Post by elp525 on Sept 9, 2008 10:16:59 GMT -5
September 9, 2008
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
BOULDER, Colo. -- The source of that sudden Saturday late-afternoon airstream across the Flatirons was 46,417 men, women and Buffaloes exhaling simultaneously at Folsom Field.
Gasp. It wasn't a breather.
Eastern Washington University, which plays in Eastern Washington and obscurity, was about two minutes, two interceptions and two major penalties away from achieving the biggest upset in the team's 100-year football history.
"Whew,'' said University of Colorado Coach Dan Hawkins.
CU has to quit scheduling schools from the Championship Football Subdivision (the NCAA's fancy way of describing the former Division I-AA) or start playing more like a team from Division I in home openers -- or Hawkins will be coaching intramurals.
In Hawkins' first game as the Buffs coach in 2006, he and they lost to Montana State 19-10. Saturday, Colorado was losing to Eastern Washington 21-7 in the third quarter and 24-17 with 2:06 to go.
Seldom was heard an encouraging word on a day that felt like autumn. And the Buffs were riding for the fall. They were booed as they departed for the locker room at halftime. At the end, with most heads bowed, the players looked as depressed as the guys from Cheney, Wash. The sizable crowd let the air out and went home unimpressed.
As did Eastern Washington defensive back Ryan Kelly.
``I don't like to talk bad about teams, but they (the Buffs) aren't going to get that far in the Big 12," Kelly said. "They aren't playing like a Big 12 team. They're playing like a Big Sky team.''
Kelly could wind up as a sports columnist. The Eagles are from the Big Sky, as is the aforementioned Montana State, Sacramento State (which almost beat CSU on Saturday) and Northern Colorado.
The Buffs also should avoid UNC in the future.
This was supposed to be a cupcake-eating contest before the struggle with West Virginia, which had its own serious problems Saturday, being throttled by East Carolina 24-3.
But, in the first half, it was Eastern Washington doing the cakewalking. The Buffs were outpassed by the Eagles (179-97) and outrun by (the new Ralphie) mascot (200-66).
The students and alumni who chose football-viewing over rock-climbing and tree-hugging gathered at intermission and wondered aloud why Colorado had two ugly turnovers, five ugly penalties, 163 measly yards, seven measly points and a senseless spike.
Here's an example of CU nonsense Saturday:
With the clock running down to 1 minute in the first half, the Buffs picked up a first down on a Cody Hawkins pass play at the Eastern Washington 16-yard line. The clock automatically is stopped on first downs, but under a new rule, will be started again before the snap. Nonetheless, there was plenty of time for several pass plays.
But Hawkins, oddly enough, spiked the ball to stop the clock again and wasted a play.
Maybe the Buffs believed the officials would give them a fifth down reminiscent of 1990. They didn't.
On second down, a pass was incomplete, and, on third down, a pass resulted in a 2-yard loss. The Buffs then missed a 35-yard field goal, and Eastern Washington got the ball -- with 25 seconds still left.
If Eastern Washington is in the ``Championship Football Subdivision,'' Colorado acted like it belonged in a Broomfield subdivision.
Sure, the Buffs won, but ... "I told the players you don't get caught up in the decal across the side of the helmet,'' the elder Hawkins said. (Just for the record, Eastern Washington does have a weird helmet logo.)
The Buffs don't play Central Washington or Western Washington next season, do they?
After several ``buts'' about it, the Buffs did win -- on a Hawkins' 2-yard scoring pass to tie at 2:05, a 27-yard interception return by cornerback Cha'pelle Brown for the (first) go-ahead touchdown at 1:44 and an interception by safety D.J. Dykes in the end zone with 3 seconds to play.
In the second half, CU dropped as many as eight players in pass coverage, and Hawkins did end up completing 28-of-38 attempts for 261 yards, but the Buffs should have run it more often at the Eagles from the beginning, particularly with the freshman S's -- Darrell Scott and Rodney Stewart.
And the Eagles destroyed themselves with a ridiculous personal foul on their final field goal and an even more ridiculous unnecessary roughness penalty later -- and the two ridiculous, foul, unnecessary interceptions.
"Fortunately, we came out with a `W,' '' Dan Hawkins said.
And rather fortuitously, too.
Breathe deep, Buffs.
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
BOULDER, Colo. -- The source of that sudden Saturday late-afternoon airstream across the Flatirons was 46,417 men, women and Buffaloes exhaling simultaneously at Folsom Field.
Gasp. It wasn't a breather.
Eastern Washington University, which plays in Eastern Washington and obscurity, was about two minutes, two interceptions and two major penalties away from achieving the biggest upset in the team's 100-year football history.
"Whew,'' said University of Colorado Coach Dan Hawkins.
CU has to quit scheduling schools from the Championship Football Subdivision (the NCAA's fancy way of describing the former Division I-AA) or start playing more like a team from Division I in home openers -- or Hawkins will be coaching intramurals.
In Hawkins' first game as the Buffs coach in 2006, he and they lost to Montana State 19-10. Saturday, Colorado was losing to Eastern Washington 21-7 in the third quarter and 24-17 with 2:06 to go.
Seldom was heard an encouraging word on a day that felt like autumn. And the Buffs were riding for the fall. They were booed as they departed for the locker room at halftime. At the end, with most heads bowed, the players looked as depressed as the guys from Cheney, Wash. The sizable crowd let the air out and went home unimpressed.
As did Eastern Washington defensive back Ryan Kelly.
``I don't like to talk bad about teams, but they (the Buffs) aren't going to get that far in the Big 12," Kelly said. "They aren't playing like a Big 12 team. They're playing like a Big Sky team.''
Kelly could wind up as a sports columnist. The Eagles are from the Big Sky, as is the aforementioned Montana State, Sacramento State (which almost beat CSU on Saturday) and Northern Colorado.
The Buffs also should avoid UNC in the future.
This was supposed to be a cupcake-eating contest before the struggle with West Virginia, which had its own serious problems Saturday, being throttled by East Carolina 24-3.
But, in the first half, it was Eastern Washington doing the cakewalking. The Buffs were outpassed by the Eagles (179-97) and outrun by (the new Ralphie) mascot (200-66).
The students and alumni who chose football-viewing over rock-climbing and tree-hugging gathered at intermission and wondered aloud why Colorado had two ugly turnovers, five ugly penalties, 163 measly yards, seven measly points and a senseless spike.
Here's an example of CU nonsense Saturday:
With the clock running down to 1 minute in the first half, the Buffs picked up a first down on a Cody Hawkins pass play at the Eastern Washington 16-yard line. The clock automatically is stopped on first downs, but under a new rule, will be started again before the snap. Nonetheless, there was plenty of time for several pass plays.
But Hawkins, oddly enough, spiked the ball to stop the clock again and wasted a play.
Maybe the Buffs believed the officials would give them a fifth down reminiscent of 1990. They didn't.
On second down, a pass was incomplete, and, on third down, a pass resulted in a 2-yard loss. The Buffs then missed a 35-yard field goal, and Eastern Washington got the ball -- with 25 seconds still left.
If Eastern Washington is in the ``Championship Football Subdivision,'' Colorado acted like it belonged in a Broomfield subdivision.
Sure, the Buffs won, but ... "I told the players you don't get caught up in the decal across the side of the helmet,'' the elder Hawkins said. (Just for the record, Eastern Washington does have a weird helmet logo.)
The Buffs don't play Central Washington or Western Washington next season, do they?
After several ``buts'' about it, the Buffs did win -- on a Hawkins' 2-yard scoring pass to tie at 2:05, a 27-yard interception return by cornerback Cha'pelle Brown for the (first) go-ahead touchdown at 1:44 and an interception by safety D.J. Dykes in the end zone with 3 seconds to play.
In the second half, CU dropped as many as eight players in pass coverage, and Hawkins did end up completing 28-of-38 attempts for 261 yards, but the Buffs should have run it more often at the Eagles from the beginning, particularly with the freshman S's -- Darrell Scott and Rodney Stewart.
And the Eagles destroyed themselves with a ridiculous personal foul on their final field goal and an even more ridiculous unnecessary roughness penalty later -- and the two ridiculous, foul, unnecessary interceptions.
"Fortunately, we came out with a `W,' '' Dan Hawkins said.
And rather fortuitously, too.
Breathe deep, Buffs.
