Boulder – James Cox received the news Sunday that he will be Colorado’s first starting quarterback of the Dan Hawkins regime. But before Cox could think about turning cartwheels and tossing confetti, Hawkins told the fifth-year senior that the decision doesn’t come with a season-long guarantee.
“I told James: ‘I don’t want you to feel like the hook is laying there. It’s your deal. You go,”‘ Hawkins said. “But I said: ‘Hey, I’ve got to produce. (Offensive coordinator) Mark Helfrich has to produce. And you’ve got to produce. That’s the nature of our jobs and our position.’
“You have to give (Cox) enough room where he can go out and operate. Is that a game? Is it two games? Is it a half? Is it three games? It’s always a touchy situation.”
Hawkins said Cox won the starting job by a “razor-thin” margin over Brian White, a fourth-year junior.
“I think (Cox) has been a little more efficient running the club,” Hawkins said. “He’s a little ahead in terms of understanding the offense.”
Cox and White posted similar numbers in two scrimmages. Cox completed 14-of-29 passes for 198 yards. He was not intercepted. White went 12-of-23 for 102 yards and one interception.
A 6-foot-3, 210-pounder from Simi Valley, Calif., Cox missed much of spring practice with a hand injury. In three seasons he has completed 42-of-79 passes (.532) with two touchdown passes and three interceptions.
He has made two starts, with disappointing results. Cox threw for 67 yards with one touchdown and an interception against Iowa State as a sophomore and for just 26 yards in last season’s Champs Sports Bowl. He was sacked four times by Clemson.
“That really humbled me, but I have to forget about the past and just use it as a building tool,” Cox said. “This is a great opportunity for me.”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed,” White said. “I just have to be ready to step in if I get my number called.”
Hawkins said employing a two-quarterback platoon system was not considered.
“Although that may seem like the simplest way to solve (a quarterback battle), in the long term it’s not,” Hawkins said. “The team needs one guy. The guy who is the guy needs to know that (coaches) have his back.”
Hawkins said the decision was difficult.
“In every great organization and in every great team, it’s not fair for everybody,” Hawkins said. “There is only one football. Brian was good about it. I fully expect him to handle it well.”
It would have been easier on everybody if Cox or White had taken a clear-cut lead, Helfrich said.
“You always want a dramatic separation, because that builds confidence in the team,” Helfrich said. “That’s not necessarily the case here. But we’ve had enough evaluation. We just needed to make a decision.”
Hawkins said he still will have a few plays in the playbook for junior Bernard Jackson, the best runner among the quarterbacks. Hawkins’ son, freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins, is expected to redshirt. Hawkins was the prep player of the year in Idaho last fall.
Footnotes
Wearing street clothes and a smile on his face, senior linebacker Walter Boye-Doe lifted the spirits of the squad when he watched the team practice.
Boye-Doe was taken by ambulance to a Boulder hospital Friday night when he landed on his head during a scrimmage.
Boye-Doe plans to see a neurologist later in the week to determine when he can return to football workouts. …
A new depth chart was released Sunday. Junior Alvin Barnett moved up from a second- team wideout to a starter. Senior Jack Tipton, formerly the second-team right guard, is now listed as the starter at right tackle ahead of Edwin Harrison, who has a shoulder problem.
Staff writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
