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Sports Profile | CU Buffs Football Shooting for 10 Wins In year four of the Hawkins Era, will fans hold Coach Dan's feet to the fire? By Larry Zimmer It was a bold statement by Coach Dan Hawkins as he wrapped up his remarks on the 2008 season at the annual football banquet last December. Despite a 5-7 record, he felt the program had made great strides and that 2009 would be a breakout year. In fact, he said, he’d be disappointed if the Colorado Buffaloes didn’t win 10 games.
What happened? Let’s start with a youthful offensive line that suffered unprecedented injuries. This is not an excuse; it is a fact. Colorado chalked up 121 game absences to injury or illness, with all but 11 by players listed in the two-deep (the first and second offensive and defensive teams) or playing significant roles on special teams like kicking or kick returning. The offense sputtered because, as any football lover knows, it starts with the guys up front. One of the reasons for optimism in 2009 is the fact that the O-line is healthy and more experienced. Redshirt freshman Bryce Givens, from Denver, has progressed to the point that he will replace talented Ryan Miller (Columbine) at right tackle, allowing Miller to move back to his more natural position at right guard. That’s 585 pounds of beef, or buffalo, on the right side of the line. Miller broke his leg in the fourth game last season and has been awarded an extra year of eligibility, so he will play this year as a sophomore. Mike Iltis (Sarasota, Fla.) missed 2008 with a knee injury, but is healthy now and will play center. The left side of the line will weigh in at 595 pounds, with junior Nate Solder (Buena Vista) at tackle and sophomore Ethan Adkins (Douglas County) at guard. Note that four of the five are from Colorado. Hawkins’ vow to recruit the best in the state is paying off. Hawkins’ job is safe. It is commonly accepted that a coach should be given five years to build his program, although some programs grow impatient after three. But Hawkins is on solid ground. ‘Excellence with class’
Hawkins inherited a woefully weak team in 2006, and the Buffs won only two games. They improved to six wins in 2007 and almost pulled off a win over Alabama in the Independence Bowl. So with the five wins in 2008, Hawkins’s three-year record is 13-24. That’s six more wins than McCartney had in the same time period, but Hawkins is the first to agree that it has to get better. “It has been a tough and trying road rebuilding an entire culture surrounding the football program,” Hawkins says. “Will this be the season we are rewarded for being so patient? I can tell you this—we are on the right path and we are very, very close to turning the corner. We all feel it.” Benjamin Disraeli, the famous British prime minister, said, “The secret of success is constancy of purpose.” And Hawkins is consistent. He says, “At the heart of everything we do is ‘excellence with class.’ We are always going to keep the bar high and make excellence the standard, whether that is off the field, in the classroom or on the gridiron.” There are some who will say that character isn’t enough—it’s all about wins and losses. But would anyone really want to return to the constant banner headlines just after the turn of the millennium? As for the Boulder chatter about key recruits leaving the program: Yes, there has been some attrition, but mostly because the individuals didn’t measure up in the classroom or in the community. Some of them simply felt they would be better off somewhere else, as is common in programs throughout the country. The great majority of Hawkins’ recruits are still on campus and are contributing. Back in action Many will point to Darrell Scott, the heralded running back from Ventura, Calif., as being an underachiever. The expectations were just too high. Darrell came to Boulder out of shape and was hampered by an ankle injury for most of the season. Now down 20 pounds in weight from last fall, he’s set to have a breakout year in 2009. Rodney “Speedy” Stewart has recovered from the broken leg that sidelined him for the final four games of the season, but the youngster from Westerville, Ohio, still led the team in rushing, with 622 yards on 132 carries. With the return of Brian Lockridge, who sat out last season, and veteran Demetrius Sumler, the Buffs have a deep and solid backfield. It is one of the reasons that spring practice sessions focused on the running game, with the quarterback more often under center, rather than in the shotgun formation. Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich laid the groundwork for this new offensive philosophy before leaving the program for Oregon after spring practice. Eric Kiesau, who was the passing game coordinator and receivers’ coach, was ready to step in, and will refine what Helfrich started. Like Helfrich, Kiesau will also coach the quarterbacks. Hawkins will add coaching the wide receivers to his own duties. There are other changes on the coaching staff. When offensive line coach Jeff Grimes left for a job at Auburn, Hawkins was fortunate enough to find an experienced replacement—Denver Johnson, head coach at Illinois State for nine years. Hawkins also added to the defensive staff by talking 68-year-old Bob Foster out of retirement. Foster was the defensive coordinator at UC-Davis when Hawkins was a player and young coach there. He will coach the outside linebackers. With the big offensive line and talented running backs making the offense more run-oriented, where does that leave the passing game? Untested. The Buffs are short on experience in the receiver corps. Scotty McKnight is the only experienced receiver returning. Markques Simas has great promise. He missed last season because of academic problems, but had an excellent spring. At 6-2, 200 pounds, he is a big target. Transfer Andre Simmons (Independence [Kan.] Community College) will help, as will three talented freshmen—Terdema Ussery and Jarrod Darden, both from Texas, and Will Jefferson, from California. Seniors Riar Geer and Patrick Devenny and sophomore Ryan Deehan are all solid tight ends. So, why Cody?
The detractors need to look at his numbers. With two years still to go, Cody is sixth in CU history in passing yards, with 4,585. He is third in touchdown passes, with 36. He is third in pass completions (422) and pass attempts (744). He is eighth in total offense, with 4,551 yards. Impressive statistics for two years. Defensively, the Buffs have some spots to fill in the line, but the linebackers and secondary are solid. Last year’s unit led the Big 12 in pass defense and was fourth in total defense. Despite losing safeties Ryan Walters and D. J. Dykes, the backups Patrick Mahnke and Anthony Perkins got lots of playing time and are ready to step in. The corners are talented and deep with Cha’pelle Brown, Jalil Brown, Benjamin Burney, Jimmy Smith and Anthony Wright. The same can be said of the linebackers, with Jeff Smart, Shaun Mohler, B. J. Beatty, Michael Sipili, Bryan Stengel and Marcus Burton. Two redshirts from last year—Jon Major, the top recruit from Parker (Ponderosa), and Douglas Rippy from Trotwood, Ohio—are chomping at the bit to get on the field. Line coach Romeo Bandison will have a young crew replacing Maurice Lucas, George Hypolite and Brandon Nicolas. Conrad Obi, Curtis Cunningham, Eugene Goree, Marquez Herrod, Taj Kaynor, Eric Lawson and Lagrone Shields will be competing for playing time. This year’s top recruit, Nick Kasa from Thornton (Legacy), would have been in the mix, if not for a knee injury in pre-season practice. Senior Matt DiLallo is solid as the punter. While Aric Goodman struggled as the place kicker last fall, he had a good spring, and Jameson Davis is healthy. They will be challenged by a top recruit, Zach Grossnickle, an All-Stater from Denver (East). Managing those 10 wins might be a chore with the schedule, but the television networks clearly believe in the Buffs. The Colorado State, Toledo, West Virginia and Oklahoma State games are all scheduled for prime-time national television. The Nebraska game, at 1:30 on the Friday following Thanksgiving, will also be on national TV. While decisions on mid-season conference games aren’t made until the season unfolds, it’s a good bet that CU will have more national exposure. It’s year four of the Hawkins era, and there couldn’t be more optimism on the CU campus.
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