camera

Henderson: McCartney knows the heat under Hawkins - The Denver Post

Colorado comes up short against Arizona in overtime - KansasCity.com

For the second night in a row, not-so-lowly Colorado took a perennial powerhouse the distance. For the second night in a row, the Buffaloes barely missed a statement victory.

CU`s Higgins making name for self - Boulder Daily Camera

"Great player," Wildcats guard Nick Wise, an All-American candidate, noticed. "Before watching film on him I never really heard too much about him. He`s an All-Big 12 player and that says enough about him because it`s a great conference."

Buffs Drop OT Thriller in Maui - CUBuffs.com

Both teams protected the ball after halftime as Colorado committed zero turnovers in the second half and Arizona only committed two. Arizona's hot shooting from the three-point line proved too much for the Buffaloes to overcome though. The Wildcats shot 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from beyond the arc as a whole, including a perfect 5-of-5 from Jamelle Horne. Wise went 5-of-9 from long distance and his 30 points were a career high. Horne was Arizona's second leading scorer with 17. Arizona's 14 treys today was the most for the program in a single game since the Cats connected on 14-of-23 attempts (60.9 percent) on Jan. 17, 2004, in a 97-72 win at UCLA. That covers a span of 189 games played.

WR Markques Simas' Emergence Bodes Well for the Future

irish1611 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:20:15 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Browse more photos »

For the past two years and most of year three, we heard the rumors of redshirt sophomore WR Markques Simas' potential. Apparently, he was making the first team defense look silly on the scout team and once he dedicated himself both on and off the field, he would be something special. After Simas was ruled ineligible last year and suspended for the first two games of this season for an off-the-field incident, many Buff fans wondered if this would be another one of those players who was highly recruited that wouldn't pan out.

Simas, in his third year at Colorado, finally caught his first ball and touchdown against West Virginia. The next four games, the 6'2" 215 pound receiver never had more than three receptions in any single game. But then November rolled around...and something seemed to click between the receiver and his quarterback Tyler Hansen.

The last three weeks, Simas has been everything Buff fans dreamed for and more, turning in performances that bring back memories of top flight receivers of the past. Colorado fans have been clamoring for a bona fide number one receiver for a while now. Going back to 2004, Colorado's leading receiver has not gone over 600 yards and in two of those years, the Buffs leading receiver had 226 yards and 449 yards.

Just in the month of November, Markques Simas has 25 receptions and 355 yards. If he kept that production up over a full season, he would total 100 receptions, 1,412 yards and 8 touchdowns. Now that is a #1 receiver. It is clear Hansen and Simas have developed a nice report.

As you can see from the chart below (for optimal viewing, click the "wide view" button on the top right of the page), Simas ranks 10th in the nation for yards/game in the month of November among all receivers. He is surrounded by some pretty good company as well:

Top Receivers for the Month of November
#	Name	Team	Yr	Pos	G	Rec.	Yards	Avg.	TD	Rec./G	Yards/G
1	Danario Alexander	Missouri	SR	WR	3	34	587	17.26	5	11.3	195.7
2	Damaris Johnson	Tulsa	SO	WR	3	41	475	11.59	1	13.7	158.3
3	Antonio Brown	C Mich	JR	WR	2	24	299	12.46	2	12.0	149.5
4	Greg Salas	Hawai'i	JR	WR	3	34	435	12.79	3	11.3	145.0
5	Freddie Barnes	BGSU	SR	WR	3	30	428	14.27	5	10.0	142.7
6	Jordan Shipley	Texas	SR	WR	3	27	427	15.81	4	9.0	142.3
7	Golden Tate	Notre Dame	JR	WR	3	27	368	13.63	3	9.0	122.7
8	Emmanuel Sanders	SMU	SR	WR	3	21	364	17.33	4	7.0	121.3
9	Shay Hodge	Miss	SR	WR	3	19	363	19.11	3	6.3	121.0
10	Markques Simas	Colorado	SO	WR	3	25	355	14.2	2	8.3	118.3

It would be disrespectful not to mention the stellar play of WR Scotty McKnight. He catches a bad wrap because he is not a game breaker but McKnight has been solid and has led the Buffs in receiving yards for the past three seasons, something that should not be forgotten. McKnight has put up some amazing numbers in his three year career at Colorado. He has caught at least one pass in 34 straight games, a Colorado record, meaning he has caught a pass in every game he has played in. He ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 779 receiving yards in 2009, which is 44th in the nation.

Combine McKnight and Simas with Michigan transfer Toney Clemons and next year, this looks like a potential unit of strength. Also, don't forget 2009 signees Jarrod Darden, Terdema Ussery, Will Jefferson and Andre Simmons should be up to speed and challenging for playing time next year. It is not known whether WR/CB Anthony Wright will remain on the offensive side next year but if he does, that is another athlete that could make a difference.

Tuesday Buff Bites - Hawkins Talks About Mistakes Recruiting Son, Predicting 10 Wins

irish1611 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:11:46 -0000

CU Buffs coach Dan Hawkins says he regrets bringing son Cody to Colorado - Boulder Daily Camera
No matter how mad you are about the situation in Boulder, writing messages on Hawkin's facebook page is a pretty cowardly thing to do.

Dan Hawkins said his son has been attacked by angry fans on his Facebook page and in messages on his cell phone this season as the Buffs have produced a 3-8 record. Cody Hawkins also was booed several times by the home crowd at Folsom Field earlier this season.

Ringo: CU's Hawkins admits '10 wins' was too optimistic - Boulder Daily Camera

Guess it was just one of those days for Dan Hawkins on Monday. He has them occasionally, days when he decides to be a little more forthcoming and straightforward than usual. There weren't a lot of "We'll see," answers to questions when he met with reporters at the Dal Ward Center. Not only did Hawkins say he would not bring his son, Cody, into the Colorado program if he had it to do over, but he also acknowledged that he might have been a little too optimistic in the preseason when he challenged his team to win 10 games. Hawkins pointed to signposts that were there at the beginning of the season that he should have recognized as significant hurdles for the team just to get to the postseason, let alone win 10 games. He pointed to the overall youth of the roster and inexperience on the offensive and defensive lines as being the biggest problems that should have led him to a more cautious approach. Inexperience at wide receiver was another.

Coach, Kasa reveal conflicting plans - The Longmont Times-Call
Is this article telling at all? We have heard this before where position coaches and player have a differing take than what coach Hawkins says...

Coach Dan Hawkins said Monday that freshman defensive end Nick Kasa, the program’s highest rated recruit last February, is expected to play Friday in Colorado’s season finale against Nebraska (1:30 p.m., ABC). That was news Monday to Kasa. "I don’t know why he would say that," Kasa said following practice. "I really haven’t been practicing at all, and I’m trying to get that redshirt still. If I play, then definitely I’m not going to." Prior to the Missouri game on Oct. 31, doctors told Kasa he had mono and an enlarged spleen, and CU announced he would not play again in 2009. "(Bandison) knows I’m not playing," Kasa said.

Coach regrets recruiting son - The Longmont Times-Call

Speaking Monday during what might be one of his final days at Colorado, Dan Hawkins sounded more like a father than a head coach. Hawkins, whose future remains to be seen following CU’s finale Friday against Nebraska (1:30 p.m., ABC), discussed his program’s quarterback situation Monday. He revealed that if he had it to do over again, he would not recruit his son, Cody, to CU. His explanation was long, but it included his belief that Cody took too much of the blame when things went wrong. "It’s not fair to him," Dan Hawkins said. "Here’s a guy trying to do his best to win games and help his team, and he does everything right and he’s a good student, and he’s getting killed on Facebook and he’s getting killed on his cell phone. "The great thing about this job is, you meet some unbelievable people, great people. But you also see another side of humanity that’s not real fun.

Krieger: Father-son gig impossible to win - The Denver Post

Even Dan Hawkins now thinks it was a mistake to bring his son Cody with him to CU. That makes it pretty close to unanimous. Which is no reflection on Cody Hawkins, one of the most level-headed college kids I've met. In fact, I think he's more level-headed than his dad — and more accountable too.

Buffs Fall Short Against Gonzaga - CUBuffs.com

"I walked out of the locker room for the first time since I've been at Colorado and felt like our kids believed we were going to win that game," said Associate Head Coach Steve McClain. "I knew they'd (Gonzaga) come back and be even, and we would have to fight. But I give our kids lots of credit. I thought we showed passion. I thought we were prepared. They made a shot where we didn't."

Wisconsin defeats Arizona 65-61 in foul-plagued game | www.azstarnet.com ®
Arizona (2-1) fell into a consolation bracket game against Colorado today at 2 p.m while Wisconsin (3-0) will face Gonzaga in the semifinals.

Woelk: If Hawkins knows future he`s not showing it - Boulder Daily Camera

If you believe in numbers, history and trends, Friday`s Colorado-Nebraska game will turn out to be bad news for one of the coaches involved. It`s not hard to make an educated guess as to which one that might be. Since 2003, every Colorado-Nebraska game in Boulder has proven to be the last regular season game for one of the coaches involved: In 2003, Nebraska`s Frank Solich coached the Huskers to a 31-22 win in Boulder to improve NU`s record to 9-3. Nevertheless, he was fired soon thereafter. In 2005, Colorado`s Gary Barnett`s Buffs fell 30-3 to the Huskers at Folsom Field in the regular season finale. Barnett did coach in one more game -- a 70-3 loss to Texas in the Big 12 championship game -- but he also was fired a few days after that. And, in 2007, Bill Callahan brought the Huskers to Boulder, where they absorbed a 65-51 defeat. A couple of days later, Nebraska was again looking for a new coach. Which, of course, brings us to 2009 and another game at Folsom Field.

CU's Barringer fails in title bid - The Denver Post

CU impresses in Maui opener - Boulder Daily Camera

Bzdelik put the Buffs through some intense practices and had the game plan for Gonzaga in place before his sudden departure. CU was the sharper team and led by as many as 15 points in the first half after executing the offense to near perfection. "I thought Colorado did a phenomenal job preparing for us," Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said. "Steve McClain knows us and they were ready. It was obviously a game they were pointing towards. They spread us out and made shots."

Colorado, Gonzaga Quotes - CUBuffs.com—Official Athletics Web site of the University of Colorado

On Colorado's performance "We love our young players. (Cory) Higgins is going to be a really good player. Alec's (Burks) going to be a very good player. Again, our young players looked like they belonged out there. They weren't intimidated by it. Alec got a couple charges that I felt could have gone either way. But you know what, I know this: you expect your team to compete and leave it all on the court and I think our kids did that. We got a nice run going early, our kids kept their composure and got up, yet you knew they'd come back. I think Cory knows he's got help out there and it probably came down to one play. We pushed it, we had Casey (Crawford) wide open here, but the ball goes in and out. If we go up three it might have changed the whole thing. But he at least shot the ball like he believed he was going to make it and you live with the misses. I'm not going to fault our effort. We played like we believed in CU today."

Players seek success for CU coach Hawkins - The Denver Post

"The only thing we can do to help him, if his job is in jeopardy, is to go out and win on Friday," senior cornerback Cha'Pelle Brown said of the Buffaloes' home game against Nebraska. "I don't think he's doing a bad job," running back Rodney Stewart said. "I think he's doing a great job. I don't think Coach should go anywhere." Added wide receiver Scotty Mc-Knight: "It's kind of crazy to think about. If we're affecting so many people, we should take it as a pride thing and say if we're going to affect people, let's affect them in a good way. So let's win football games."

Lunch with Bo: Colorado is Nebraska's rival

In part, Pelini decides what a rivalry game is based on the fans. "I know this is a special game to our fans and to Colorado fans," Pelini said Monday during his weekly news conference. "The two states are close together and this game is important to our fans in western Nebraska, and they want bragging rights. They make a lot of sacrifices driving a long way to see us play, and we’ve got to have their back this week."

Brooks: When Bo Shouts/Chews, Huskers Listen - CUBuffs.com

Bo's answer: "I don't even want to talk about that. I know what we have in front of us. I know it's going to be a challenge. I know we have to play good football. I fully expect to go win this football game. "Texas - that means nothing to me right now. The only thing that matters to this football team is Colorado. I told our people in the offices (and) the coaching staff I don't want to hear about plans, about travel plans, about tickets or anything else about the Big 12 title game. "That means nothing. That time will come. Our full focus is on Colorado."

Pelini focused on Colorado game > The Independent > Sports > Huskers Hq

If game vs. Neb. is Hawkins' last stand, Huskers' Hickman knows what Buffs going through - KDVR

Center Jacob Hickman said he remembers the turmoil well. He said there's probably a split between players who like Hawkins and those who don't. Hickman says no matter how the players feel about their coach, it'll be an emotional game for them. Hickman said CU played tough in a 31-28 loss at Oklahoma State last week and that he expects nothing less than the Buffs' best effort Friday.

Revisiting the 2009 Colorado Buffaloes

Husker Mike — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:30 -0000

The folks over at RalphieReport.com took offense last spring when I described Colorado's new offensive scheme as "Square Peg Meets Round Hole." I suggested that Colorado didn't have the running backs or the quarterbacks to run a pro-style offense, and that the "Hawk Watch would be on".

Score one for the guy who "didn't know what the hell he was talking about."

In any event, we all know how Colorado's new offense turned out. Failure. I suggested that Colorado's new offense wouldn't work if the Buffs expected to throw the ball "35 to 40" times a game. Through 11 games: 39 pass attempts a game. Last in the Big XII in passing efficiency.

Colorado's offense did improve a little bit by burning the redshirt of Tyler Hansen, who helped lead the Buffs to upsets of Kansas and Texas A&M. Colorado's struggles haven't been helped by a defense that ranks in the bottom half of the Big XII in nearly every defensive category.

RalphieReport has an interesting comparison between Hansen and Cody Hawkins, and while Hansen does rate higher statisticially, you have to be surprised by the 31 sacks Hansen has taken since taking over at midseason. Statistically, this looks like a Thanksgiving day feast for Ndamukong Suh and company.

The "X" factor in this game is the emotion that might accompany a potential final game for Dan Hawkins. Will the Buffs rally around Hawkins like the 2003 Huskers did for Frank Solich? Or will the Buffs fold like the 2005 Buffs?

Here's the rest of our preseason preview:

Dan Hawkins raised eyebrows last winter by closing out last season's team banquet by proclaiming "Ten Wins, No Excuses." I believe him when he says it wasn't a prediction, it was an expectation. Aim high, I believe. I think any coach should have high expectations for their team.

But are the Buffaloes capable of winning ten games in 2009? That's another question entirely. Colorado fans point to last season's Nebraska game as proof that the Buffs aren't far off. If it wasn't for a school record 57 yard field goal by Alex Henery, the Buffs would have finished 6-6 and gone to a bowl game. One play away from a bowl game and a chance at a winning season. That's the story in Boulder, but is that reality? Another way to look at last season's NU/CU game is to look at the difference 4 other plays had on the outcome of the game. On Colorado's first two drives, the Buffs took advantage of blown coverages by the Blackshirts to take a 14-0 lead. Three plays did the damage: a 68 yard touchdown pass to Riar Greer, followed by a 44 yard pass to Josh Smith and then a 36 yard touchdown run by Demetrius Sumler. 3 plays, 148 yards. Quite a start.

The rest of the game? 45 plays, 153 yards of offense. Add in the fourth play, that fake field goal where Jimmy Smith intercepted the pitch to Henery and raced for a game tying touchdown, and suddenly a game that Nebraska dominated on both sides of the ball - except for those four plays - is a battle all the way. So while, yes, Nebraska was lucky that Henery was able to make a 57 yarder, Colorado was even more lucky to be in a position to steal a game in Lincoln.

Colorado's hopes for a winning season in 2009 are based on the ability of touted sophomore running back Darrell Scott. A former five-star recruit, he was slowed by injuries all season long and only accumulated 343 yards rushing, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. Sophomore Rodney Stewart emerged as the Buffaloes top running back last season, rushing for 622 yards before breaking his leg against Texas A&M. Sumler, who will be a junior this season, finished last season with 251 yards.

Every Husker fan loves this image of Ndamukong Suh celebrating his game-clinching interception.
via huskersgameday.com

Junior quarterback Cody Hawkins, the coach's son, will compete with sophomore Tyler Hansen for the starting position. Hawkins is the better passer of the two, for what it's worth, completing 57% of his passes last season for 1892 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Hansen completed 52% of his passes, with 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions, after pulling off his redshirt late in the season against Kansas State. Hansen did rush for 261 yards last season in limited play.

Josh Smith's departure from the Buffaloes leaves the CU with only junior Scotty McKnight as an experienced wide receiver going into this season. McKnight caught 46 passes for 519 yards and five touchdowns last season. Sophomore Markques Simas sat out last season due to academic problems, and will be suspended for the first two games of 2009 for violating team rules. Senior tight end Riar Greer returns as well, his 68 yard touchdown catch against the Huskers gave him a season total of 183 yards.

The offensive line is young and inexperienced, though many experts rave about the potential. Junior left tackle Nate Solder started all 12 games last season, as did sophomore left guard Blake Behrens. Sophomore Ryan Miller started the first four games at right tackle last season, then suffered a leg injury. He's expected to move to right guard. Two newcomers, center Mike Iltis and right tackle Bryce Givens are expected to jump straight into the starting lineup after sitting out last season.

Only four starters return from the #4 defense in the Big XII last season, none up front. Junior defensive end Marquez Herrod did have 14 tackles and 4 sacks last season. At linebacker, senior middle linebacker Jeff Smart earned second team all-Big XII honors as Colorado's leading tackler. Senior weakside linebacker Shawn Mohler was second on the team with 97 tackles, earning him honorable mention all-Big XII.

In the secondary, senior cornerback Cha'pelle Brown was a standout last season and was joined late in the season by junior cornerback Jimmy Smith, who interecepted the fake field goal pitch against the Huskers. Two part-time sophomore starters return at safety in Patrick Mahnke and Anthony Perkins.

Turnover wasn't just limited to the players. Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich left for Oregon after spring practice, and wide receivers coach Eric Kiesau was promoted to replace him. Helfrich's failed spread offense is out, and Kiesau's "pro style" offense is in. What does "pro style" mean? In May, Kiesau talked about emphasizing the running game, taking advantage of the running backs and the offensive line as relative strengths. But earlier this week, Kiesau added that not only will the Buffs feature "a downhill, blue-collar run game" but also "an extensive passing game."

Say what? With Cody Hawkins, Tyler Hansen, and only one returning receiver with any experience?

"We're going to get the ball downfield, let our playmakers get vertical. If you just run the ball along the box, they're going to stop you. We're going to play action and be able to throw it, we'll be extremely multiple.

"It could change from week to week - one week we could be in a lot of two-back, the next week be empty (no backs)."

No backs? Is this all a smokescreen to obscure his actual plans, or is he really thinking about asking Colorado's quarterbacks to put the ball up thirty to fourty times a game like a typical "pro-style, NFL offense?"

Here's my take: Colorado will likely try to establish a running game first, much like the New York Giants. They will need to be able to throw the ball effectively, for fear that opposing defenses will stack the box. Effectively doesn't mean frequently, but just enough to keep defenses honest. But that's easier said than done with the Buffs personnel.

So what does that mean for Colorado in 2009? Dan Hawkins told his team that he expects "10 wins". Rock M Nation ran the numbers, and also came up with 10. Ten losses, to be more precise. What's my prediction? Well, I think Rock M is closer than Coach Hawk. I don't think CU can win 10 games with this squad, though 7 or 8 might be possible if the incoming receivers can make an impact, the defensive line solidifies, everyone stays healthy, yadda yadda yadda. (Rock M came up with 10 "if onlys".)

Truth be told, while many experts talk up Colorado, they simply point out that their "breakthrough" would merely get the Buffs to bowl eligibility. And frankly, from my perspective, even that's a reach. If it wasn't for Colorado's budget issues, I'd suggest that Hawkins was on the hot seat this season. Remember that this CU squad nearly lost to Iowa State and Kansas State at home last season. That would have made the Buffs 3-9 last season, in which case would anybody be suggesting Colorado as a breakthrough team? Maybe not, unless they also remember Colorado went 3-8 in 2000.

Poll

What's your prediction for the Nebraska/Colorado game?

47%

The Huskers score early and often, and waive goodbye to Dan Hawkins.

120 votes

41%

It's another nip-and-tuck NU/CU game, with the Huskers pulling one out in Boulder.

106 votes

Colorado finds a way to beat the Huskers at home.

16 votes

Remember 2001? It's Deja Vu all over again.

11 votes

253 votes | Poll has closed

Poll

Is this the final game for Dan Hawkins at Colorado?

Yes. He's had enough time, and he's failed miserably.

59 votes

No. Colorado can't afford to buy out Dan Hawkins; they're still trying to pay off the Gary Barnett payoff.

50 votes

No. Hawkins just needs more time.

10 votes

119 votes | Poll has closed

Mizzou Links, 11-23-09

Bill C. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:41:49 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

about 1 month ago: Missouri's J.T. Tiller laughs on the bench in street clothes during the first half of the South Padre Island Invitational NCAA college basketball game against Texas-Pan American, on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Columbia, Mo. Tiller sat out the game due to an ankle injury. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Browse more photos »

BASKETBALL!!

MUtigers.com: English's 25 Keys Tigers Over Bronchos
MUtigers.com: MU-UTPA Box Score
The Trib: Tigers pummel Texas-Pan American
The Missourian: English comes up big in Missouri men's basketball team's victory
The Missourian: Missouri puts together highlight reel in easy win
KC Star: MU sophomores lead way in blowout of Texas-Pan American
PowerMizzou: New-look lineup leads the Tigers
Post-Dispatch: Tigers win with no fuss, no muss
For what may be the understatement of the early college basketball season, we turn to Texas-Pan American coach Ryan Marks after his team's game at Mizzou on Sunday.

"It was looking good when we were up 8-4 ...," he said, "but after that it got a little shaky."

As in MU's 44-2 binge on the way to a 100-44 victory, their most lopsided since moving to Mizzou Arena.

MU-KU Links

Post-Dispatch: Football Tigers set their sights quickly on KU
KC Star: Mangino plans to stick to routine going into MU game
The Missourian: Mangino heads into what could be last week with KU
ESPN.com: Kansas still within reach of bowl game
CBS Sports: Mangino, Jayhawks say team is united amid controversy
Topeka Capital-Journal: Mangino: 'It hasn't played out'
KC Star (Campus Corner): MU to Unveil Combat Uniforms Monday

Cody Hawkins vs. Tyler Hansen - Comparing The Quarterbacks' Productivity

irish1611 — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:09:40 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

Browse more photos »

Watching the Oklahoma St. game at Blake Street Tavern this past Thursday night, a frantic frenzy occurred when Cody Hawkins ran out as the quarterback before anyone knew that Tyler Hansen was battling a hand injury. Then about half way through the third quarter after Cody Hawkins led the Buffs to an impressive touchdown drive that gave the Buffs the lead going into halftime, many wondered if Dan Hawkins should play the hot hand in Cody Hawkins. All of this questioning is a result of the Buffs being 103rd in the nation in total offense. But the big question is who has been more effective at quarterback this year? Bottom line, this offense has much bigger problems than who is playing at quarterback, particularly at offensive line and if they don't find something that works quick, the Nebraska defensive line led by Ndamukong Suh will make the Buffs' suffer even more this season.

More after the jump...

We will look at a couple of exhibits to try and get a look at the two quarterbacks the Buffs have trotted out there to lead the team in Dan Hawkins fourth year.

	Passing							Total	Sacks
Opponent	Att	Comp	Int	Yds	Avg/Att	%	TD	Yds
Opponent	Att	Comp	Int	Yds	Avg/Att	%	TD	Yds
Colorado St.(17-23)	40	24	1	222	5.6	60.0%	1	251
Toledo(38-54)	64	30	3	356	5.6	46.9%	4	451
Wyoming(24-0)	31	17	0	175	5.6	54.8%	0	326
West Virginia(24-35)	54	27	3	292	5.4	50.0%	2	392
Texas(14-38)	23	9	2	85	3.7	39.1%	2	127
Kansas(34-30)	25	14	1	175	7.0	56.0%	1	322
Kansas St.(6-20)	37	17	2	184	5.0	45.9%	0	244
Missouri(17-36)	36	22	1	190	5.3	61.1%	0	176
Texas A&M(35-34)	32	21	1	271	8.5	65.6%	1	437
Iowa St.(10-17)	38	18	1	258	6.8	47.4%	1	390
Oklahoma St.(28-31)	49	30	0	240	4.9	61.2%	3	253
	429	229	15	2448	5.7	53.4%	15	3369	42
	Passing							Total Yds	Sacks
Cody Hawkins - Total	239	121	11	1279	5.4	50.6%	10	1547	11
Cody Hawkins - Avg.	47.8	24.2	2.2	255.8	5.4	50.6%	2	309.4	2.2
Tyler Hansen - Total	186	108	4	1169	6.3	58.1%	5	1822	31
Tyler Hansen - Avg.	31.0	18.0	0.667	194.8	6.3	58.1%	0.8	303.7	5.2

You can see from the chart above, the results are a mixed bag. The equalizer for all for all of the passing statistics is the two efficiency numbers - completion percentage and yards/attempt. Cody Hawkins had a much less efficient five games compared to Tyler Hansen. Hansen averaged 0.9 yards more per attempt than Cody and completed 8.1% more of his passes when he was in the lineup (Kansas through Oklahoma State) compared to Cody Hawkins (Colorado St. through Texas). Hawkins does have more touchdowns per game (2.2 vs. 0.7) but Hansen has thrown 1.2 less interceptions a contest which is a huge improvement. You get more scores from Hawkins but you also give the opposition more chances to score.

Considering Hawkins is a third year starting junior and Tyler Hansen should still be considered a first year starting quarterback as a sophomore, Hansen's results compared to a third year player is pretty solid but more production is needed.

The 58.1% completion percentage ranks 73rd in the nation, that needs to improve. Hansen's 0.8 touchdown passes per game is not enough either.

Improvement is needed but it looks like from a passing efficiency perspective Tyler Hansen is the better choice at quarterback.

But what gets me worried is the amount of sacks Tyler Hansen has taken. Most will agree that Colorado doesn't win the Kansas game unless Tyler Hansen is at quarterback. I am a supporter of that claim as there is no way Cody Hawkins converts the multiple third downs on the touchdown scoring drive in the fourth due to all of the improvisation that Hansen needed to do. That being said, the perception Cody Hawkins is a statue back there and gets sacked much more often is false. While Tyler Hansen is a little more efficient than Hawkins, Hansen has been sacked an amazing 31 times in six games compared to Hawkins' 11 in five games. 5.2 sacks per game for Tyler Hansen! An absolute killer. The teams Hawkins played in his first five games rank a combined 53rd in the nation in sacking the quarterback. Hansen's six oppositions rank 50th. Not much of a difference there but on a per game look, Hansen is averaging three more sacks a game against.

It is hard to weigh interceptions against sacks and while Hansen's interception numbers are 1.5 lower per game, you could make the argument that 3.0 more sacks per game is probably equivalent to 1.5 interceptions since sacks are drive killers.

Bottom line, the offensive line/pass protection (whoever Denver Johnson wants to blame) play has regressed since week five by a big margin in terms of protecting the quarterback. As for the running game, the offensive line can also be blamed for being extremely poor in getting any consistency going.

When Cody Hawkins left the starting lineup after the Texas game, the Buffs' offensive rankings were as follows: 112th in rushing offense (83.4 y/g). 53rd in passing offense (226 y/g). 104th in total offense (309.4 y/g). 85th in scoring offense (23.4). 73rd in turnover margin (-.20). 89th in sacks per game (2.4 s/g).

After week 12 with Tyler Hansen at quarterback, the Buffs currently rank as follows: 113th in rushing offense (83.7 y/g). 53rd in passing offense (222.5 y/g). 108th in total offense (306.2 y/g). 91st in scoring offense (22.5). 82nd in turnover margin (-.36). 117th in sacks per game (3.9 s/g). Every statistic has come down since week five.

Not much movement on the offensive side with Hansen in the game. The Buffs are also worse in sacks given up and have turned the ball over more with Hansen in the game compared to Hawkins. As you will see below, the Buffs have fumbled 10 times with Hansen under center compared to Hawkins' stint at three. This means under Hansen, the Buffs have been more turnover prone overall than with Hawkins in the game. More sacks, more turnovers. That goes against all your intuition, I know.

The stats indicate that the Buffs have regressed offensively in production (in red zone efficiency, turnovers and sacks given up) as the season has went on, something that the coaches should be held accountable for.

		1st	Penalties		Fum	Turn	Opponent
Opponent	Pts	Downs	No.	Yards	Lost	Overs
Opponent	Pts						Win	Loss
Colorado St.(17-23)	17	13	5	60	1	2	3	8
Toledo(38-54)	38	25	9	100	1	4	5	6
Wyoming(24-0)	24	21	10	86	1	1	5	6
West Virginia(24-35)	24	21	5	29	0	3	7	3
Texas(14-38)	14	11	20	140	0	2	11	0
Kansas(34-30)	34	21	8	60	2	3	5	6
Kansas St.(6-20)	6	15	8	69	2	4	6	6
Missouri(17-36)	17	14	7	45	3	4	7	4
Texas A&M(35-34)	35	24	10	94	0	1	6	5
Iowa St.(10-17)	10	21	11	110	2	3	6	6
Oklahoma St.(28-31)	28	14	7	80	1	1	9	2
	247	200	100	873	13	28
		1st	Penalties		Fum	Turn	Opponent
Cody Hawkins - Total	117	91	49	415	3	12	31	23
Cody Hawkins - Avg.	23.4	18.2	9.8	83	0.6	2.4	6.2	4.6
Tyler Hansen - Total	130	109	51	458	10	16	39	29
Tyler Hansen - Avg.	21.7	18.2	8.5	76.3	1.7	2.7	6.5	4.8

As you can see, under Hansen, the Buffs' have amazingly averaged 2.7 turnovers per game compared to 2.4 with Hawkins. You won't win many games turning the ball over more than 2 times a contest which is a concern, regardless of quarterback. At least Hansen throws less interceptions than Hawkins but overall and once again, this team continues to regress on the offensive side of the ball in other categories. Under Hawkins, the Buffs have averaged more points per game and just look at those penalties. No big change at all. Can you say more things to hold against the coaching staff?

Many of you will probably say that Cody Hawkins played against worse teams than Hansen has. I mean, Colorado State has not won a game in the Mountain West and just lost to a win-less New Mexico team giving up over 400 yards of total offense. But once again, the numbers are pretty even with Hansen's group of teams winning an average of 6.5 games compared to Hawkins 6.2 games.

So what do we conclude from this? Not a whole lot other than the production at quarterback is still not where it needs to be and that the other ten guys need to step up especially when Hansen is at quarterback. Judging from these stats, I still think Tyler Hansen's being the starting quarterback is the best choice for this team based on his better passing efficiency stats, his two wins compared to one for Cody Hawkins and his seven less interceptions. But, overall the offense hasn't churned out more yards per game under Hansen and have scored less. Regardless of who your quarterback is, if your offense ranks in the 100's in rushing offense, penalties and sacks given up, their won't be much success, even if Colt McCoy is your quarterback. Pass protection has become worse since Hansen has taken over. The Buffs' are not going to win games, regardless of having a mobile quarterback back there if they are giving up 3 more sacks per game. The ten guys around Hansen are turning the ball over more as well which shows you as this season has continued, the Buffs' are playing worse. Their has been minimal improvement in the penalty category as well. A high number of penalties, more turnovers, more sacks as the year has gone on...paging Mike Bohn?

One thing Hansen does have help in is an upgrade at wide receiver as Markques Simas has emerged, ranking as one of the best receivers in November in the nation. More to come on Simas later in the week. Over the past three weeks, Simas has grabbed 25 passes for 353 yards and two scores. If he kept that production up over a full season, he would total 100 receptions, 1,412 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Until the offensive line is able to protect the quarterback and open up holes for the running game, this offense and it's quarterback play will struggle.

Where is the Plan For Player Development and Progression?

irish1611 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:26:53 -0000

View full size photo »

One of the worst questions in college football that fans sometimes have to utter to themselves is: Should we have redshirted him? College football is the ultimate when you talk about playing every play like it is your last one. Eligibility is limited to only four years and truly, within those four years, you are one play away from that career ending injury that won't allow you to chase the goals you had in mind during your playing career.

The Colorado Buffaloes have certainly made fans ask the question about redshirting players more and more recently and it also makes the fan base question if the coaching staff has a plan? Eligibility is a serious part of a player's career and it is certainly not to be mismanaged. For all intensive purposes, Darrell Scott, for the limited number of plays he received on the offensive end this year, should have been redshirted. Instead of two years to play somewhere else, he would have three and a much better chance of fully getting entrenched in his new program. The coaches will say that Darrell Scott was used wisely this year because of his effort on special teams but we all know that is a disgrace to a player who has been perceived as someone with huge upside. Further, if you take away the ten carries in one half against Toledo, Darrell Scott averaged less than three carries in the five games he played in. Maybe even more of a mismanagement was playing Scott after he was injured on a kickoff return against Toledo that required surgery later in the year. If Scott gets shelved after that game (only 10 total carries after Toledo game anyway), he earns a medical redshirt and three more years of eligibility remains. I am sure Darrell Scott would have traded 10 carries for another year any day of the week. We all would have.

Certainly, the Colorado staff did not have a plan for Darrell Scott to fully utilize his eligibility nor did they have plans for Andre Simmons and Nick Kasa, two highly touted players in the 2009 recruiting class that, for varying reasons, did not get the full benefit of their first year of eligibility at the division one level.

read more after the jump...

The Andre Simmons situation is a perplexing one to me. You have heard many in the main stream media suggest based on what they have seen in practice or what they hear from Dan Hawkins that players only play when they know the playbook in and out. Here is what Dan Hawkins says about the subject:

"You win with achievers and lose with potential," the coach said. "You have to get guys to the point where they can do something well consistently and build from there. When that happens, you have something going. When you start trying to jump that train track, you're in trouble, because you're going to water down everything else."

Awesome. Great ideology if you first have strong depth, if you actually are winning ball games and finally, if the starters who are playing over the players with potential actually produce. None of which is true for the Buffs. But I understand Hawkins' utopian argument. It is better to reward kids who know the playbook in and out without making any mistakes. I understand it, I think there is a grey area, though, that you are flirting with where you have to ask yourself is the reward for making big plays during a game with a few mistakes thrown in better than a consistently bad offense that has shown zero big play potential? But that isn't the point of this piece.

Play who you will but play them wisely.

Andre Simmons had three years to play two, meaning his ability to redshirt was still there. He was a late arriver to camp due to qualification issues so understandably he probably needed extra time to get ready for the season. Most expected by West Virginia, Andre Simmons would be ready to go, in some productive capacity, where he would have an impact on the offense and in subsequent weeks, his role would increase. Given our current situation at wide receiver, that was a logical approach that should have been more than attainable. If the coaching staff did their job, he should have been ready in that amount of time, just like every other junior college player that would have arrived at Colorado on time in the fall. Instead, to our surprise, Andre Simmons played in the first game, sparingly, but he played and caught a 44 yard pass. Most of us thought, fine. He is getting some time, no way he would redshirt, we need him now and any early action is a bonus with the expectation that the Buffs coaching staff had a plan for him, a schedule if you will that this first three games, we are going to increase his play load slowly, work him into more situations so that by the Wyoming game, we could have a dress rehearsal.

Not so.

Since that one catch, Andre Simmons has touched the ball one other time on a reverse for 15 yards. Two plays, 59 yards, one year of eligibility done. Darrell Scott, 23 carries, 95 yards, 0 touchdowns, one year of eligibility done and a transfer.

It begs the question, is there a plan for these players? Why even play Andre Simmons in the Colorado State game unless he could handle at least 15 - 20 plays and make a contribution? Why not wait until the Wyoming or West Virginia game until he had shown in practice that he was able to make some sort of contribution this year? Clearly If he isn't ready, which the coaching staff CLEARLY has made known by only giving him two touches this year, why not redshirt him? All valid questions that are left unanswered with no logical reasoning or insight to construct an explanation.

Once again, the ability to manage and motivate players needs to come into question. You can throw in similar examples with Tyler Hansen, Kai Maiva and Nick Kasa. We were all shocked how quick Nick Kasa came back from injury questioning whether Kasa was ready to participate. Four games, 47 plays, 2 tackles. Kasa might be granted a medical redshirt but after being out a month+ due to injury, he was put into action and while looking good at times, never saw the field with any consistency to be able to be productive. Did we have a plan for Kasa and was he ready to go?

Part of the problem is the Buffs still lack depth so some players are forced into action and many of you are probably saying "if we used your theory, how would anybody but the starters be productive and thus every backup should redshirt." True but I want to see a plan and I want to see players benefit from coaching. Unless Andre Simmons refuses to practice and is extremely lazy (hard to say that after taking a plethora of spring, summer and fall classes just to qualify), why isn't he progressing to a point where he can play and why can't the coach's establish something for him on the offensive side of the ball? Right now, Andre Simmons and his one of two remaining years of eligibility is deteriorating on the sideline, one game at a time. You mean to tell me that instead of just letting him rot away, we can't find 5 plays for the 6'3" 4.5 forty running receiver on a Buffs' offense that ranks 113th overall (120 teams total in the NCAA), a full 59 yards behind a Baylor team that lost it's best player.

I know this topic has been discussed as to why we aren't seeing Andre Simmons or other players on the field more but it has come to a point where you have to ask why did we even play him to begin with?

We have heard all the excuses: the playbook changes so it is hard to pick up if you don't know the base which was learned in spring ball, the receiver needs to be able to read the defense and adjust with the quarterback, the playbook is extremely dynamic...it is like fitting that square peg in that round hole. Quotes continually come out like those noted above that suggest a system where the player is forced into an offense rather than the player and the offense evolving to feature the people who will actually be making plays on the field, not satisfying the way the coaches think it "ought" to be run. That is part of coaching, finding the answers with the players you have to work with. Yet the Buffs try to run the spread last year with no evidence that the players could support that sort of offense (square peg, round hole). Cody Hawkins is put back into the game to lead the two minute drill against Kansas State. Andre Simmons used here and there. There is little rhyme or reason to any of it, given the results on the field.

The sort of head scratching decisions that haven't yielded substantial positive results clearly shows that the program is not being run effectively. The program is being run in a way that tries to limit mistakes and difficult situations rather than taking more chances at being effective. Obvious examples to that statement is the lack of production in the punt return game, changing quarterbacks in the two minute drill, inserting Demetrius Sumler on passing situations to block, playing a soft defense in the Missouri game rather than get after the quarterback and force the issue. You would think by year four, more than one running back could learn to block, more than one player could field punts, more than one player could run a two minute drill.

I just wish their was some method behind the madness because this is one confused fan.

Q & A With The Ralphie Report

Beergut — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:08:44 -0000

This week, our Q&A session with with irish1611 of The Ralphie Report on the upcoming Texas A&M-Colorado football game.

1. With all of the distractions this week with the Darrell Scott transfer, how confident are you that your team can embrace the football field as their one place of peace, and play an inspired game on Saturday? How well do you think they can block out the distractions?

Good question. Who knows what is going on in that locker room today. Calls for the coaching staff to resign, a blue out this weekend, Darrell Scott leaving the program, etc, can't be an easy thing to deal with. But the way I will answer this question is looking at how they have handled adversity in the past. Look no further than their performance on the road the past four years. The Buffs have two wins when they go outside of the state of Colorado compared to eighteen losses, showing that they have difficulty playing in less than optimal situations. After the most recent road loss to Kansas State, many players say they don't have energy on the road and they are intimidated by an unknown environment. That tells you right there that they are tuned in more to their surroundings rather than the game plan or being confident in themselves.

With the students/fan base wearing powder blue shirts to the game in an act of displaying "displeasure," the playing situation won't be optimal this Saturday either. The boo birds will be out early if this game gets off on the wrong foot.

The Buffs haven't responded under Dan Hawkins one time, I don't think Saturday will be any different.

2. If you had to pinpoint one weakness of your team that needs to improve for you to win on Saturday, what would it be?

The Buffs need more than one thing to improve but the glaring issue right now is the offensive line. Preseason picks to be a top unit have made us all look stupid. The Buffs have had a difficult time protecting the quarterback and getting any sort of consistent offense going this year. Last week against Missouri, Tyler Hansen was running for his life the whole game, getting sacked eight times while the Buffs managed to lose 14 yards on the ground in total. You aren't going to win many games turning the ball over and not establishing a push in the trenches. I expect Von Miller to be able to increase his NCAA leading sack total this weekend.

3. With Tyler Hansen firmly entrenched as the starting quarterback (for now), what are the chances of a Cody Hawkins sighting on Saturday?

I don't think you will see Cody Hawkins on Saturday unless Hansen is injured. I don't believe Dan Hawkins will want to be part of a walk out/frenzy that will ensue at Folsom if that were to happen. In fairness, no quarterback will be successful in this offense the way the game plans are being constructed, the poor play of the offensive line and a major lack of playmakers. I think being a quarterback at the University of Colorado, with all the criticism due to the coach's relationship with Cody, no help from your surrounding cast and the pounding you take back there, is the worst position player situation in college football today. I don't even think their is an argument to be had on that one.

4. What offensive player should we watch out for on this Colorado team on Saturday? defensive player?

On the offensive side of the ball, the most productive player has been WR Scotty McKnight, who will lead the team in catches once again for a third straight year. RB Rodney Stewart has had his moments this year but with little running room the past few weeks coupled with the Buffs propensity to get behind early in ball games has limited his consistency. It all starts up front and since that has been a train wreck this year, the offensive has been less than potent.

On defense, I think we are all starting to see CB Jimmy Smith turn into a good one. He has been excellent the past few weeks in coverage, showing good breaks on passes and being the specimen we all thought he could be. If the Buffs want to be successful against A&M this week, they will need LB BJ Beatty to have a big game. Playing mostly as a rush end, when he has been able to get to the quarterback, the defense has done very well. If the Buffs let Jerrod Johnson sit back there, he will have the same big play success most of the other quarterbacks have had on Colorado.

This game of football is really easy. Block up front on offense and pressure the quarterback on defense. The Buffs have been inconsistent at pressuring the quarterback and have done nothing to show that they can protect.

5. Will you be wearing a powder blue shirt to show your dissatisfaction with what is going on with the program?

No, I think it is stupid. This has been a fan base that hasn't sold out a game in a while and the student section is hardly ever full to start the game, if it ever gets full at all. As you know, home games are full of potential recruits. Do you think that any of those players will come to Colorado that visits Boulder this weekend? No way. Why would you want to play for a student section/fan base that wears blue instead of black and gold to cheer the Buffs on. If you don't like what the program is doing, don't go to the game, try to give away your tickets and then don't renew your season tickets next year. Don't make a public showing that will put more of a negative light on the program. Plus, what point does it prove. It doesn't take blue clothes to let everyone know that they are less than pleased about where the program is at. All this does is create more problems and does nothing constructive for our situation. I would rather see those people put five dollars each in a jar and start the pot for a buyout if they want a change.

6. What is your final score prediction for the game?

27 - 17 Texas A&M.

Once again, thanks to irish1611 for answering all of our questions. To see my answers to his questions, go visit them at The Ralphie Report.