Boulder – It hasn’t taken long for new Colorado coach Dan Hawkins to clear the air. Three weeks of energized practices featuring entertaining endings, such as on-field golf competitions and belly slides in the snow, have ensured that.
But big-time college football is a bottom-line enterprise, and the larger-than-life question, “Will the Buffs be better?” still looms.
Enter May, June and July. They are arguably the most pivotal months in determining whether Colorado will hit the upcoming season running, or whether the Buffs will slosh through the season-opening gates one day short of 20 weeks from today.
“It’s huge,” Hawkins said Saturday. “We’ve got to play catch-up in a hurry. They’ve got to get some quality work done this summer. Unfortunately, we can’t go out with them.
“So … it’s up to them to go out and do it, and it’s up to (the) leaders to go out and get it going.”
While installing the offensive and defensive schemes, the Buffs’ coaching staff took the saturation approach. They showed players nearly everything that makes up the foundation of what is expected to be known and didn’t make too big a deal out of rough-edged execution.
But now, that’s going to change.
Players will be asked to put in extra work learning the playbook, continuing weight work and returning with a clear knowledge base.
“They have to do it over and over and over again,” offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said. “Those guys have to get out here and do what we’ve done for 15 practices a hundred more times. Hopefully, we’ll establish our leadership, getting guys out there to take hold of this deal, take ownership of this thing and make it player-driven.
“Those are the best teams to be on, where the ownership comes from within.”
Players don’t seem too worried.
“Seeing everything keeps it fresh in our minds,” safety J.J. Billingsley said. “You might mess up again in fall camp, but then it starts clicking right away. Then they can come with more stuff. I think we learned a lot; we’ve seen a lot. I like how they planned it all out for us.”
To anyone who witnessed Saturday’s spring game, which the defense dominated to the point where the offense was barely able to move the ball, it’s apparent there is plenty of work to be done. But CU coaches were prepared for that.
“It’s been very hit-and-miss,” Helfrich said. “But that was to be expected. We’re not great at anything yet, and that’s part of it, too. We’re not really honed in. But there’s been a ton of sparks. We just have to light the fire.”
Said Hawkins: “We’ve got to continue this work on execution and keep going and take this whole thing to another level. When you get to this point, your senior leaders and your leaders really have to do a great job, particularly in the June and July months, of having a great summer and really getting stuff done there.”
Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
Top issues
QUARTERBACK
As expected, the battle between Brian White and Bernard Jackson will spill into the fall. The sooner a starter is named, the sooner CU’s offensive identity can take shape.
OFFENSIVE LINE HEALTH
The O-line played much of the spring with small numbers. The return of Tyler Polumbus and Jack Tipton will help solidify this group in the fall.
PLAYMAKERS
Coach Dan Hawkins’ offenses have always had several threats to score from almost anywhere. Outside of wide receiver Stephone Robinson, playmaking candidates have seemed few and far between.
2006 SCHEDULE
Sept. 2 Montana State
Sept. 9 vs. Colorado State
(Invesco Field)
Sept. 16 Arizona State
Sept. 23 at Georgia
Sept. 30 at Missouri*
Oct. 7 Baylor*
Oct. 14 Texas Tech*
Oct. 21 at Oklahoma*
Oct. 28 at Kansas*
Nov. 4 Kansas State*
Nov. 11 Iowa State*
Nov. 24 at Nebraska*
* – Big 12 games
