Give Colorado football coach Dan Hawkins this much: If some of his

peers were asked, as Hawkins was Sunday night, whether they were

playing their best players, they would react with scowls and growls.

Hawkins absorbed the question in stride and answered patiently. He

said he could understand why a layman watching CU games this season

from the stands or the press box might be scratching his head when he

sees, for example, former walk-ons Cody Crawford and Nick Holz lined up

at wide receiver with players such as Blake Mackey, Dusty Sprague,

Alvin Barnett and Patrick Williams watching from the sidelines.

"We're definitely trying to play the best guys," Hawkins said. "Why

would we not?

"When you look at the best players, there is a lot that goes into

that. When you're building a championship football program, there are

certain things that have to go into that. You have certain standards

and all that.

"...It's not just about who is the fastest or who's the biggest or

who's the strongest. It's who, A, can execute and do all those things.

There are obviously little nuances all the time that happen in a

football game that people don't necessarily notice, but as coaches you

look at them. Why would we not want to do that? Why would we want to

have our worst players on the field? That doesn't make any sense."

Hawkins also said the Buffs are relying on a lot of walk-ons or

former walk-ons this season, in part out of necessity, based on the

state of the roster they inherited. Hawkins said he is five

scholarships down.

The Buffs are 0-6 and still looking for their first win under

Hawkins after a loss in triple overtime to the Baylor Bears on

Saturday. They have tied the program's record for the longest losing

streak at 10 consecutive games, and they have the third-longest active

losing streak in the country.

Hawkins has withheld playing time as a way to send a message to

underachievers and players who don't consistently bring the proper

level of intensity and toughness to practices.

He's not about to apologize for his philosophies or change a formula

that has proven to be successful at every stop in his coaching

career.

The problem here and now, however, is that his team can't

consistently pass the ball, and it is especially challenged to do so in

situations where opponents are expecting it.

The Buffs found themselves in just such a situation at the end of

the fourth quarter against Baylor. They had two timeouts, the ball on

their 23-yard line and Mason Crosby's leg needing only 29 yards to have

a legitimate shot at a winning field goal.

Hawkins went conservative and played for overtime, demonstrating a

lack of faith in his offense to get the job done. Part of that decision

is based on the inexperience of quarterback Bernard Jackson, and part

of it is based on a receiving corps that has been unable to

consistently make big plays or even produce a player who is consistent

from week to week.

Jackson spent the past three years riding the pine at CU before

earning the starting job in Week 2 this year. He knows a thing or two

about the frustration of watching from the sidelines when a player

believes he could be helping.

Jackson was also asked Sunday whether coaches are surrounding him

with his most talented offensive teammates.

"It's hard to say," Jackson said. "I think so, given the opportunity

we had this past week. It's every week we're in a position to make big

plays no matter who is in."

Mackey, a senior who led the Buffs in total reception yardage in the

2004 season and missed 2005 with a knee injury, hasn't caught a ball

yet this season. He said he is struggling to understand exactly what

more he can do to prove himself to Hawkins and wide receivers coach

Eric Kiesau.

"I'm not a quitter. I'm not going to do that. So there is only one

thing to do. Keep fighting and keep making plays in practice and

hopefully, I can do it in the game. Hopefully, I get a chance.

"They are the ones who decide who is the best, and it's their

opinion that matters I guess. My opinion probably doesn't matter I

guess in this situation because I'm not making the decisions, but I

definitely feel like I can help the team win. I definitely feel like I

can do some of the things I did before."

Notable

Center Mark Fenton was off crutches Sunday and will do some running

this week to test how his broken fibula bone in his leg is healing. He

will likely miss the Texas Tech game and be available for the Oklahoma

game. ... Safety Ryan Walters is expected to play this week after

missing the Baylor game with a sore neck and shoulder. ... The Buffs

did not practice Sunday. They engaged in a Buff Ball tournament

instead. The game is similar to ultimate Frisbee.