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Woelk: CU's refusal to fold bails out ugly start
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For the better part of 60 minutes Saturday afternoon, the Colorado Buffaloes seemed intent upon turning their season upside down before it ever really got into full swing.
Welcome to Boulder, Eastern Washington. Here's a turnover for a quick six. Here's another for six more. If that's not enough, here's a missed field goal, a raft of penalties and a boatload of missed tackles.
Anything else to make your stay more hospitable?
Hardcore CU fans will tell you the opening game of the Dan Hawkins Era still ranks as one of the more embarrassing moments in Buff annals. But Saturday, the Buffs came oh-so-close to relegating the Montana State debacle to mere mishap status. The list was about to be rewritten.
But somehow, someway, the Buffs pulled one out of the fire. An offense that had been mistake-prone and anemic for much of the afternoon suddenly became productive. A defense that had trouble tackling in the first half began to make plays and force turnovers.
And at the same time, the visiting Eagles woke up a little too early from their dream. With a win over a Big 12 foe firmly within reach, the Div. I-AA visitors disintegrated. After committing only fourpenalties in the first three quarters, the Eagles committed three in the final 15 minutes, each of them costly. After being almost perfect for 45 minutes, EWU quarterback Matt Nichols tossed a pair of interceptions -- including one that made the difference in the game -- in the final quarter.
And today, instead of wearing black in mourning, CU fans can return to the original game plan of wearing all black for the Sept. 18 matchup against West Virginia.
That wasn't a bullet the Buffs dodged. That was an implosion waiting to happen, the kind that can throw a season into a tailspin in a big, big hurry.
At his post-game press conference, CU's Hawkins was asked for some opening comments.
"Whew," Hawkins said.
That exhale of relief could be heard echoing throughout Folsom Field.
A quick word about the visitors: folks, those were some pretty good football players wearing EWU helmets on Saturday. Their defensive line turned CU's big guys up front inside out. Their receivers ran precision routes, and their quarterback throws a very good ball. The Eagles are a well-coached ballclub who would beat Colorado's first opponent this season (Colorado State, if you're having trouble remembering) just about any day of the week.
And the Buffs? Yes, those were some warts exposed on Saturday. CU's offensive line had trouble protecting quarterback Cody Hawkins all day, and the Buff QB didn't help matters any by handing a pick-six to the visitors in the first half. Hawkins also overthrew a wide-open receiver down the middle in the third quarter, and by his own admission, "made a lot of mistakes."
But give the mistake-prone Buffs this much: they didn't fold, even when the opportunity presented itself.
Again and again and again.
"This team is resilient," said wide receiver Scotty McKnight, who led CU with six catches for 90 yards. "We just kept saying, 'Don't panic.' Each guy had to go out, make a play and do his job.
"The good thing about this game is that a lot of our young guys got some experience dealing with adversity. They learned that when you make a mistake, you don't dwell on it. You go out, make a play and make up for it."
While McKnight had the most catches, Patrick Williams had perhaps the biggest catch of the day. The Buff senior, who has been maligned throughout his career for dropping some big passes, came up with maybe the most important catch of his career when he brought down a 36-yarder in the fourth quarter to set up the game-tying touchdown.
"Make a play," Williams said. "That's all I could think about -- make a play."
The Buffs made enough to win. After a poor first half, QB Hawkins came back to lead the Buffs on two long scoring drives. On the first, he ran 16 yards for a first down on third-and-11 before tossing a 37-yard pass to McKnight. On the game-tying drive, he completed four passes for 55 of the drive's 57 yards.
All told, Hawkins completed 11 of his final 16 passes.
Now, the Buffs must turn their attention to a three-game stretch that has had everyone's attention since the schedule came out: West Virginia, Florida State and Texas.
Nobody is fooled by Saturday's effort. The Buffs know they got away with one against Eastern Washington. They also know they can't repeat those mistakes in any of their next three games -- not, at least, if they want to have a chance of winning.
"We have a lot to learn," Dan Hawkins allowed.
And not much time to instill those lessons.
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Posted by mgmtgrad on September 7, 2008 at 1:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
When Dan said we have a lot to learn, I hope he was also thinking about the coaching and formation calling. From what I've read on the boards from the game, fans at the game think CU should be using the I-Power formation more.
As for Cody's pick and completion ratio, he still is completing 75% and had less picks today then a lot of the top D-1 QBs.
I do like that the team has shown resiliency and doesn’t give up when they are down. It was frustrating to watch the game’s play by play on line as it progressed and looked ugly, but a win is a win.
Go Buffs
Marcus J
Posted by bzainthemd on September 7, 2008 at 6:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Man, I almost had a heart attack yesterday. But I agree with Neill, this team had to face some major adversity to pull out this win. We all know that this team is better than how they've played. Stupid penalties and mistakes are correctable. I'm going to trust Hawk knows what he's doing with this shotgun formation. I don't think he's opened the playbook so far as much as he plans to against WVU and FSU. As much as us fans can be disappointed, remember that these young men fought hard and believed in themselves to come back from major adversity and an embarrassing performance, to pull out a great comeback against a decent team. 24-3 in the second half is great. It is only being overshadowed by our mistakes in the first half. It shouldn't. This team will be fine. Be proud of these Buffs. They deserve it.
Posted by Ralphie2 on September 7, 2008 at 7:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Agreed. The coaching has got to improve.
GO BUFFS!!!
Posted by Ralphie2 on September 7, 2008 at 7:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
BLACKOUT NEXT WEEK BUFFS!
Spread the word.
Posted by Buff_Fan_in_Nebraska on September 7, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It was frustrating to have to watch the play by play online for this game. I was surprised it wasn't on pay per view. As it turned out, it would have been an exciting game to watch.
At least CU wasn't the only Big 12 team to struggle with a lesser opponent, Nebraska had a hard time with San Jose St.
The Buffs will be fine though. WVU showed us all that their not as good as their rating indicated. I think the Buffs have a real shot at beating them. Home field advantage may make the difference.
Posted by donintucson on September 7, 2008 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
In my opinion, Hawkins is getting out coached. When an opposing player says that your only as good as the other teams in the Big Sky, and you have superior players, you are getting out coached. There are only a couple of coaches on Colorado that understand Big Time football, and unfortunately the head coach, defensive coordinator, and offensive coordinator, are NOT included. Hawkins will never win the Big 12 or a National Championship, his teams are too inconsistent for this level of football. Punt returners must possess the football, every time, field position is the key. Returns are NOT as valuable as consistent field position in games. Hawkins zeal for 4th down plays and bad choices for return guys have cost him dearly during his CU tenure, and there is no sign that he will figure it all out any time soon. I see 6 straight losses coming up, and the fans are going to be in an uproar.
Posted by bzainthemd on September 7, 2008 at 9:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
vkb,
EWU is a Top 10 ranked Div 1AA school, not Div 2. There is a huge difference. Also, who womped ESE last week and put up 50+ points? Not sure if I know what you're talking about.
Posted by bzainthemd on September 7, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Don,
You're entitled to your opinion. Lack of execution absolutely can be blamed partly on the coaching staff. The players are accountable too. J-Fly will learn from this and I'm sure they will work with him to not fumble punts. But this team was well coached in the second half and I think the adjustments that Hawk and company made were the reason that we won the second half 24-3. Yes, Hawk takes gambles, and we can blame him when they don't work (ISU last year). But we wouldn't have beaten Oklahoma last year without them too. He doesn't get credit for those decisions. Hawk is a great recuiter and great coach. He was handed a lack of talent when he arrived here and his recruits are primarily freshmen and sophomores. This team is young and learning and they will benefit from coming out on top of this last one. I don't see 6 straight losses. I hope you're wrong.
Posted by RWE on September 7, 2008 at 7:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well said, bzain. And yeah, ESE? What? But if they don't learn from their mistakes, and learn quickly, it will be 6 straight losses. The defense looked confused out there on too many plays. All too reminiscent of 2006 when they struggled so much and were often blaming their problems on not getting assignments in from the sidelines in time and things like that. And the o-line needs to get a lot better fast too. Just because East Carolina stomped W. Va. doesn't mean the Buffs are going to take them to the woodshed too. "Correct a few mistakes" is a phrase we hear every year (regardless of the coach) and it seems it's much easier said than done. I'm pulling for them, and I'll be there at every home game cheering, win or lose (unless I leave Colorado), but that performance has me concerned about how well they'll do from here on out.
Posted by rodrigo on September 7, 2008 at 8:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Two ways to look at Saturday:
A sign that CU hasn't progressed as much as we hope, that that game was indicative of the up-and-down that we can expect the rest of 2008 and that the Buffs face some serious tough sledding ahead.
Or...
It was a wake-up call, one of those games every team faces that, based on the result, sets the tone for the rest of the season.
We all have opinions, and arguments for why, but truth be told none of us - kenny and the classless hukster crowd, Hawk's biggest defenders and his sworn enemies - knows and will know in the slightest until two, three weeks from now. That's why they play the games...
Regardless, I'm stoked to be a Buff fan looking at 2, 3, 4 more years of Smith, Scott, Stewart, Brown, Hawkins, Deehan, Tuioti-Mariner, Miller, Solder, Brown(s), Major, Polk, etc. etc.
Posted by moet on September 8, 2008 at 5:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The good news is we won the game by winning the 2nd half big time. Our coaches consistently do a great job of adjusting at halftime. The bad news is we looked terrible in the 1st half in many different ways, & most all of it can be attributed to coaching. Here are the problems(and pardon the negative tone; I bleed black and gold, but I think the coaches need a LOUD wake-up call):
1) Our defense was ill-prepared for a fast-paced no-huddle offense, which is surprising since they have practiced for weeks against a no-huddle offense(although obviously NOT a fast-paced one). Coaches' signals were coming in late and the defense wasn't set.
2) The whole team looked like they needed No-Doz, best exemplified by eventual hero Chaapelle Brown being dragged 20 yards into the endzone by a WIDE RECEIVER. Coaches and seniors, use some of that half-time brains and energy before the game starts and get this team going out of the gate. Let Ralphie V("BLACKOUT")be your example - she had her head lowered, full-speed, ready to knock someone into Wyoming at the start of BOTH halves.
3) Coach Helfrich doesn't seem to have a clue what he wants the offense to do or how to best use some of the best athletes and players in the country. Dan Hawkins needs to slap him upside the head and tell him to get his sh*t together NOW. We can blame a young, inexperienced group for mistakes, but when you again, for the third year in a row, show little commitment to the running game, which when run well gives the line an opportunity to move forward and use their size advantage, giving them confidence, then you have to blame the entire scheme. This is especially true when you see the tremendous ability of Scott and Stewart to tear off yards in big chunks when they get the chance. If they and the line can do that when the offense has no rhythm to it, imagine what they could do when utilized well.
Part II to follow
Posted by moet on September 8, 2008 at 5:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Part II
4) Time management continues to stink. When is the last time we scored as the 1st half was ending? What are we doing spiking the ball with over a minute and one TO left? What good is a no-huddle offense if it slows the offense down when it most needs to be fast? When are we going to take advantage of the altitude and SPEED THINGS UP?
5) The passing game definitely spreads around the receptions, but lets figure out a way to get J-Fly, the tight ends and the running backs more passes. Both the passing and running game need to be more North-South and more quick-hitting. Also, where did the rollout go? The QB rollout cuts the field in half and opens up more options. I PRAY that we have only seen the bare bones of what will be a fully-developed offensive scheme.
6) Whatever our offensive future holds, can we please STOP THROWING FOR TWO YARDS ON 3RD DOWN WHEN WE NEED EIGHT PLUS!!! Not even the outlet receiver should be five yards or more away from a first down on a third down play unless we are in four-down territory, in which case, let's use the running game more in such situations.
MontanaBuff sums up my thoughts and feelings better than I do at The Ralphie Report; check it out.
Hang in there, Buff fans. If we feel this way about Saturday's game, imagine how the Buffs players and coaches feel. If only Hawkins would make the coaches run a few laps!
BuffTom out.
Posted by abuffinne on September 8, 2008 at 8:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I listened to the game on the radio here, and gotta say that I was a little worried to say the least. But I still like this team and these coaches. Thinking back to the 2 staffs of coaches that we had before Dan came, I can still remember the feeling that, even though the Buffs were ahead by 3 touchdowns, we were somehow going to lose those games. At least with these guys, I have the feeling that there is always hope and the scores will come when we need them. I think the best is still to come for this year guys.
Posted by mgmtgrad on September 9, 2008 at 2:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Cody's stats (75% comp, 250 yds passing, 3TDs, and 1INT) are fair for hard fought games. In fact if he stays at one or less interception per a game and he can build on his success from the four games at the end of last season, he will be OK.
Add 300+ yards rushing a game that is spread around with CUs’ new talents at RBs along with J-Fly and others getting some rushing yards, it’s too not inconceivable for over 300 yards rushing a game.
Add to that Special Teams returns and yards will all start to add up.
Just watch, if spread around then total yards a game will start to grow and time of possession will grow and CU will surprise some.
I wish I could predict a 10-12 win season, but they play the games for a reason and that’s what makes them fun.
After the come from behind wins against OU and NU last year and a 2-0 start, I can watch every game knowing the possibility of a win exists. Even if they are behind, I have to believe in this team, by proof as stated above that they could come back to win.
So if you’re whining after two hard fought wins and no losses, by a young team, we can’t help you enjoy the games any more or less. But when I see the resiliency of this team with their come from behind wins and the ability to stay in the game I’m proud of them and am glad to be a fan.
So, I’m always into the game even if behind, watching and waiting for the comeback that is still possible. So, sorry to those Buff fans and those that always have negatives things to say, even after a 2-0 start of this season.
Marcus J
Posted by BuffNut99 on September 9, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Obviously the only thing redeeming about this game was the fact that the team came out of the locker room and dominated the game. I hate that the Buffs found themselves in a hole heading into the half, and I think the coaching had some to do with that (2 bad turnovers aren't the fault of coaching).
But I remember many of McCartney's teams playing down to the level of competition and struggling in the first half, only to come out in the 2nd half and pull out a win. I remember hating the seemingly unnecessary drama, but the value of being a good "2nd half team" (like Mac's Buffs were) is huge when it comes to being in close games and dealing with adversity.
Point being, I think that Hawk gets outcoached on occasion, but I think he is good at making adjustments and keeping the team psyche together -- thus, I think the current Buffs' edition is a good "2nd half team."