Thursday, October 18, 2007
Colorado coach Dan Hawkins put permanent infamy next to his name during the off-season by lashing out in a press conference and screaming, “It’s Division-One football. It’s the Big 12.”
Perhaps Hawkins will have a chance to shout his now-famous words for a different reason Saturday when Colorado hosts Kansas. He might yell it out of excitement because the match-up has the potential to catapult his team to first place in the Big 12 North division.
Kansas sits atop the Big 12 North standings as the only unbeaten team, and Colorado is in a three-way tie for a second. Although Hawkins typically doesn’t like to deem one game more important than the next, he realizes the implications of Saturday’s contest at Folsom Field.
“They are all important,” Hawkins said. “There are a lot of barn burners coming down the stretch, We didn’t take care of business last week, and anytime you do that you put more emphasis on getting it done the next week.”
That the game in Boulder, Colo., means so much is very surprising when looking back on last year’s game between the two teams in Lawrence. The Jayhawks had dropped four consecutive games, and the Buffaloes had won only one of their first eight. It had little to no significance.
At least, it didn’t appear to at the time. But a year later, Hawkins sees why the 2006 game was important. He remembers how then-freshman quarterback Todd Reesing came off the Jayhawk bench and rallied his team to a comeback victory in the second half.
“Of course, last year he had his coming-out party against us,” Hawkins said. “I think last year in the game against us, he was more of a runner and he wasn’t as much of a passer as he is this year.”
Reesing threw for two touchdowns and ran for one more against Colorado, his first appearance at the collegiate level. Less than a year later, Reesing is 14th in the nation in passing efficiency and has provided stability at a position where Kansas never could for the past two years.
The situation is similar for the Buffaloes. The absence of a competent player under center last year caused offensive distress for Colorado. But in 2007, Dan Hawkins turned to someone he was comfortable with — his son.
Redshirt freshman Cody Hawkins has been efficient marching the Buffalo offense down the field. Much like Dan Hawkins praised Todd Reesing, Kansas coach Mark Mangino said he was impressed by Cody Hawkins.
“Cody Hawkins, you can see each and every week as you watch the tape that game-by game, he is getting better,” Mangino said. “He is poised, he makes plays, he is a smart player.”
Poise is the young quarterback’s best virtue. He’s engineered comeback wins against Colorado State and Oklahoma by staying calm and stepping up in the pocket like a seasoned veteran.
Kansas and Colorado were both picked to finish in the bottom half of the Big 12 North division standings this season. But Saturday, the two programs will play for first.
-Edited by Chris Beattie
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Stakes rise in Big 12 showdown
As the Aggies prepare for the "Buyout Bowl" between the two worst coaches in college football, A&M's home game against it's first ranked opponent Kansas is just 9 days way. The football Jayhawks will either be 7-0 or 6-1 when they come to Aggieland to play in Kyle Field. Visit www.AggieCoach.com to find out how bad it is for the Ags these days, then post your thoughts on our student newspaper at www.thebatt.com. Good luck against Colorado, Gig 'em Ags and someone please gig Coach Fran into retirement ...
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