In the past Kansas has had difficulty in games against Colorado. "Colorado is a good football team at home," coach Mark Mangino said. Kansas will face Colorado in Boulder on Saturday.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Colorado’s Folsom Field is situated between the red-roofed buildings and the mountains in the town of Boulder, and with its panoramic view, the stadium offers one of the more eye-appealing venues for watching a Big 12 football game.
At 5,360 feet above sea level, it also offers the highest-elevated stadium in the conference, a fact that usually offers an enticing storyline for visiting teams.
Kansas’ players, who will play a reeling Colorado team at 6 p.m. Saturday, insist that the elevation provides few obstacles entering the game.
“It’s one of those things to where you may find yourself breathing a little faster,” senior safety Darrell Stuckey said. “But the air is just the same, just as clear. You just may be a little short of breath. At the same time, it won’t be a problem for a well-conditioned team.”
And the Jayhawks adamantly claim they fit that label.
Led by strength and conditioning coach Chris Dawson, Kansas’ players have routinely talked about the importance of their condition, even citing stamina as a reason for defeating Southern Miss three weeks ago.
For that reason, coach Mark Mangino said, Boulder’s elevation presents few problems.
“Our players have never had trouble there because Chris Dawson and our staff put conditioning at a high-priority,” Mangino said. “We always say here that we never want to lose in the fourth quarter to anybody because we weren’t in shape.
“And we’ve been pretty consistent in the last few years at being a well-conditioned team. That’s not a factor unless you’re not well-conditioned.”
Yet for all the talk minimizing the role of the stadium’s elevation, Colorado has played well at home against Kansas in recent years.
In 2007, a year in which they lost just one game, the Jayhawks clawed and barely scraped past the Buffaloes for a 19-14 victory. It was Kansas’ closest regular-season game.
Go back even longer, and the trend continues.
During Mangino’s second season in 2003, Kansas suffered a 50-47 overtime loss to Colorado in a high-scoring offensive showdown.
Mangino’s teams are 1-2 when playing at Folsom Field, and the coach didn’t attempt to hide Colorado’s aptitude for playing tough at home.
“Colorado is a good football team at home,” Mangino said. “They always play well in Boulder. And we understand the challenge there.”
But Colorado has labored heavily through the early portion of this season.
The Buffaloes have struggled on offense and, in turn, will enter Saturday’s game with a 1-4 record. And Colorado’s quarterback from 2007 who almost guided his team past a ranked Kansas group that eventually won the Orange Bowl?
He’s been benched — sort of.
Colorado coach Dan Hawkins originally announced this week that junior Cody Hawkins, his son and the team’s starting quarterback in the past two seasons, will be replaced by more mobile sophomore Tyler Hansen.
On Tuesday, though, Hawkins said that both quarterbacks could still see playing time.
“Each quarterback is different and has their own different strengths,” Kansas’ co-defensive coordinator Bill Miller said. “I think basically that they are going to run their offense. I don’t see them coming out with a super different type of attack to play Kansas.”
One aspect of Saturday’s game is certain: Kansas will be playing at, literally, an elevated level. Folsom Field sits at the third-highest elevation in Division I, behind Wyoming and Air Force.
Still, players said the impact of playing at that height is rather minimal.
“You can tell a little bit of a difference but it didn’t affect me too much last time,” senior defensive back Justin Thornton said. “Coaches do a great job getting our guys in shape, so I don’t think that’s going to be an issue for us. But at times you do notice a little bit of a difference.”
— Edited by Samantha Foster
Stakes rise in Big 12 showdown
Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing should have sweet dreams Friday night. Last year, ...
Colorado coach struggles to define team
Buffaloes’ football suffers an identity crisis five games into the season.
Roesler: Colorado home advantage to test Kansas
Jayhawks must work to avoid being upset by the Buffaloes Saturday.
Long scoring drives deflate Colorado
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Kansas football team was ...
Keefer: Colorado hopes experience leads to victories
In its first season under head coach Dan Hawkins last year, Colorado ...
Gameday: KU plays Colorado Oct. 11
Jayhawk football breakdown and predictions
Football strength coach sculpts team
Chris Dawson: Kansas football's man behind the curtain.
Gameday: October 19, 2007
Get ready for Saturday's football game against Colorado.
Conference Report: the latest Big 12 News
Sam Bradford's injured shoulder, Dezmon Briscoe's return and Colorado's quarterback lineup
Jayhawk fans a bunch of followers
The basketball team is not the only KU team drawing fans to ...
KU answers questions with play
After rolling over its easy nonconference schedule, KU has provided quality wins ...
Championship may move to Dallas for good
Big 12 coaches differ on whether permanent site is good for the ...
Ugly game ends up pretty for Jayhawks
On a day when neither team could produce much offense, Kansas produced ...
Kansas holds on to undefeated season
The game was ugly, but Kansas left Folsom Field with a 7-0 ...
Football Notebook: October 16, 2007
These are the football notes for October 16, 2007.
Oklahoma loses second game of the season
Backup quarterbacks, non-conference losses define weekend for several Big 12 teams.
Press Row: October 22, 2007
Read what Kansan sportswriter Asher Fusco observed at the Kansas-Colorado game.
Football Notes: Oct. 30, 2007
Todd Reesing, sophomore quarterback, is a candidate for a national award, but ...
Buffaloes trample Jayhawks
Football Notes: October 23, 2007
Notes about football.
Battle of the brothers
Linebacker Justin Springer will play his twin brother in Saturday’s game against ...
Kansas looks to improve its kick return ...
The Jayhawks average 13.2 yards per return, and the Buffaloes allow 31.5 ...
Kansas wins 30-14
Jake Sharp scored three touchdowns to help Kansas pull away in the ...
Following rules gives Kansas advantage
Kansas’s NCAA-low 22 penalties has distinguished it from its opponents this season. ...
Big 12 Media Day: Overview of Big ...
See how next Football seasons looks before it starts.
Kansas and Colorado football look for first ...
With both last in the Big 12, the two teams are eager ...
Red River Rivalry highlights second week of ...
Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State look to remain undefeated and make noise ...
Jayhawk volleyball faces surging Buffaloes
Colorado comes to Kansas after upsetting No. 2-ranked Nebraska.
Jayhawks break road curse
Team needs solid play and motivation to take the game at Kyle ...
Jayhawks unable to clinch a late victory
Furious comeback in the second half came just short of giving Kansas ...
KU-OU Gameday
Get familiar with Kansas' offense, defense and special teams as the Jayhawks ...
Jayhawks to face struggling Buffaloes
Volleyball team will play 10th-place Colorado tonight in Boulder.
Oklahoma's quarterback is quarterback no longer
Kansas women’s basketball team goes west to ...
Rebounding will be a key factor to the game.
Kansas to hit Colorado with blitz
Jayhawks will face shaky Colorado quarterback, so defensive attacks will be a ...
Road surprise
Kansas suffers first loss of the season in upset loss to Colorado
Buffaloes don't back down from tough schedule
Big 12 football notes
Big 12 teams to continue showdown with Big East
Reesing pulls ahead in quarterback race
Coach Mangino made it clear during media day that sophomore Todd Reesing ...
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
KUnited presidential candidate Libby Johnson and vice presidential ...
1 comment
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID