Athens, Ga. – Long after the cheers had faded, the teams were gone and day had turned into night, a security guard still sat at Gate 6 of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium.
He wanted to talk Buffs.
He wanted to know, as did most of the locals here: How on earth was that Colorado team 0-4?
He wanted to let anyone within earshot from the state of Colorado know that Georgia recognized better times were ahead for the Buffs.
“They didn’t come in with much respect,” he said. “But they walked out with a lot of it.”
Three weeks ago, CU’s confusion-riddled performance against Montana State gave everyone pause about what the Buffs were and what they might turn out to be. Now, the view of what kind of product the Buffs are is in an altered state.
“I’m sure nobody expected us to come out here and play the way we did, other than ourselves,” quarterback Bernard Jackson said.
Said tight end Riar Geer: “Now we know how good we are and how good we can be. We have a great team here. We almost beat Georgia, the No. 9-ranked team in the nation. We’ve just got to keep pushing forward, get more effort, keep doing things right and we’ll be there.”
Of the dozen goals Colorado has listed, coach Dan Hawkins and players say that 10 of them are achievable. At the top of the list are a North Division title, a Big 12 championship and a spot in a BCS bowl.
Colorado begins its Big 12 schedule Saturday at Missouri.
It was a game that before the Georgia showing was laced in the “lock” column for a Missouri victory. Now, with CU’s effort against the Bulldogs and Missouri putting up a sloppy effort against Ohio, who knows?
CU defensive end Abraham Wright said he realizes the Buffs have gained favor in some people’s view.
“Maybe, in the fans’ eyes,” Wright said. “A lot of fans just look at the score. But we’ve been playing well every week. It doesn’t really matter if people’s perception changed.
“I had confidence in this team when we lost to Montana State and I still have confidence that we’re going to win the Big 12 championship.”
Said linebacker Jordon Dizon: “We know we’re a great team. The kinks are coming out, and we’re doing what we’ve got to do.”
Dizon was asked if it was getting harder to stay positive with each loss.
“If you were in that locker room with Coach Hawkins, you would not ask that question,” he said.
“His words are so contagious and they get you every time. Our hearts are full for him. Yeah, we’re 0-4, but now we’re going into the Big 12.”
The Big 12, where CU hopes wins, and just not perception, will change.
“They scrapped, they got heart, they’re believing,” Hawkins said. “The coaches are doing a good job, and (the players are) doing a good job. We’ve just got to keep coming.”
Footnotes
Center Mark Fenton, who broke his right fibula against Georgia, said he expects to be back on the field “in two or three games.” Hawkins wasn’t so sure, saying he and the training staff will play it by ear. “It’s going to be hard watching from the sideline,” Fenton said Sunday. “It’s the first time I’ve ever gotten hurt.”…Hawkins said he expects quarterback James Cox to return to the team as early as tonight. Cox has been in California since the middle of last week and is mourning the death of his father, Terry, who passed away Wednesday night.
EYE ON … The Tigers
COLORADO AT NO. 25 MISSOURI, 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Mo.
For the record: Colorado is 0-4, Missouri 4-0.
Streaking: Missouri is 4-0 for the first time since 2003 and the fifth time since 1925.
Who’s hot: The MU defense. It is ranked first in the nation, allowing only 175.3 yards per game.
Who’s not: Not much. The Tigers committed nine penalties in their last outing, though.
Key stat: The Tigers are 1-5 in Big 12 conference openers this century.
FYI: Missouri’s only win in a Big 12 opener since 2000 was in 2004 – over Colorado at Columbia….The Tigers received their first Associated Press ranking since 2004 on Sunday….Missouri has won 12 of its past 17 games and is on a five-game winning streak, dating back to last season….No team has gained more than 201 yards of total offense against the Tigers.
Injury update: No injury information available.
Coachspeak: Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, after his team committed nine penalties and had three turnovers in a win over Ohio on Saturday: “I guess we’re reacting to adversity better, and I think we have some good football players. So, if people are upset about 31-6 and we didn’t play very good, that’s probably OK.”
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
