Boulder – The hardest question to answer about the Colorado Buffaloes’ quarterback problems happens to be the easiest to ask: What happened here?
Or better yet: What’s happening here?
Quarterback was not going to be the strongest position on the team, but through the first two games it has been a liability.
It’s so much of a head-scratcher that CU coach Dan Hawkins said Tuesday he has begun to rethink his strategy of not utilizing a two-quarterback system. But junior Bernard Jackson is the man of the moment, at any rate.
“You have to look at what each guy can do and what they bring to the table and what’s best for your club at that point and try to mesh the advantages of using two guys with the detraction of using two guys and see how that plays out,” Hawkins said. “Both from an X’s and O’s standpoint and from a psychological standpoint.”
Mistakes aren’t the problem – CU quarterbacks have yet to throw an interception – but inefficiency is. In the Buffs’ 20 possessions of an 0-2 start to the season, 13 have ended in punts and four in points (two touchdowns, two field goals). And while those numbers aren’t all a reflection on the quarterback, they begin there.
Hawkins played two quarterbacks in some seasons at Boise State, and that may happen at CU.
“I think we really want to throw this in Bernard’s corner, and that’s not to say we’ve giving up on James (Cox, a senior),” Hawkins said. “You’re always thrown into a situation where you aren’t controlling all the variables or aren’t able to control all of the variables, and now you have to make those variables work in the best possible way that you can. We’re trying to do that.”
There are a thousand ways to pick apart Jackson’s game, and it is the job of the coaching staff to put them back together. Under former coach Gary Barnett, Jackson spent more time at other positions than at quarterback, where Joel Klatt was the staple.
Asked where Jackson needs to improve, Hawkins said “a sense of urgency, seeing things, picking things up, calling things correctly, making the right throws, throwing it to the right guy; all of that. There’s not one element that he can’t improve on.”
Jackson is by far CU’s best-running quarterback. But the question remains: Can he throw the ball and be more than one-dimensional?
CU coaches think so. It’s just a matter of finding the right routes to keep him comfortable.
“We’re not going to go out there and use two tight ends and two backs and try to play slow-it-down. We’re not going to,” Hawkins said. “We are going to continue to push the envelope with him and the rest of the team.”
Hawkins has acknowledged that “you’re going to see people crowding the box” until Jackson proves he can hurt a team through the air. He completed 8-of-13 passes against Colorado State for 70 yards and has a quarterback rating of 106.8. Jackson said coaches work on his throwing mechanics “every day.”
Coaches say the recent loss of junior Brian White, who plans to transfer, won’t alter how things are done in practice, and they are prepared to go through the season with two main quarterbacks and an emergency starter in freshman Cody Hawkins. The plan remains to redshirt the head coach’s son.
“You can function,” offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said. “It shouldn’t hinder us in any way.”
There has been talk of taking a player who formerly played quarterback and getting him ready for depth purposes. Tight end Patrick Devenny was recruited to CU as a quarterback, as was safety Ryan Walters.
CU’s players are staying neutral on the subject, choosing to rally behind whomever is tabbed the starter.
“You always have confidence in your teammates,” wide receiver Dusty Sprague said. “In the case of James and Bernard, we’ve been working with them for years. So of course you have confidence they can come out and make plays.”
Footnotes
Saturday’s home game against No. 22 Arizona State will be replayed twice within 24 hours. TBS, which will televise the 5 p.m. game, plans to replay the game at 10:30 p.m. and FSN will show it at 6 p.m. Sunday. … The Sept. 23 game at Georgia will kick off at 10:30 a.m. Mountain time. A television broadcast has not been set. … About 8,000 tickets remain for the Arizona State game. … Cornerback Gardner McKay (ankle) returned to practice Tuesday, and Dan Hawkins said there’s a good chance he will play against the Sun Devils. … CU has settled on Matthew DiLallo as the punter, but Hawkins left the door open for star kicker Mason Crosby to do some special-situation punting.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
