Out of the frying pan and into the notes column …
Dan Hawkins feels your pain, Oklahoma.
Hawkins spent part of his Tuesday news conference addressing Zebra-gate, a.k.a. Oregon’s phantom victory over the Sooners, which led to a suspension for the officials and an apology from the Pac-10 office.
“God bless officials,” Hawkins said. “I don’t care if it’s Little League or the NFL, I know it’s a tough job. … But OK, so they got suspended for one game and Oklahoma got suspended for a season. That’s what happened.
“I sort of joked with the officials before this. I’d go, ‘The problem is you go back to selling real estate on Monday and you’re selling my house because I just got fired.”‘ …
Not that CU is down, but the most recent time a Hawkins team played at Georgia was a year ago, when Boise State was a seven-point underdog. The Buffs as of Tuesday were 26 1/2-point dogs to the Dawgs. …
True, but strange: CU never has played at an SEC venue other than four games at LSU from 1971-80. …
Hugh Charles ran for 109 yards in the loss to Arizona State, solidifying his status as the Buffs’ starting tailback. Or not. Said Hawkins: “He’s emerged, but I just don’t like that whole thing. Solidified means that you’re there, you’re the guy, and you’re never the guy in my book. You’re always the guy trying to be the guy.” …
Hawkins, on CU’s plight: “It’s not pain. It’s not agony. It’s a situation and you understand it. I’m not into this rebuilding business. Certainly there’s a foundation that has to be laid, but I don’t know how you realistically come into a season and kind of go, ‘Well, you know, guys, I really feel like in about eight years you’re really going to like what’s going on here.”‘ …
Big 12 teams, according to the league office, are 52-1 through the years vs. non-Division I-A teams. The one loss? CU’s opener vs. Montana State.
Yyyyouch! …
Randy Shannon, Butch Davis, Greg Schiano, Tommy Tuberville. … Honk if your name hasn’t been linked to the soon-to-be-vacant U of Miami job. …
Enough already with the e-mails. Tuesday’s column simply said the Broncos, whose longest pass play is 24 yards, miss the deep threat Ashley Lelie provided. It didn’t say they made a mistake in getting rid of him. This is a Super Bowl-or-bust team. You think, in Mike Shanahan‘s perfect world, Lelie wouldn’t be the Broncos’ No. 3 wideout? Think again, Sparky. …
Gary Barnett, to The Gazette in Colorado Springs, after finishing second in his charity foundation’s golf tournament: “The last time I came in second, I got fired.” …
What’s wrong with this picture? The world champion Steelers have claimed running back Najeh Davenport off waivers from the Performers Formerly Known as the Packers. …
Sorry, Steeler Nation, but your heroes didn’t just lose Monday night. They got the pulp knocked out of them by a bunch of guys wearing teal. …
The Chargers have a bye week, but how would they know? Their defense opened the season with seven straight scoreless quarters and their quarterback, Philip Rivers, has thrown 46 passes without being sacked. …
Was that really Maurice Clarett on TV the other day? Not that he’s put on a few, but if the Broncos had kept him he might be starting at defensive tackle by now. …
A little love for the Pirates, por favor. They were 30-60 at the all-star break, but won their 63rd game the other night, ensuring that they wouldn’t lose 100. Through Monday, they were 33-27 since the break. If the Rockies had played that well, they would be in the thick of it in the West. …
Not that Dennis Franchione is feeling the heat at Texas A&M, but the Aggies are averaging more than 14,000 empty seats per game. Their stadium seats 82,600 and they’ve attracted an average of 68,592 for their first two home games.
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jarmstrong@denverpost.com.
